MARCH

March 26:

A new area has been opened up in the back of the lot by our removing a long standing brush pile. We have opened up an entirely new parking area! We think we may be able to park 4 coaches in the space. Carter Machinery came with an excavator with an operator and it went so fast you could not believe it.

Russ was on the scene with his tractor and we started cleaning the fence row all along the railroad. Thanks to Joe, Russ, Lewis, BT, Freddy, Ed and Broaddus Fitzpatrick who came with a big chain saw. It was a major accomplishment.

Our thanks to Robert Young for coming to our aid on Friday to move the trailer so we could get the excavator in place. He came  over with the nicest tractor you have ever seen. . .

Russ also is working on the wheels for the 102 and may have them painted by the end of this week.

The Hampton bus and the 102 are now titled in our name and we have license plates for both. The Hampton bus is scheduled to be in here in the next 30-45 days.

Work continues on the Richmond Metro and we  will have a scrapping day on April 9th to prep the sides for painting. If anyone is interested, just email Bev to let him know you are coming. We will start at 10 am that morning.

March 20:

Saturday brought a fabulous Roanoke St Patrick's Day Parade. And, with all the work done by the crew we had a fully decorated bus for the the parade. Thanks go to Ed Stinson for the decorating, We had a great time.

Lewis had many members of the PH class of '74 who organized a candy drop as they walked alongside the PENTRAN. We were very popular!  Thanks to Mel, Ed, Brent, Freddy, BT, Lewis and Ricky for their participation. The old 79 Flxible performed wonderfully.

Joe had a trip on Friday night to assist the Arts Council of the Valley in their fundraiser at Hollins College. He used the Gillig and as far as we know, all went well.

FEBRUARY

February 28:

The last Saturday of February brought another Ferrum trip to salvage additional materials from a donated TDH 3714. Russ, Eric, BT, Freddy, Ed, and Bev were able to get a lot of good parts. Parts include the doors (both front and rear), some windows, the door airvalve, more lights, lenses, and just general pieces. BT and Eric had to remove a two inch thick vine to enable us to get to the doors!

At the same time, Mel and Joe worked at the Buseum cleaning up junk removed from the Coachette. Then moving it out to the road to be picked up. They also attacked the large brush pile in the back of the buseum lot.

New brake hoses are now on the PENTRAN. It has been out of service due to leaks. It is now in great shape and holding air like a champ. We can now use the PENTRAN in the St Patrick's Day Parade on the 19th of March.

CC&T did a tour for the dedication of Southeast By Design on the 25th of February. It went well.

We continue to take the taping off the Richmond Metro. We hope to get its surface prepped in the next 30 days so we can prime it and put on the first coat. Russ, our body expert, has recommended that we do the orange stripes first, as it will cut down on our masking and covering a lot doing the beige last. We hope to have it done by the 1st of June.

February 9:

Russ, Chair of the 102 Project, worked with Lewis and Mel getting fuel in the 102 (not a temporary bottle but the real tank). Then using the actual starter button Russ has fixed, it started! Running for 45 minutes, and with the new exhaust Mel and Keith installed, it really sounds great. The brakes work, the airbags hold air, and if we had some tires, we could watch it move. We cannot tell if it goes in gear, but the hubs are turning! 

Brett spent time working on getting the striping off The Richmond Metro and is making progress. Lewis got the defroster radiator back in the Pumpkin. A very productive week!

February 5:

Temperatures in the 50's, and lots of new bus parts. Bev, Keith, Mark, and Russ spent the day scavenging parts from a donated GMC 3714—Safety Motor Transit number 106. We were able to get bumpers, windows, brackets for the bumpers, ceiling panels, some clearance lights, a transfer holder, two streetcar farebox brackets, all the interior lights, the dashboard, an air cylinder for the front door and many other odds and ends. It didn’t hurt that Keith brought his torch along!

JANUARY

Appropriately, the last weekend of the month ended with a bus trip. Big thanks to Kenny, Joe and BT for a job well done Friday night and way too early Sunday morning in the ice. We carried lots of folks for an Episcopal Diocese event. The folks who volunteer for these events are true heros. They take time out from their weekends, and work events that are not always in the best weather conditions.

The middle of the month brought ice, cold weather, and a lot of organization to the buseum. The tool room got a bit of a makeover, and the parts department is getting a little more in line. Saturday's workday found everyone in the tool room.The HEATED tool room.

More buses are on the way to the collection. Some will be used for parts. Mostly to help with the 102 which has been stripped down, and is now ready to be build back up.

But we're holding one bus out as a suprise. Stay tuned.

On January 8, the CC&T hit the road, traveling around southwest Virginia on a bus discovery tour. Tracking down rumors of pieces of Virginia commonwealth transportation history dotting the roadsides. It was, as they say, an excellent adventure. And what a wonderful crew we had along for the ride. The bus left at 10 am sharp with Mel, Russ, Ed, Freddy, Kenny, Mark, BT and Bev. Returning home around 5 pm. Lewis joined the crew on Hardy Road for the last viewing. We saw an ACF Brill in Boones Mill, two 3501's and two 3714's in Ferrum, a 30ft Gillig from Lynchburg—that is going to be ours thanks to Ricky Hall—finishing the trip with another 3501 off of Hardy Road.

Thanks to Russ, the paving material donated by Lanford Brothers has been leveled, and Lewis and Russ have been redoing the tool room and the fuel/liquid storage area.

We are in contact with WMATA for information on the 62 5302 and hope to have new decals and some manuals soon. They have also expressed interest in assisting with the airbag problem! We are having ongoing contact with Hampton Roads Transit about the Mack and hope it will be here soon.

DECEMBER

I wanted to wish all of you a wonderful Holiday Season and Happy New Year. Also, I wanted to thank each of you for all your interest, time, talent and energy given the Buseum during 2004. We have accomplished a great deal and it is all because of you. From Margaret Lindsey who keeps us out of trouble with the IRS, to Russ, Mel and Lewis our team on 102, to Lewis and Jerry, who know how to fix anything anytime anywhere. To Dave and Johnny Thompson and all the folks at VM for all they do for us and to Ed for our dinners,To Brett for all our signage and PR, to Ray for being there to help and to all the drivers, Joe, Kenny, Dennis, Mark, Ricky and BT, what a great service you give to our non-profits in the Valley with your driving and for all the time you spend with us working on Wednesday nights. And to Bruce and Freddy who together form our real archives professionals, to Louis Newton who is our streetcar expert and folks like Charlie Peery and Charlie Gardner for giving time when you can. We wish each one of you a wonderful holiday and hope for your help in 2005. We have lots to do and everyone's talent is needed.

 Bev Fitzpatrick, Jr., President, CC&T

Lots of trips this month, and lots of work accomplished, but a few mechanical issues to be solved. One of the things about historic buses they can suprise you with fuel leaks, transmission problems, etc. Always unexpected, but part of the challenge of our unique mobile fleet of transportation history.

We'd love to see some new friendly faces around the buseum in 2005. If you would like to spend some of your free time working on the great buses of yesteryear, print out our volunteer application, send it in, and Sam hopes to see you in 2005! Look at what great buses you could be working on next year—