ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 5, 1996 TAG: 9601050024
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Out & About
SOURCE: DONNA ALVIS BANKS
I've been working on the railroad
All the livelong day,
I've been working on the railroad
To pass the time away.
Don't you hear the whistle blowing?
Rise up so early in the morn...."
It was right here in Merrimac that miners dug out hard coal. Those strong men loaded it in the hoppers where it was sent by Norfolk & Western predecessor railroads to be used in the firebox of the Confederate Ironclad Virginia, more commonly known as the Merrimac.
The Norfolk & Western Railway has moved a lot of coal out of these mountains. Those massive engines have been huffing and puffing around the winding curves of the Appalachians for almost 150 years.
In addition to hauling coal and other freight, the N&W also has a long history of passenger service. In 1929, the railroad had 476 passenger cars. At the end of the Great Depression, the demand for rail travel increased.
To accommodate longer and heavier passenger trains for long distance runs, the N&W decided to build a new powerful, streamlined passenger locomotive.
Hence, the Class J steam locomotive was born.
The first of these Class J engines - numbers 600 through 604 - rolled out of the shops in Roanoke between October of 1941 and January of 1942. Lewis Ingles Jeffries described the newfangled locomotives in his book, "N&W: Giant of Steam":
"The Class J's were mechanically superior and could thunder up Christiansburg Mountain to the summit of the eastern continental divide with a heavy passenger train in tow at 45 to 50 miles per hour. On a flat track they could easily accelerate to 100 miles per hour."
The last of the Class J engines - the 611 - has been declared a National Historical Engineering Landmark, thanks to the efforts of the late Clarence Trent, a professor in Virginia Tech's engineering department.
Virginia Tech is honoring the N&W Railway and its history with an exhibit in the lobby of Newman Library. The display features photographs and manuscripts dating from 1850 to the present. It focuses on the era of the steam locomotive.
You can see the display through Jan. 31. The library will be open today from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on holiday hours, call the information desk at 231-6170.
Materials for the exhibit are from the N&W's historical photograph collection and railway archives. You'll be pleased to see that many of the items relate to the New River Valley and Southwest Virginia.
STRING ALONG: Can you pick out a tune on the ole banjo? Strum a guitar? Hit a lick on the fiddle?
If so, UNCLE BILL WANTS YOU!
Bill Richardson is a musician and leader of the Blacksburg Old-Time Music and Dance Group. In addition to putting on monthly square dances, the group also sponsors a weekly jam session for fiddlers, banjo pickers and other old-time string players.
The jam sessions run from 9 to midnight every Tuesday at the Dundrum Bay Restaurant on Progress Street in Blacksburg. It's in the former Greek's spot.
Bring your bows and your picks or just bring yourself. The musicians welcome dancers and clappers, too.
Admission to the jam sessions is free. For more information, call Richardson at 951-1061.
FRINGE BENEFITS: Elaine Boyd, Carol Britt, Susan Brittingham, Betty Bryant, Linda Fiedler, Marilyn Hower, Ann Reardon, Sylvia Richardson, Chime Saltz and Ginny Watson ARE Fringe Benefits.
The women make contemporary quilts and get together three times a year to share ideas, projects and problems. They also critique each other's work and participate in shows together.
The new show at the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley is a display of works by Fringe Benefits. The quilts will remain through January.
You'll be amazed at some of the unique designs on these quilts.
"Most all of these are original designs, " said Chime Saltz, one of the quilters in the group.
Saltz, who says she has been quilting "seriously" for the past 10 years, noted that the designs range from abstract to more traditional patterns.
Quilting has become a popular draw at art shows all over the country. It's also one art form that sells.
Linda Fiedler, a member of Fringe Benefits, recently won a $10,000 purchase prize for her quilt, "Autumn in the City." It took the best-in-show prize at an exhibition in Columbus, Ind.
Fiedler, who lives in Meadows-of-Dan, has been quilting for 25 years. "Autumn in the City" was an original design.
The exhibit at the Fine Arts Center features more than 20 quilts and quilted garments. You can see them weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free.
The center is at 21 W. Main St. in Pulaski.
LOVABLE LANDMARK: The folks in Pulaski County love the old courthouse on Main Street. When fire destroyed the interior of the grand old building in December of 1989, those folks didn't waste time wringing their hands.
They got busy with reconstruction. The refurbished building was dedicated on Dec. 29, 1992.
Now, the old courthouse building is open for self-guided tours depicting Pulaski County's heritage. Starting this Saturday, you can see the exhibits the first Saturday of each month from 1 to 2 p.m.
Videotapes of the fire and the reconstruction that followed are part of the tour. You'll also see films about Native American heritage in the New River Valley.
The exhibits include information on early settlers, the history of the New River, geological heritage, natural resources and more.
Group tours also are available. To schedule them, just call two weeks in advance: 980-7845.
For more information on the exhibits, call 980-7797 or 980-4640.
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