|
WHEREAS, the region, including the Counties of Alleghany, Amherst, Bedford, Botetourt, Campbell, and Roanoke, and the Cities of Lynchburg, Bedford, Covington, Salem, and Roanoke, and the Towns of Buchanan, Clifton Forge, Troutville, Amherst, Iron Gate, and Vinton, involves the largest concentration of rail facilities in Virginia, owned by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, the Norfolk and Western Railway Company, and the Southern Railway Company, including the shops in Roanoke where the most modern steam locomotives in the world were designed and built, the Clifton Forge shops of the C&O Railway, and the Southern facilities at Monroe in Amherst County; and WHEREAS, with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Historical Society in Clifton Forge and the Norfolk and Western Historical Society in Roanoke combined with the Roanoke and Blue Ridge chapters of the National Railway Historical Society and the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, this region has the largest base of rail enthusiasts in the Commonwealth; and WHEREAS, the region is the location of the Commonwealth's official transportation museum, the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, designated by the General Assembly in the 1980s; and WHEREAS, the region also contains the O. Winston Link Museum, featuring America’s finest collection of professional photos taken of Virginia railroads in the 1950s, when steam was king on the Norfolk and Western; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate “Virginia’s Rail Heritage Region,” which includes the Counties of Alleghany, Amherst, Bedford, Botetourt, Campbell, and Roanoke, and the Cities of Lynchburg, Bedford, Covington, Salem, and Roanoke, and the Towns of Buchanan, Clifton Forge, Troutville, Amherst, Iron Gate, and Vinton, and encourage state agencies and local governments to work together to promote and encourage rail tourism in their respective areas of the region, to include working with the Commonwealth Transportation Board to establish appropriate highway signage; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit copies of this resolution to the city and town councils and the county boards of each locality in “Virginia’s Rail Heritage Region” as an expression of the General Assembly’s support. |