
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, September 15, 1994                   TAG: 9409150050
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

DEFENSE FUNDS FIXED VP'S HOUSE

Q: Vice President Al Gore's family did not move into their official residence in early 1993 because it was under renovation. On Sunday an item in Parade magazine mentioned that Tipper Gore was interviewed at the residence. When was the renovation completed and how much did it cost?

J.L., Roanoke

A: Renovation of the century-old house was completed Sept. 10, 1993, and cost about $2.7 million. The Gores had moved in three months earlier.

Known as the Admiral's House, on the grounds of the Naval Observatory, the mansion had been under renovation for five years. The work included replacement of lead water pipes and installation of new electrical systems and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

The structural and mechanical bill totaled $1.7 million, according to the Navy, and came out of defense funds for maintenance and operations.

A new security outpost in the mansion was not included in the remodeling costs, The Washington Post reported.

The previous occupants, Dan and Marilyn Quayle, had ordered $800,000 in redecorations and furnishings, including some antiques.

The Gores requested another $200,000 in new paint and carpets, plus luxury features in the main suite's bathrooms. Also included were a new stereo system and a $15,000 cherry cabinet in the family room.

The furnishings in both cases were paid from private funds collected by the Vice President's Residence Foundation, set up during the Quayle years to raise tax-deductible contributions. Interior designers provided many of the gifts.|

NW-Virginian merger

Q: When did Norfolk and Western Railway take over Virginian Railway, and when did the last electric engine run in Roanoke? I remember living near those tracks.

L.L., Christiansburg

A: Virginian Railway was merged into NW officially on Dec. 1, 1959, ushering in a new era of rail mergers.

Almost exclusively a coal railroad, the Virginian paralleled the NW, using tracks on the south side of the Roanoke River.

Another notable feature of the Virginian was the dozen electric locomotives that ran between Mullen, W.Va., and Roanoke, drawing their power from overhead lines.

Those engines continued until 1962, recalls William Honeycutt, a Norfolk Southern manager who watched them being phased out while he traveled to classes at Virginia Tech.

The official retirement date for those engines was June 30,1962, according to railroad history documents. They were sold to a New York-Connecticut railroad.

The last remaining Virginian electric locomotive is in the Museum of Transportation in Roanoke.

Got a question about something that might affect other people too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.

by CNB