JUNE

June 14

Harry and Mel contine their efforts on the 53 Mack. Several others got the 62 GMC fueled and changed the fuel filters on the coach. We have found a dry clutch for the GMC 4905 that we hope to get in the next week or so, in order to get it running. We have found the VIN on the RV and have asked the DMV to assist us in getting a new title. We await the title on the Alexandria, Barcroft and Washington 5302.  We started the 4104, it sounds great!, and ran all the buses inside to make sure they are ok as we have some trips coming up.
 
We do hope to go to Alexandria this week to get the Orion I. We have a full load of folks going on that one.
 
We have a trip on the 24th, a wedding on July 2nd, Motor Madness the night of the 3rd . Come out and see us at the Civic Mall!
 
Had some great guests from the MTA in NYC Sunday the 18th. Trevor, Thomas and Dannie were great and thought we had a good collection. They drove all the way from DC to see the Buseum.


June 7th

We borrowed a large air wrench to get the studs off so we could put good tires on the old AB&W coach. It runs much better with good rubber. We have the DMV continuing to assist us with the VIN numbers on the RV and the 1319.
 
We had two runs this week with Karen and Bev working on the HOT ROD POWER TOUR that came to the Salem Civic Center. The plan was to do shuttles to the Roanoke and Salem Markets. The group was late in arriving so we had no takers. Bev did a shuttle for the Jefferson Senior High School Class of ’56 on Saturday.
 
Have heard nothing on the Alexandria Orion but hope to hear soon. We are taking to WMATA about the chance for a 30 Ft Flxible Metro as they are taking some out of service. Freddy has been keeping his eye out for them.

MAY

May 31

Ben, Harry and  Mel worked on the Mack again this week.  Mel and Harry are single handedly working on the roof and getting that done. Ben is fine finishing the exterior at the lower levels and we hope to be painting sometime soon. Making great progress on this project.

BT and William have worked at getting some good rubber on the AB&W bus. They had a heck of a time getting the nuts off the wheels. The front was done on Saturday but it appears that the wheels are rusted on and we will need some higher power air equipment to do the job.

Kennie and Scooter did a fantastic job on the Richmond bus. It needed a new parking brake valve and they found one on the extra Buffalo and now we are ready to go. Now all we have to do is paint this bus.

Ed worked in the shop with Freddy doing an inventory of our parts and making a list of all we have. We have been fortunate to get parts from lots of places but need to really understand what we have and do a better job of warehousing. Freddy will continue to work on this on a regular basis and has been cleaning the 179 to make sure it stays in good shape inside as well.

Bev went to see Ricky Hall in Hardy again today and came back with another transmission, two differentials, and some flywheels for our coaches. He has also offered some Eagle parts and some seats that we will try to get next week.

The weed killer is working and by June workday should have killed all the unwanted stuff in the yard. It already looks much better and the mowing is much less for us already.

Jim Dalmas, the author of a book soon to be published on the Roanoke Railway and Electric Company asked us for some photos of the destination signage on our new trolley. William was able to take care of that for us.

We have two trips on the agenda for June 7th with both involved in assisting the US Hot Rod Power Tour. Always something fun going on.

May 24

Wednesday the 24th saw the arrival of Roanoke Railway and Electric streetcar number 17. (we think!) It came by way of the HT Bowling Company from Radford and was donated to us along with the transportation from Charlie Byrd Duncan. It is in very good shape—considering its age but being in a barn for a long time may account for that. It was craned into position from a large flatbed trailer and those guys were so precise and put her right on the mark! William Thompson came up with the support idea and was responsible for us getting this car. Thanks William.

We continued our work efforts on Wednesday night with Mel and Harry are now working on the Mac roof and we hope to prime it soon. After nine paint layers have been removed (quite a task for these guys) it is looking like a real parade and special event bus. It is going to be a real beauty.

We have found the VIN on the Chiquita and are working to get the title on that and the DC bus. BT and William put newer tires on the front of the AB&W Saturday, got a new tire on the Danville bus—but it will still not move! Have a new battery in the Chiquita so when we get the title and tags, we will be on the road again!

Karen, BT, Ed, Freddy, William and Bev worked on Saturday. We have put weed killer down and things in the yard are looking better.

May 14

Harry and Mel have been working on the Mack. William, Scooter and BT pulled the transmission out of the Buffalo. Bev got the Gillig fueled and washed for a Thursday trip. Ed, the toolmeister was organizing the shop. And Kenny Harris finally got dirty!

Harry, Mel and Bev went to Concord on Friday to get the leftover Scenicruiser parts. They are now at the Buseum. William is trying to find out why the 4 ways will not work on the Richmond bus. It's always something.

May 8

After months of the Richmond Metro not running we decided to get Western Branch Diesel over to check it out. The engine had been replaced at GRTC and during that replacement it had not been placed in the national database—so we did not have the capacity to read the computer to see why it was not starting. After lots of work by Western Branch Diesel’s able Service Tech Roger, we determined the engine number and got the readings to put into the test computer.  It still would not read but we did determine that it was turning the wrong way. That meant that the starter we had rebuilt had been either rebuilt incorrectly or we had been given a rebuilt one that turned the wrong way. William then found one in our parts area that turned the right way. We put it on and guess what—it started immediately.

It’s not quite ready for the street again but it runs great. It is so good to have it back again. Odd that no one at Valley Metro had ever experienced this and it was a surprise to Western Branch folks as well!

Karen and Bev drove for a couple of wedding trips Friday and Saturday, and thanks to them we made a little money from donations this weekend. Also, we got a nice donation and great letter from the folks at the Virginia Association of Museum's thanking us for our work on their annual meeting. They made a point to thank our volunteer drivers, Joe, Karen, BT and Bev.

William worked on Saturday mowing the lawn again and doing some needed weedeating. The Buseum looks great. He also did some painting and line striping as well. We will be getting ready for one more wedding this weekend and that should have us done for a while with the exception of one night in May.

We will concentrate on the Mack and I hope everyone will rally around Russ so we can have it ready for the Motor Madness Event.

APRIL

April 24

Put the floor cleaner into action, soaping down and getting two-thirds of the bay completely washed. Thanks to Ed, William, Freddy, Karen and Bev who were all in attendance. William gave us help with the Metro and  we completely covered the new scenicruiser addition. With tools back in place we are looking better and more organized.

We need to finish the Mack and move onto the Richmond bus and the 102 but Bev needs input and support on timing and what is needed short and long term. These are exciting times as we will be able to accomplish a lot thanks to Congressman Goodlatte's able assistance and leadership on our behalf.

With so much going on and we need our volunteers now more than ever. Bev hopes to visit Concord again this week to get the motor mount and radiator for the Scenicruiser. We supplied three coaches this year for the "Moonshine Express" operation in Rocky Mount and two other trips as well.

April 14

We have a new coach on the lot, the second in a week. Thanks to Charlie Brown, Scott his driver, a super guy and Mr Wigglesworth the donor, we picked up this coach in Concord Virginia and brought her home. This is going to be a great bus but will take a lot of work. With the help of Kenny, Scooter, William, and Ben we got her unloaded and on the ground. This bus was number 1000 of 1001 built by General Motors and presumably was manufactured in 1956.

 April 2

Took folks from the “Friends of the Virginian Railroad” along the original tracks from west of Roanoke to Whitethorne, with lots of stops in between. We had 36 folks and the Grumman did a wonderful job. On Sunday the 2nd, we took these folks to Shaffers Crossing for a tour and also visited the N&W Historical Society Archives on Salem Ave. not far from the CC&T. Then we went to the NRHS siding at the Viscose Plant to see their Virginian equipment.

Lots happening right now. The Mack restoration is coming along and the delivery of the Danville bus and Scenicruiser 1000 very soon. We are working on a Buffalo, got new batteries for the Gillig and have several trips this month.

MARCH

March 24

We fueled 4 coaches, checked all the vitals, and prepared for the most important trip day in our museum’s history—serving as the official transportation for the Virginia Association of Museums Annual Convention in Roanoke. With one trip Saturday morning requiring three coaches going to Lynchburg. At the same time we had one bus operating for Friends of the Blue Ridge  Parkway that same day. Sunday night and Monday night we provided shuttles for the receptions at Center In The Square, O. Winston Link Museum, and the Virginia Museum of Transportation. It was exciting, exhausting and a grand success.

March 21

Had a wonderful time on St. Patties Day. Lots of our folks participated and a we offered a real surprise for those who attended. We had the only bus in Virginia that day with a full 5 ft Leprechaun Hat on top, all painted Green with a belt and buckle. Thanks to Ed and BT for their wonderful idea and all the time it took to make the hat. We had a great crowd of our folks riding that day. William, Mel, Ed, Kenny,  BT, Freddy, Bev, Lewis, Twig, and Lawrence. Lewis left our mascot Sam at home but we had a great time. We had the Pumpkin wearing the Hat, and the Mack wearing signs asking for buseum volunteers. It was a great day and we gained a great deal of exposure. This has become our most public yearly event. It really was a fun day. Thanks to everyone that helped make it a success.

And let's all give a nod to that hard working William "The Digger" Thompson (see photo, right).