Thursday, June 26 through Sunday, June 29
Location: Hotel Roanoke, Roanoke, VA
Online registration is now closed!
The Hotel Roanoke will again be our Convention Headquarters. The original Hotel Roanoke was built by the N&W in 1882. Renovated in 1994 the hotel reopened in April of 1995. The Hotel Roanoke carefully preserved the past with touches such as an antique-filled lobby, original Czech-made chandeliers, a restored Regency Room (home of their signature Peanut Soup), Pine Room (formerly an Officers' Club in World War II), and the Palm Court, the original ceiling of which was painted to show the constellations as they appeared in the skies the day the first train came to Roanoke in 1852.
We have reserved a block of rooms for our members for $125.00 per night. Make your room reservations directly with the hotel by phone at (540)-985-5900 or online.
Virginia Museum of Transportation
The Virginia Museum of Transportation is well known as the
home of the famous N&W Class J No. 611 and N&W Class A No. 1218
both designed and built by N&W employees in Roanoke, Virginia.
Although the 611 is expected to be out for its big restoration, the
remainder of the Museum's collection will be there including the
N&W Class G-1 No. 6 built in 1897 and the last surviving Virginian
Railway steam locomotive Class SA No. 4. Diesel fans will appreciate
the newly repainted N&W SD-45 No. 1776 and the Chesapeake Western No. 662,
one of the “Lost Locomotives of Roanoke.” Virginian fans can enjoy
locomotive Class EL-C No. 135 and caboose
No. 321. They’ll also want to check out the display Virginian Railway:
Roanoke’s Other Railroad. Enjoy a video of the past in the Instruction
Car!
The Museum Rail Yard will be the site of our cookout Friday night. Come join us for an old fashioned cookout of hamburgers, hot dogs and all the fixings. What better place to enjoy a meal with fellow N&W fans than among the giants of steam and other restored examples of N&W and Virginian motive power beside the busy Norfolk Southern mainline. After eating take a short ride in a caboose or former N&W coach No. 512 into the yard pulled by one of the Roanoke Chapter’s operating diesels, N&W GP-30 No. 522 or N&W T-6 No. 41. Aubrey Wiley will show his 1921 Sheffield motor car and will be doing a living history of a VGN signal man.
During the remainder of the Convention you can pick up tickets for free admission from the sales table in the exhibit room. The museum is open from 10am–5pm Monday–Saturday and 1pm–5pm on Sunday. By foot you can cross the glass bridge over the tracks and follow the RailWalk to the museum. By car travel west on Shenandoah Avenue, left across the 5th Street Bridge and take the next left onto Norfolk Avenue to the museum.
O. Winston Link Museum
The O. Winston Link Museum is located across the street from
the Hotel Roanoke in the former N&W Railway passenger station.
The collection is predominantly focused on the N&W. Link captured the last days of steam operation on the
N&W in the late 1950s, but within the walls of its galleries, the museum
offers much more than just photographs. The images created
by Link are vignettes into history and sociology; they are art. They
are a part of the history of photography and are a tool to share an
era with every person. The museum is open from 10am–5pm every
day. Get your tickets for free admission from the sales table in the
exhibit room.
Taubman Museum of Art
Tour the new Taubman Museum of Art, an 81,000 square-foot
museum in downtown Roanoke. The new facility, designed by architect
Randall Stout, is transforming Western Virginia with an
architectural achievement like no other. The facility houses stateof-the-art
exhibition galleries and a stellar permanent collection
that provides an analogy for the city’s evolution from industrial
and manufacturing town to technology-driven city. The building's
forms and materials evoke both the drama of the surrounding
mountainous landscape of the Shenandoah Valley and the lyrically
gritty industrial-era building culture of the great early 20th Century
railroad boom, when Roanoke came to prominence as a switchpoint
city of the new South.
N&WHS Archives
The Archives Committee will have the Archives open to the general public on Thursday 8:00am-4:00pm and again on Sunday 11:00am-4:00pm. The Archives is located at 2101 Salem Ave SW. Click here for directions.
Book Signing
Meet your favorite N&W/VGN book authors! Bob Cohen, Ed King, Louis Newton, Kurt Reisweber, Alex Schust, Aubrey Wiley and others will gladly sign copies of their books and answer your questions. Don't miss this unprecedented gathering of experts!
Modeling Contest
The Modeling contest has returned to our convention! See Modeling contest entry form for more details. Winners will be announced at Sunday morning membership breadfast.
The Norfolk and Western's famous Blue Ridge Grade was the last great obstacle for
trains hauling precious black diamonds from the Pocahontas coal fields to the
coast. We will visit the location of Boaz Siding where pushers, including Jawn Henry
would wait to help their next train over the mountain, and Webster, where we'll visit
the General Shale brick factory. We’ll stop at the site of Photographer's Bridge where
many famous photos of the last days of steam were taken. We'll also be stopping at
both Bonsack and Blue Ridge. So come join us as we visit one of the most famous ten miles
of track in the country and learn how this stretch was operated in the days of steam.
All persons registering for this
tour must be wearing sturdy closed-toed
footwear. No open-toed shoes, sandals,
Crocs or flipflops will be allowed. Persons not properly attired will not be able
to participate in all portions of the tour.
Come join us for an old fashioned cookout in the Rail Yard at the Virginia Museum of Transportation. What better place to enjoy a meal with fellow N&W fans than among the giants of steam and other restored examples of N&W and Virginian motive power. Watch the busy Norfolk Southern mainline or take a short ride in a caboose or former N&W coach No. 512 into the yard pulled by one of the Roanoke Chapter’s operating diesels, N&W GP-30 No. 522 or N&W T-6 No. 41. Aubrey Wiley will show his 1921 Sheffield motor car and will be doing a living history of a VGN signal man.
Saturday morning we will tour the former Virginian Railway
passenger station which is being restored by the Roanoke Chapter
NRHS. Come see one of the Virginian's finest passenger stations
and one of the few masonry stations built by the Virginian. Then we will travel to the Roanoke
Chapter’s 9th Street restoration facility where the Chapter’s
Mechanical Department restores steam, diesel and passenger equipment. See where four of the "Lost
Locomotives of Roanoke" have come to be returned to their former glory.
Join us for an enjoyable buffet dinner with salad bar, your choice of fennel crusted pork loin or herb grilled chicken, Chesapeake Bay pasta, herb roasted potatoes and choice of dessert. Following our meal, we will present this year's Golden Arrow, Brakeman, H. Reid, and Precision Transportation awards. Rick Stone, Jim Brewer and Ron Davis will do a presentation on the history of the society as we celebrate its 30th Anniversary!
We'll prepare to say goodbye for another year as we enjoy a hearty breakfast buffet of scrambled eggs, French toast, sausage and bacon. The annual Society business meeting will follow, including presentation of awards from our modeling contest.
Stop by the Archives on your way home. The Archives Committee will have the Archives open once again from 11:00am to 4:00pm.
