From Press Release: The Virginia Museum of Transportation formally takes possession of donated items for its collection Thursday, December 14, from Volvo Trucks’ New River Valley Plant, based in Dublin, Va., as part of the budding relationship between the two organizations. Volvo Trucks has graciously donated two cab cut-a-ways and an operating highway tractor to the museum.
“This is a partnership I have nurtured since I first started my tenure as Executive Director,” Museum Executive Director Bev Fitzpatrick said. “I am thrilled to see it coming to life before I retire at the end of the year in the form of donations to the museum’s collection and offers of support from Volvo.”
The highway tractor, a Volvo VT 800 daycab, was introduced in the 2006 lineup and was manufactured for about three years at the Dublin plant before production ceased on that model. It will be on static display at the museum but will also be available for the museum’s use as a tractor.
The first cab cutaway is the Volvo VNL 780 and the second is a Volvo VNL 670. Both cut-a-ways were on display at the Dublin plant and served as visual proof of product to clients and employees at the facility. Now, the cut-a-ways will serve as more visual examples of transportation in Virginia. As an exhibit, museum visitors will be able to climb into the cab to experience just what it’s like in a big rig.
“Our 42-year history of building premier trucks in the Commonwealth of Virginia has led to where we are today including investments in the plant, hiring of more employees and a ramp up of production,” Volvo Group Trucks Operations Vice President and General Manager Franky Marchand said. “We think there is no better time than now to honor our employees’ dedication and the rich tradition we’ve build here by partnering with the Virginia Museum of Transportation.”
The fully functioning truck will arrive Thursday morning, the cab cut-a-ways will arrive the first of the year. Media wishing to attend should plan to arrive at 9:30 a.m. Once the cab cut-a-ways arrive, they will be placed in the museum.
About the Virginia Museum of Transportation
The Virginia Museum of Transportation is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Official Transportation Museum. It’s home to the famed “Big Three” steam locomotives; the N&W Class J 611, the N&W Class A 1218 and the N&W Class Y6a 2156 is on loan from the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s also home to model trains, automotive and aviation exhibits. It’s housed in the historic downtown Roanoke Norfolk & Western Freight Depot added to the NRHP in November 2012. It welcomes guests from coast to coast and from across the globe on an annual basis. Open Monday-Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 1-5. 303 Norfolk Avenue SW, Roanoke, Virginia 24016. www.vmt.org and www.FireUp611.org.
