Link revisited his photo sites in 1980s

By Bill Arnold, Link Museum Volunteer

In January 1955, New York commercial photographer O. Winston Link began an effort to preserve steam trains on the Norfolk & Western Railway, which had the last steam railroad in America. Over the next five years, he made more than 2,400 black and white and colors photos.  In the late 1980’s,  he returned to the Roanoke, Virginia, area to revisit the sites where he had made these photographs.

He had a phenomenal memory and was known for his sense of humor. On one occasion as we were driving around, he recalled a storage area with five vintage N&W  locomotives. We were on that street , and they were still there.

He made numerous trips to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke.  While there, he would be available to sign his first book Steam, Still and Stars or one of his 17 posters available in the Gift Shop.  He would ask my wife, Ellen, to assist by opening the book or unrolling a poster.

He loved to share stories about instances during his five years photographing of  the N&W.  On one instance, he was asked by a gentleman holding a photograph of a locomotive:  Mr. Link, will you sign my photograph?  Winston laid  the photo on the table, looked at it, and wrote “Not my photograph,”signed and dated it.

He really enjoyed this phase of his life.

As moved through the Holidays, I’m reminded that Winston Link’s favorite ice cream was peppermint stick at Howard Johnson’s in Roanoke.  He said he could look at inside of the container and tell how old it was.

December was also his birth month. Winston was born December 16, 1914.

Link’s 2 views of same scene

By Bill Arnold, Link Museum Volunteer

In January 1955, New York commercial photographer O. Winston Link began an effort to preserve steam trains on the Norfolk & Western Railway, which had the last

steam railroad in America. Over the next five years, he made more than 2,400 black and white and colors photos. Some are variable duplicates. On one occasion a personal sequence of 178 photos of movement of a locomotive from track side over land to a local park.

On many occasions, residents would gather around to watch him and volunteer to provide help if requested. One such incident was in North Fork, West Virginia, where children watched from Main Street while their parents were in the area where Link had set his camera. An example of Link’s multiple images and use of audience can be found in Main Line on Main Street (NW1964 and NW1965), taken August 29, 1958.

The scene: Merchandise freighter with a Y6 in charge rumbles down Main Street, rattling windows and doors, but no one notices because residents are used to intrusions many times a day on this N&W main line from the coalfields. For the second photo of the scene, (insert) Link placed three boys on the front steps of the abandoned bank building, and Dr. Wade is in the darkened window of his office on the third floor.