In researching motor cars of the Virginian Railway I found that I was plowing new ground all the way. Nothing had been published nor had any information been assembled. My research and conclusions were based on primary sources and I feel the motor car 109 is as close to authentic as possible. I studied company records, interviewed and questioned former Virginian employees and carefully noted what I found on my motor car as I took it back to bare metal and wood.
I would like to express my appreciation to friends who have helped my research by sharing information and guiding me to good sources and by advising me for the actual work. Thank you Harry Bundy, Greg Elam, Dave Kotsonis, George Lewis, Jon Lewis, Charlie Long, Harry McLaughlin, Edwin Massie, Chip Oaks, Rick Rader, David Wimmer and the Archives of the N&W Historical Society. The men named represent the spectrum of individual, primary sources I have found; railroad historians, VGN signalmen, VGN engineers and trainmen and a worker from the Princeton coach shop where motor cars were repaired.
In July 2009 I agreed to a trade that brought this grand old lady, built 1921, to my collection of railroad relics. In preparation, I built a 2/3 scale replica VGN motor car shed and painted it in the color scheme adopted by the railroad after World War II, gray with dark brown trim. In late March 2011 the actual restoration began. Read on and see how the restoration progressed.Start at the bottom entry and read upward. That's a blog. The picture above shows the 109 completed July 6,2011
VGN RY Motor Car 109
Sitting in front of replica 2/3 scale VGN motor car shed in 2009
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