Virginia Museum of Transportation

For those that think the Virginia Museum of Transportation is ALL ABOUT TRAINS! YOU’LL NEED TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK! Our new headline is :Virginia Museum of Transportation redefines mission. Celebrates the many narratives of Transportation History in Roanoke. While the #611 has for the past three years garnered much of the attention of railroad fans, there is a treasure trove of transportation and cultural history at 303 Norfolk Ave. SW. in downtown Roanoke in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Over the next few months, as the Museum re-defines its mission, our visitors in in the Museum and on-line will find many more opportunities for learning about Transportation in Virginia and related stories as we explore the historical highlights of the items themselves and the men and women who contributed to defining transportation history.

These include: History of the N & W Freight Station, Virginia Roads and the Great Wagon Road South as taken by early settlers from the shore, unique automobiles and the role that many played in American history, The “Yellow” school bus and, How gas stations came to be. Expanded historical information on the great Virginia Railways including the locomotives and cars of the “Virginian Railway” and of course, “The Norfolk & Western”. Of interest to many aviation fans, will be the exploration of Virginian aviators, barnstormers and founders of Roanoke’s aviation history. We welcome you to join us as we explore the exciting history of Transportation in Virginia. Let’s take a short “Trivia” test to see how familiar you are with just a few of the museums collections....

Are you ready?

Question #1 While Henry Ford brought automobiles to the masses starting in 1908, Virginia entrepreneurs and inventors were at it as early as 1896. Can you name any of them? Only one was the first chartered manufacturer in Virginia selling over 2500 cars between 1917 and 1922. Do you know the name of this Lynchburg Company? During its brief period of existence, The Company produced approximately 3,000 vehicles. At its peak, output reached 5-6 automobiles per day. Although the company claimed that the cars were not “assembled” (from purchased parts manufactured elsewhere), only the body was produced at the Lynchburg plant. While the company used their primary name in Virginia cars were also produced for other companies such as Bush (Chicago), Lone Star (Texas) and Alsace (Europe). For more information on the museum’s diverse collections: see vmt.org

Question #2 In 1925, A 2,800,000 square- foot automobile manufacturing plant opened in Virginia with over 2600 employees. Do you know who that company was? And what city it was located? The first car off the Assembly line was on April 20, 1925. The facility eventually included a power house, water treatment plant, barber shop, safety-shoe store, restaurant, fitness center and TV studio. During its first year, the plant produced 29,519 automobiles. At the time of its closure, 2007, the company employed more than 2,600 people at the facility. For more information on the museum’s diverse collections: see vmt.org

Question #3 An Electric Car in 1913? And at $3000? Primarily sold to women drivers and physicians who desired the dependable and immediate start without the physically demanding hand cranking of the engine. A statement of the car's refinement included the first use of curved window glass in a production automobile, an expensive and complex feature to produce. Do you know the model? Production of the electric automobile, powered by a rechargeable lead acid battery, began in 1907. The cars were advertised as reliably getting 80 miles between battery recharging. Top speed was only about 20 but this was considered adequate for driving within city or town limits at the time. The company production was at its peak in the 1910s selling around 1000 to 2000 cars. The $3000 proce is equivalent to $77,000 in today’s money. For more information on the museum’s diverse collections: see vmt.org

Question #4 In 1955, The flagship model for Studebaker was the President. Introduced in January 1955, the hardtop Speedster was distinguished by its stainless-steel roof band, “shoemaker-stitched” leather upholstery, an engine-turned instrument panel and an exhaustive list of standard equipment. Six two-tone and three three-tone paint schemes were offered. This car was designed Designed by Robert E. Bourke, an employee of a leading design firm. The owner of the firm is considered to be: The Man Who Shaped America, The Father of Streamlining and The Father of Industrial Design. He designed logos for many oil companies, airlines and even the livery for Air Force One. Can you name him? After a brief but promising career as a fashion illustrator, the designer dedicated his talent to the field of industrial design. He literally revolutionized the industry, working as a consultant for more than 200 companies and creating product designs for everything from cigarette packs and refrigerators, to cars and space craft. Among his designs were the Shell, Exxon, TWA and the former BP logos, the Greyhound Sceneries bus, Coca-Cola vending machines, the Lucky Strike package, Coldspot refrigerators, the Studebaker Avanti and Champion, and the Air Force One livery. He was involved with numerous railroad designs, including the Pennsylvania Railroad GG1. (on exhibit in our rail yard). For more information on the museum’s diverse collections: see vmt.org

Question #5 It was the American answer to the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1, which kicked off the Space Age when it launched in 1957. America launched Explorer I, the first satellite to carry scientific experiment: a cosmic ray detector to discover evidence of radiation belts around Earth that marked the first scientific discovery in space – the Van Allen radiation belts. The Museum is home to a similar class missile. Can you name the rocket? This rocket is 67 feet long and weighs 22,000 pounds stripped of its internal equipment. Replaced by other types of rockets in 1963, the rocket was an important step in the evolution of the Saturn V “moon rocket.” Explorer 1, the satellite it carried was also the first satellite to carry a scientific experiment: a cosmic ray detector designed by James Van Allen of the State University of Iowa. The experiment discovered evidence of radiation belts around Earth that marked the first scientific discovery in space. Explorer 1’s data led to Van Allen’s hypothesis, later confirmed to be true, of the Van Allen radiation belts. For more information on the museum’s diverse collections: see vmt.org

Question #6 Born in 1918, Soloing in 1940 at age 22 she was inducted into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame in 1985 for her remarkable career marked by a number of firsts in Virginia aviation; the first woman in Virginia to earn an instrument rating; she organized a fixed base operation at Woodrum Field just after WWII and built it into a major multi- service company; elected president of the Virginia Aviation Trades Association in 1960 and served on the Roanoke Airport Advisory Committee – This women is one of many honored in the Museum’s Women in Aviation Exhibit. Can you name her? “Women do not have the strength or temperament to fly planes. The sky is the domain of men.” Such was the accepted belief of many in the early years of aviation. Right from the start, women refused to stay on the ground. They defied social norms and took to the sky. The struggle for women pilots has not been easy or without cost. Yet every woman who claimed her right to fly opened the airways for her sisters to follow. Today, women pilot commercial, private, and military aircraft. For more information on the museum’s diverse collections: see vmt.org

Question #7 Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks—either individually or in groups called flying circuses. Devised to \"impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes,\" it became popular in the United States during the Roaring Twenties. Barnstorming earned its name from the aerobatic pilots who would land their light planes in fields and use local barns as venues for their impromptu airshows. ... By 1927, barnstorming became more competitive, resulting in several dangerous accidents that were highly publicized. Five prominent Roanoker’s took to the sky in this period. Can you name one of them? Roanoke’s “Daredevil” barnstormers were a hearty and daring lot. A few of their activities included; flying low over Sunday church services, buzzing Jefferson High School, flying under the Wasena bridge and knocking chimneys from houses. In a death defying flight in 1930, one fell 3000 feet to his death at a age 30 and another; one of first pilots in the Roanoke community was known by many as the “father of aviation in the Roanoke Valley.” For more information on the museum’s diverse collections: see vmt.org

Question #8 Had there not been railroads, it is questionable whether the circus would have become “the greatest show on earth.” The railroad made it possible for circuses to travel swiftly from one city to another, performing seasons of one-day shows. Trains allow all components of a circus— from the animals to the equipment—to travel together. One of the most incredible testaments to the circus, the museum houses a large exhibit gallery with four display cases of hand carved model – tents, big tops, animals – over 3000 pieces built by a passionate hobbyist from West Virginia over a period of 25 years. Do you know his name? He left us with this thought…“The Circus is a world of its own – A world made up of folks who devote every bit of their energy in making life a little happier for other people, if only for a few hours. That’s a pretty special kind of world to live in and a special kind of philosophy to live by…”. For more information on the museum’s diverse collections: see vmt.org

Answers #1. The Piedmont #2. Norfolk Virginia Ford Plant #3. 1913 Detroit Electric Car, Clear Vision Brougham, Model 42 #4. Raymond Loewy #5. Jupiter Missile/Rocket #6. Martha Anne Woodrum Zillhardt #7. Frank Reynolds,Raymond Ross,Clayton Lemon, T. E. \"Boots,\" Robert J.Dunahoe, Jr. #8. George I. Neal, Jr.

Road, Rail, and Aviation The Virginia Museum of Transportation is the Official Transportation Museum of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and a partner in Virginia’s Rail Heritage Region. We are proud of our heritage and contributions in preserving the history of Roanoke and Virginia’s transportation legacy. The Museum’s collection, housed in the original 1918 Norfolk & Western Freight Station, includes approximately 10,000 objects, including more than 50 pieces of rolling stock— locomotives and other rail cars—including the largest collection of diesel locomotives in the South. The Museum has expanded its galleries to include a diverse collection of historical automobiles and transit vehicles, historical aviation items, and other unique artifacts representing the transportation culture of Virginia communities. Today, the Virginia Museum of Transportation welcomes guests from across the nation and around the world to celebrate an American success story of innovators, industry and a community that continues to reach new successes in the 21st Century.