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| Column on VMT from Roanoke Times. https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2582 |
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| Author: | jimwrinn [ Thu Jan 24, 2002 5:12 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Column on VMT from Roanoke Times. |
Cuppa Joe Wednesday, January 09, 2002 Trains to get the protection they deserve Please add 2 subheads where appropriate By JOE KENNEDY THE ROANOKE TIMES Chris McBride reminds me of Sisyphus, the mythical king of Corinth who was doomed to Hades, where he spent his time pushing a heavy stone uphill and watching it roll down again. For the past several years, McBride has been doomed to restore vintage railroad cars and locomotives - a job he loves - and watch his work deteriorate as the rolling stock sat, uncovered, in the yard of Roanoke's Virginia Museum of Transportation. Depending on the quality of paint McBride used, rain, wind and ultraviolet rays from the sun would begin to fade a brilliant color scheme in as few as two years. Soon, though, a new pavilion will give McBride more satisfaction and less frustration. It will cover about 30 of the collection's 52 pieces and shield them from the elements. On Monday, the Norfolk Southern Corp. will move about 20 of the big railroad collectibles from the museum's yard into storage. Workers from Avis Construction Co. will set about preparing the site for the new roof, officially known as the Robert B. and W. Graham Claytor Pavilion, in honor of two rail giants who hailed from these parts. Roof could save more than it cost By the time the project is completed next summer, a third set of tracks will lie beneath the cover, and a covered walkway will lead to the outdoor displays. The museum has needed these improvements since even before the flood of 1985 wiped out its Roanoke River site, did $1 million in damage and led to the collection's current home in the former Norfolk and Western Railway freight station downtown. Through all those years, rail equipment sat exposed to the elements, and museum officials sat exposed to critics, who complained about the state of the stock. Kay Strickland, the museum's executive director, has listened to the complaints for a decade. "If I've learned anything here," she said, "it's how to be patient." The rise of the pavilion can be traced to money from the Virginia Department of Transportation, a Roanoke bond referendum and private contributions. The total expense could approximate $1 million. The total savings could amount to much more. As McBride noted, several nice pieces are declining to the point where mere paint wouldn't save them - only total refurbishing would. For a guy who lacks a formal restoration facility, depends on volunteers and cannot work when the weather is wet, cold or both, he shows remarkable composure on the subject of rot. A not-so-subtle hint to NS "Rust never sleeps," he says with a small laugh. If he could have one present from the gods, it would be for Norfolk Southern Corp. to let him use its idle car painting facility at the East End rail shops. The pavilion is "absolutely essential" to preserving the exhibits, he said. Because of the construction, Free Fridays, when admission costs nothing, are kaput until further notice. Group tours will be used to take people among the exhibits. Call the museum (342-5670) for daily times. Like other Roanoke area cultural attractions, the museum lost money - $300,000 - during the state budget fiasco last year. Strickland is at a loss to describe how the museum would cope with further budget cuts. On the up side, this summer, the N&W 1218, another prized locomotive, will join the Class J No. 611 already on display. Its livery might be tattered - there's that paint shop issue again - but train lovers surely will shed tears when the big horse comes home. Read A Cuppa Joe Online at www.roanoke.com/cuppajoe. Wrinnbo@aol.com |
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