O. Winston Link Museum

In 1882, the Norfolk & Western Railway chose a town called Big Lick for its headquarters and shops. Within two years, the town became the City of Roanoke. The railroad built N&W into Southwest Virginia's economic hub — and in downtown, it built a passenger station. Originally constructed in 1905, the building was renovated in 1949 by industrial designer Raymond Loewy. It is now one of three contributing structures to the Norfolk and Western Railway Company Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Between 1955 and 1960, O. Winston Link photographed the last days of steam on the Norfolk & Western. He shot at night, using synchronized flash setups that turned locomotives into sculpture. He carefully planned the lighting and staging, placing human subjects in many photographs. Link is widely considered the master of the juxtaposition of steam railroading and rural culture. The photographs are among the most valuable railroad photos ever made. In January 2004, the museum opened in that former passenger station. Hundreds of Link's photographic prints hang in the galleries. Interactive displays include audio that provides information on his photographic subjects. The equipment he used to create the nighttime photographs is displayed. The collection is the definitive archive of Link's railroad work. The station sits on the downtown tracks where Link's subjects once ran. The 1982 decision by N&W to move its headquarters out of Roanoke marked the end of one era; this museum preserves the record of another ending — the last years of steam. Open daily. Admission charged. Combined tickets available with the Virginia Museum of Transportation.