JUNE

June 8:

It runs. It moves. The 102 is on the road. The wheels are on. The transmission works. And the bus moves. We couldn't be more proud. Everyone gathered last night to witness the inaugural voyage. We wish you all could have been there.

MAY

May 21:

Lewis will get the newly painted wheels for the 102 to Blue Ridge Tire. If all goes well, we should have them back Wednesday night and be putting them on.  We have new airbags coming for the Metrobus along with some new striping so progress on that bus can start as soon as we have painted the Metro. Also, we are continuing our efforts to make arrangements to retrieve the 53 Mack donated from Hampton.

May 18:

Had a great worknight with the 102 running. And with the help of Ben Shank, Lewis, Kenny and Russ, we got the 102 in reverse, neutral and forward! The directional signals work as do the marker lights, some of the interior lights and the get off buzzer! Joe and Ed worked on getting some of the adhesive off of the Metro, James Maxey got a lock on the fuel door of the Gillig and Russ finished painting the wheels and hubs on the 102.

Texas Steakhouse was the place. Sargent First Class Mark Williams was the man of the hour. A dinner was held to honor a dedicated buseum member if there ever was one. We have to say goodbye to Mark for the next 18 months. He’s headed out to Iraq, and we offer our thanks for what he’s doing, and our prayers for his returning safely. Appropriately, he left the Reserve Compound by bus.APRIL

April 30:

Our most recent workday was very productive. The Richmond Metro received some much needed attention. Including caulking the top of the bus to stop its endless leaking, and continued removal of the striping in preparation for painting. Plans are to paint the orange stripe first and then beige all over the coach to match the original colors.  We also replaced a bearing on the fan belt assembly and it seems to be running great.

Joe provided a successful trip for the Garden Club of Virginia—in town this past week. Russ has painted the wheels for the 102. A big help in imagining what the finished bus will look like. We’ve had some student, and Boy Scout, help thanks to good friends of both Lewis and the CC&T.

New graphics have been added to the Gillig, the Staunton bus, the RTS, and the Pentran. The Pentran has been lovingly—or not so lovingly—nicknamed by Kenny as “The Beast,” and it now sports an official label to prove it.

April 21:

The CC&T coaches may run from time to time by moonlight, but this is the first time they’ve run by moonshine. This past weekend the CC&T assisted the Franklin County Historical Society, providing transportation for their Moonshine Tours— a look back at the less than legal history of this region. Images of our “Moonshine Express” were featured in the article that appeared in the April 18th Roanoke Times, even though not mentioned by name in the article itself.

 The progress of the brush and overgrowth removal from the buseum lot is truly amazing. Who knew there was so much space hogged by greedy trees and vines? As the picture shows, the CC&T is blessed with some of the most dedicated workers in town. And each one a volunteer giving up their Saturday to make it happen.

April 6:

A sharp eyed individual came across this photo and sent it along. It was in the collection of the Roanoke Public Library with the caption "Early motorized vehicle, Downtown Roanoke." If anyone has any additional information about what is perhaps Roanoke's first bus, we'd love to hear from you!

Russ has been painting the wheels on the GMC 3714 #102 and they look fantastic. The cream is a perfect match for the old Roanoke City Lines color and we will hopefully get  them on the bus soon. Congratulations to Russ for a job well done.

The last day of March we had two coaches on a run for the International Association of Conference Centers and had folks from all over the world on our coaches. It's always great to share our collection with interested folks from other places.