Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 8, 1993 TAG: 9310070116
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The bus? This is supposed to be a Railway Festival.
What's a bus got to do with it?
Well, nothing really, although there is that whole transportation thing that buses and the railroad share. So, why not a bus? Maybe next year they can bring in the Spruce Goose. Or one of the Space Shuttles.
The bus in question is a 1954 Greyhound Scenicruiser out of Dallas, a great bus town if there ever was one. The Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society is bringing in the bus this weekend for the Roanoke Railway Festival.
The connection? The streamlined class "J" steam locomotives developed by Norfolk & Western Railroad and the vintage Scenicruiser were both public transportation marvels of their day.
The "J" engines could automatically lubricate themselves in 20 places. They were capable of pulling loaded coal trains in the mountains without help from additional engines. Some ran for 3 million miles before being retired.
The Scenicruiser had a restroom, skylights, 43 seats and air-conditioning that adjusted the climate on the bus every 40 seconds.
The bus will be parked for the weekend on Norfolk Avenue near the Thomas Rutherfoord Insurance building.
But the bus won't be the only attraction at the Railway Festival.
There also will be a swank fund-raiser for Center in the Square, a silent auction, plenty of live music, rail movies, children's events and, of course, steam excursions aboard old No. 611.
Here is what's happening:
Affair in the Square. The annual fund-raising gala of food, fun and dancing for Center in the Square sold out earlier this week. Live music on five floors at Center in the Square. Draws 1,000 people. Saturday, 8-midnight. $25. Call 342-5740 for more information.
Excursions. Ride vintage passenger cars pulled by a restored N&W steam engine. Two half-day trips to Walton on Saturday. 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Full-day trip to Bluefield, W.Va., on Sunday. Leaves 7:30 a.m. Prices range from $33 to $149. Call 366-0916.
Silent auction. Own a piece of railroad memorabilia. Ongoing throughout the festival at Roanoke Rails, 113 Norfolk Ave. in downtown.
Art by Night. Gallery walk between nine museums and galleries. Specials exhibits on railroading will be featured. Friday, 6-9 p.m. Free.
Norfolk Southern Lawmen. NS singing group that performs railroad music, bluegrass, country and western swing. Saturday and Sunday on the main stage in front of the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Free.
Breakfast with the Animals. At Mill Mountain Zoo. Pancakes for the visitors. Regular breakfast fare for the animals. Saturday, 8:30 a.m. Regular zoo admission, $3.50 for adults and $2 for children, plus $4 for the pancake breakfast, or you can bring your own.
Buckingham Lining Bar Gang. Retired railroad workers revive the swings and the songs that realigned the tracks before the machines came along. Saturday in front of the Museum of Transportation. Free.
South's Largest Railfair. At the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Nearly 100 dealers of model railroad collectibles, books, photographs and working displays. Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the museum, $4 for adults, $1 for children.
Festival Friday at Five. Special edition of First Fridays at Five block party. Food and music. Dominion Plaza. Friday, 5-8 p.m. Must be 21. $2.
Car show. Sponsored by Advance Auto Parts. Antique cars along Norfolk Avenue near the bus. Trophies awarded. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Free.
Rolling stock. Norfolk Southern exhibits state-of-the-art railroad equipment and vintage cars and engines from the Museum of Transportation. All day Friday, Saturday and Sunday in front of the museum. Free.
For kids. Clowns, street entertainment, railroad storytelling, games, petting zoo and sidewalk art. In front of the museum. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Free.
Arts expo. The Kemper A. Dobbins Transportation Arts Exposition. Regional artists featuring transportation in their work. Prizes awarded. At the Museum of Transportation. Friday, 5-7 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission to the museum.
Model trains. Up and running at the Museum of Transportation. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission to the museum.
Live music. Two stages. Country in front of the Museum of Transportation. Rock at Dominion Plaza. All day Saturday and Sunday. Free.
Arts and crafts. For Sale. Norfolk Avenue. Along Warehouse Row. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
Children's trains. Rubber-wheel train rides for kids along the five-block festival area. Up to 40 passengers. Porky's Express, pink train cars shaped like pigs on a small oval track. Outside the Museum of Transportation. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. $1.
Zoo-Choo. Another children's train at Mill Mountain Zoo. Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Regular zoo admission, plus 50 cents a ride for children and 75 cents for adults.
Rail movies. Documentary and feature films at the Museum of Transportation inside its vintage safety car. Thomas the Tank Engine shorts for kids. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the museum.
For additional information about the Roanoke Railway Festival, call 342-2028.
by CNB