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Volume 53, Number 2 Mar.-April-May 2021 The Official Newsletter of the Roanoke Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc. Cover Photos It was 50 years ago on a sunny Saturday when the last Pocahontas, train No. 4 left Roanoke at 12:19 pm. The No. 759 was pulling the train from Roanoke-Norfolk to commemorate the end of Norfolk and Western passenger service. Long-time Chapter member and Historian Arthur M. Bixby recorded the moment as No. 759 began its trip. Leaning out of the cab is Vice President Robert B. Claytor. Read Dorr Tucker's article from the Turntable Times about the last Pocahontas. Could anyone there that day have thought that 11 years and four months later the 611 would be depart- ing from Roanoke under steam? Perhaps that man leaning out of the cab, but certainly not many of those on hand could have! Meeting Notice With the pandemic, the Roanoke Chapter of the This is our new location for monthly meetings, please National Railway Historical Society has cancelled all be sure to make a note of it. While we regret not having meetings and gatherings until further notice. When the meetings during the current emergency, we intend to meetings resume, they will be held Fellowship Hall at follow the Governor's orders. (Please be aware, this may St. Marks Lutheran Church at 7:30 pm. Please see the change.) We hope to resume actual meetings in the early description on the next page for specific directions. summer, but that depends on the situation. 1 From The Head End don't have any certainty when the church will be open again. We publish directions for the purpose of making Cards and Flowers people aware. Whenever we can actually get back to in-person If you know of a Chapter Member who is sick, lost meetings, we will be meeting at St Mark’s Lutheran a loved one or has a new birth in the family, please Church, 1008 Franklin Road, SW, at the corner of contact Delta Helmer Pelgrim. Delta is responsible for Highland Avenue in Old Southwest, Roanoke 24016. Chapter cards and flowers and can be reached at mem- There is NO parking on Franklin Road; instead turn [email protected] or 703-627-7847. east onto Highland and enter and park in the lot off Deadline for Turntable Times Highland directly behind the church. Enter the church through the doors down the steps The deadline for the next issue of Turntable Times below the overhanging breezeway. This is technically is Friday, May 14, 2021. Please send articles, informa- the rear of the church, but is the most convenient and tion and exchange newsletters to: Editor Turntable closest to the parking. Times, P.O. Box 13222, Roanoke, VA, 24032. All parties When inside proceed to the elevator on the right sending newsletters to the Roanoke Chapter via email (about 15 feet) and go down to level 1 and follow the should send them to Gary Ballard [email protected], NRHS signs into the meeting room. Dorr Tucker at joandorr@ EDITOR: The church doors will be locked 10 minutes after the cox.net and Ken Miller at starting time so please be on time. Should you know Gary Ballard [email protected] [email protected] that you will be late, please arrange in advance to con- Meeting tact a member already in the church when you arrive EDITORIAL ASSISTANT AND so that someone can meet you at the door to let you CIRCULATION Cancellation Policy in. Thank you for your cooperation in this. Dorr Tucker Any Chapter meeting Sick List [email protected] will be considered can- celled if any of the fol- Nothing new has been reported thus far. MIXED FREIGHT lowing conditions are due Robin R. Shavers Emergency Notification Phone Numbers to weather: Roanoke City robin.shavers@gmail. Schools are closed on the ou may use these phone numbers to report emer- com day of or for the day after Ygencies or other conditions affecting railroad opera- tions, including trespassers, vandalism, fires, defective PUBLISHER/HISTORIAN the meeting, or Virginia equipment, etc. If at a railroad/highway grade crossing Kenneth L. Miller Western night classes are try to provide the unique crossing number/DOT num- [email protected] cancelled for the night of a meeting. Obviously, we ber posted nearby, usually on a small blue sign. All materials should be have cancelled all meetings Norfolk Southern............... 800-453-2530 sent directly to the Editors until further notice due CSX ......................... 800-232-0144 at their email address listed to the pandemic. We hold Amtrak ....................... 800-331-0008 with their names. Turntable Times is pub- Board Meetings via Zoom 2021 Chapter Directors and will go to in-person lished quarterly as the news- Chuck Akers ........................President letter of the Roanoke Chapter, meetings as soon as it is Lewis Foster ........................ Secretary National Railway Historical safe to do so. Society, Inc. Opinions and Gary Gray ......................Vice President points of view expressed New Chapter Delta Helmer Pelgrim ................Treasurer herein are those of the staff Meeting Location David Foster .......... National Representative members or contributors of Ken Miller...........................Director the Turntable Times and do and Time Rick Rader...........................Director not necessarily reflect those hile we are still Richard Shell ........................Director of the members, officers or in the midst of directors of the Chapter. W George Stein .........................Director COVID19, we are hope- Please note all material Our Chapter Board meets at least once a month, usu- ful that the vaccine will including logos and design ally the first Tuesday; contact a board member to find make the possibility of elements are copyrighted by the date and location. Board meetings are open to the the authors and allowed to be having in-person meetings membership. Please note, in-person Board meetings reproduced only with explicit once again. However, we written permission. have been discontinued as per the Governor's order through October. The board has met virtually via Zoom Look for this to be available on a popular Northeast the past few months, and anticipates continuing that Regional train that starts in Newport News, Virginia for the time being. The Board will take up business with this new service added onto the train in as necessary via email or telephone until then. Please Washington, D.C., as the train continues to its destina- remember to Stay home, stay safe! tion in Boston. For many of us, Amtrak services in the past includes those times where services got down- Treasurers Report graded to a standard fare sort of thing over the years. by Delta Helmer Pelgrim lease continue to sign up/use your Kroger and PAmazon.com community support – keep eating and buying stuff. If you need help signing up please let me know. This is an easy way to make money for the chap- ter. A shout out to those individuals who run Facebook fundraisers. The last one raised over $300 through crowd sourcing. I am always available to provide information and our financial statements. Feel free to send me e-mails at [email protected] Membership By Delta Helmer Pelgrim s of March 20, we have 148 members. I am mail- Aing everyone a roster by the end of the month. If you do not receive your roster in the mail please let me know. Anyone who submitted their National payment to me has had their payment submitted to Nationals. You should have received an acknowledgement from them. If you have not heard anything from Nationals reach out to me and I will contact them. As a reminder, printed copies of the Turntable Times are $10 for the year. Happy to answer any questions or concerns - mem- [email protected]. Passenger Train Update by: Gary Ballard inally, the much anticipated good Fnews regarding traveling by train has arrived. Amtrak’s new sleeping car ser- vice, daily operation of long-haul routes and the return to full dining service are items making the headlines. There is a new term for sleeping car service. “Private Rooms” is the new term used when booking a sleeping car accommodation with Amtrak and it comes at a time when living during the current pandemic where everyone likes to have privacy and to be distance them- selves from others. All: Gary Ballard Photos Sleeping cars at Charlottesville, Va , 2019 3 Amtrak is returning sleeping car service to what was Baltimore to New Haven $256 The Twilight Shoreliner, trains 65/66/67. This train was Hotel prices in Philadelphia nearby to the airport launched in the summer of 1997. It was discontinued range from $109 to $240, not including ride fare from in 2003 and replaced with named train: The Federal. By the airport. So, by comparing everything with how 2004, the sleeping car was dropped. Today, It is more to make the trip relaxing, safe and comfortable, the than just adding these cars to the train, it is all about Amtrak prices are in line with choices of taking the the presentation being made. plane vs train. Add to the fact that privacy, comfort and This will be a nighttime run in either direction of distance from other passengers is found on the train. travel for trains 65/66/67. Train 66 departs Newport Nationwide, the long-distance routes are returning News, Virginia at 4:50 pm with arrival in Washington, to daily operation. These trains were cut to triweekly D.C. around 9:30 pm. This has always been a station service last May and June resulting in extremely low stop with time for restocking of the café car and a crew ridership during the Pandemic.

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