Updated Janaury 17 2008
January Meeting CANCELLED!
Due to the weather conditions, and the following cancellation policy, our Janaury Meeting is cancelled.
Meeting Cancellation Policy
Any Chapter meeting will be considered cancelled if any of the following conditions are due to weather: Roanoke City Schools are closed on the day of or for the day after the meeting, or Virginia Western night classes are cancelled for the night of a meeting.
The Roanoke Chapter NRHS is a not-for-profit, historical and educational organization incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (c)(3) organization.
We have been involved in the preservation and dissemination of western Virginia's rail heritage, most specifically the Norfolk and Western and Virginian Railways. Our organization is quite active in the preservation and restoration of historical rail equipment, documentation and structures relating to the railroads in our area for over 35 years.
We continue to work closely with the O. Winston Link Museum as we have since its inception. A number of our members knew Winston and a wide variety of folks participate in Museum activities. We have been a strong supporter of the Museum's Mission and will continue to.
Until February of 2005, the Roanoke Chapter worked with the Virginia Museum of Transportation to operate the gift shop there.
Many folks thought the Roanoke Chapter operates or operated the Transportation Museum. That is far from the truth. The Transportation Museum is a completely separate organization. It is true that the Roanoke Chapter was quite involved from the formation of this organization in 1976 through today. Presently there is no involvment by Roanoke Chapter or its members in any Virginia Museum of Transportation activity or management.
In 2004, Norfolk Southern donated the former Virginian Ry. Roanoke passenger station to the Chapter. This beautiful 1909 structure was badly damaged by fire on January 29, 2001. The Roanoke Chapter is seeking funding sources and a complete business plan before beginning to restore the depot to its former glory.
The Chapter organized and designed a Virginia license plate commemorating the N&W Class J, No. 611. This was accomplished in the summer of 2003, you can now order one directly from the Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles on the web, or in person. The Chapter receives no monies from the sale of this plate.
Class J License Plate
The Chapter has a monthly business meeting, usually featuring a program devoted to railroading. Our meetings are open, and everyone is invited; any guests are encouraged to join the Roanoke Chapter. See the specific meeting details on the links below.
Membership requirements are simple, participation at a scheduled work session or attendance at a regular meeting. Once those are accomplished, a membership application can be filled out, and dues paid. The Board must approve all applications, but generally meeting the criteria assures approval
As with most not for profit organizations, the Roanoke Chapter is always looking for funding for projects. This organization is all volunteer, with no paid employees. With the end of the steam excursion program in 1994, the proceeds from successful excursion trains ended.
We continue to look for additional sources of revenue. One of these fund raising projects is the publication of our first book: Norfolk and Western Class J, The Finest Steam Passenger Locomotive by former Chapter President Kenneth L. Miller. This book is now out of print. The 144 page hardcover book feautres a very readable complete history of the famous steam locomotives and featured over 200 illustrations including 4 images provided by famous photographer O. Winston Link. The book was well received and will not be reprinted. There are a very few limited copies remaining, each has been signed and dated by the author, less than a dozen copies remain. They are priced at $49.95 each plus $5.00 s/h for US orders only, to order go to the contect section and contact Mr. Miller via the mailing address in the contact section. These are only available direct by mail.
Volunteers are always needed for Chapter projects, restoration work, archive materials, and publications. Please consider giving of your time.
We publish a bi-monthly newsletter to all members, and the previous month's issue is available here for viewing as a PDF file.
You can contact us at
Roanoke Chapter NRHS
P.O. Box 13222
Roanoke, VA 24032-1322 |
