This is a little late, but I haven't seen reference to this subject here. Thought it would be of some interest since the station was nearly lost.

From

http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story143700.html

Thursday, January 30, 2003

Announcement came 47 years after last train departed
Train station donated to historical society
Norfolk Southern's gift should allow the former Virginian Railway station to be preserved.

By KATHY LU
THE ROANOKE TIMES

Historically, Jan. 29 has been an inauspicious date for the Virginian Railway depot in Roanoke.

In 1956, that was the day the last Virginian passenger train pulled out - a sign of the industry's decline.

In 2001, that was the night a raging fire tore through the building and left gaping, charred holes in the roof.

But Wednesday was different.

That's when the salvation of the endangered building at 1402 S. Jefferson St. began.

"We're hoping to turn the 29th of January into a positive anniversary from here on out," Alison Blanton, president of the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation, said at a press conference.

Blanton and Ken Miller, president of the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, announced that Norfolk Southern Corp. had donated the station's two buildings and surrounding land to the historical society. It was a giant step for the society, which has been working for years to preserve the station.

"It was a long road to get here," Miller said. "Now, we have a major job in front of us."

Acquiring the property has been the society's largest hurdle.

Initially there were fears that the station would be swallowed by the Carilion Biomedical Institute or related developments.

But Dann Campbell, development projects director for the Roanoke Redevelopment & Housing Authority, said that was never an issue. The authority is in charge of acquiring land for the institute.

The station "really wasn't in jeopardy," Campbell said. "It wasn't in the initial phase of the project. We think it's fortunate that the railroad was so generous and willing to work with the preservation groups."

In 2001, Miller said NS had told him several years before that it would cost about $1.3 million to buy both depot structures, without any land. That figure, Miller said, plus the cost of finding a new site for the depot and moving it made the transaction practically impossible.

Now, the society has the buildings and the land - which were last assessed at about $124,000, Miller said. "We felt that the efforts of preservation of this historic station was a worthy cause," said Lloyd Clingenpeel, senior manager of real estate for NS.

The station was built in 1909 and was the only brick station along Virginian Railway's 608-mile system from Deepwater, W.Va., south of Charleston, to Norfolk. It is also the oldest structure on that route.

The station closed in 1959 when the Virginian, a smaller competitor in the coal-hauling business, merged with its larger rival the Norfolk and Western, the predecessor to NS. The building housed Depot Feed & Seed until the 2001 fire.

"I was so scared it was going to be destroyed," said Rufus Wingfield, 74, a former Virginian Railway employee.

Wingfield was one of several former Virginian employees at the press conference who knew the station in its heyday.

"It was always wonderful to go in there," recalled William Turner, 70, who worked as a conductor. He said he went to the station once a month for meetings. "I liked the architecture. It was an unusual building."

Others agree. In the past three years the station has made it onto three endangered sites lists: the preservation foundation's 2000 list; the national Great American Station Foundation's 2001 list; and the Preservation Alliance of Virginia's 2002 list.

Miller said the society's first goal will be to put a new roof on the station by summer. The cost will be partially covered by funds the society and foundation have raised.

After that is complete, Miller said he will probably start a fund-raising campaign to finance the station's renovation, which could cost between $300,000 and $750,000.

Although there are no formal plans for how the station will be used, Miller said it would be a perfect permanent home for the society, which has a large archive that needs display space. He may also then lease the rest of the building as office spaces. But it would be difficult to open the station as a museum, Miller said, because of the limited number of parking spaces.

Either way, most are just happy that the station will stay.

"It's a relief to know that it's going to be taken care of," Wingfield said.



drs5260fr@yahoo.com

> This is a little late, but I haven't seen
> reference to this subject here...

Just a reminder that you may want to check the "Flimsies" section for published news pieces. And we welcome your submission of such articles for inclusion in "Flimsies"! This particular story was posted on 31 Jan 2003.

Cheers,
Keith Albrandt
Flimsies Administrator

kalbrandt@rypn.org