o. winston link museum

I wasn't a train enthusiast when I went in but I came out of this museum with a interest into the history of the man and the area.You can visit this museum in an hour and the photographs are just outstanding. Highly recommended!!

Link. What else is there to say? He was the master of photography. Every railroad photographer who has followed either learns from his technique or tries to copy it. This collection of prints, equipment and artifacts sheds light on that technique. Well worth the pittance requested to enter.

This is an extremely well organized museum in the old Roanoke train station devoted to the photography of O. Winston Link. It is well worth a visit.

I hadn't heard of O. Winston Link before, but we really enjoyed his photographs and learning about his history and the steam railroads. This is worth seeing. Lots of stuff to take in.

Wonderful history of the area and the train industry. Can't say enough about the collection of photos and the artist who created them.

In 1983 I purchased an original photograph titled "Sometimes the Electricity Fails" (1956) by the legendary train photographer O.Winston Link, who was present at the showing of his work at the Kathleen Ewing Gallery in Washington, DC. I innately knew that his work was brilliant and decided to purchase one of his prints, In 1987 I took a road trip down Virginia's Route 11 through the Shenandoah Valley and visited many of the small towns where Link took some of his most famous train photos. I wanted to reproduce some of Link's shots as they appeared thirty years later. So, of course I had to seek out Vesuvius, VA to see the very spot where Link shot "Sometimes..."I was amazed to find the pump that gas station attendant W. A. Miller posed next to. I wasn't driving anything as fancy as Link's 1952 Buick convertible but positioned my 1972 Chevy Impala in the same spot as Link's car. As I was getting out I heard a train coming and captured this photo.I remember thinking at the time, "Boy, I sure would like to take this gas pump home!"Well, someone beat me to it and they have loaned the restored pump to the O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke, VA. The pump sits in front of a reconstruction of the Vesuvius General Store...which was still in business when I were there...and whose contents now serve as a historical display.If you are ever in Roanoke, please check out this amazing museum!

If you consider yourself a railroad buff this is a MUST see while in Roanoke. The photographs are almost overwhelming and it is a slice of history that is no longer around for us to see in real life. Mr. Link captured steam powered locomotives in all their glory and his photographs are a national treasure.

This museum exhibits the vision and talents of O. Winton Link, whose talent as a storyteller photographer is world class. Roanoke and surrounding area were closely linked to the railroads, and this exhibit freezes in time the late 1950s and the last of the steam locomotives. An interesting mix of men and machines. The photos are fantastic and the exhibit signs give a thorough explanation of the people and places connected to the railroad, and the photographer's techniques for capturing them on film. The admission fee is inexpensive, so there's no excuse for missing this if you're in the area.

O. Winston Link took the available, but now antiquated technology and accomplished what is extremely difficult to equal today. He realized the days of steam powered locomotives were coming to an end and froze the era in time so it can be enjoyed by those who have never seen a working steam locomotive! Nice gift shop! Nice view of tracks from window!

I had been by the museum one other time but passed it up to go see thing else. Well, if you like trains don't pass it up. It is worth seeing.

Anyone who is interested in photography or trains, or both, should visit this museum. This is one of our regular stops when we have out-of-town guests and everyone has enjoyed it.

My family and I went to see the O. Winston Link Museum as we had seen one of O. Winston Link's photos of the outdoor movie theater with the cars and the train in the background. The history of these trains was captured in his photographs as well as the small towns and country he shot them in. This is a great look back in history for the Blue Ridge region. There was a video, which we learned more interesting history of Mr. Link. Overall, a must see! It took us ~1-2 hours to tour it, then there was a gift shop where you can purchase prints that you liked.

Great way to learn about the history of the steam engine. We were amazed at the photography and found the way things were displayed was exceptionally done. This is a "don't miss" site.

Highly recommend this museum. Photos are wonderful and the information about the photographer's life was interesting. Buy a combo ticket to also visit the Va Museum of Transportation.

This is a museum I consider a 'must-do.'The things that were what made the O. Winston Link Musum amazing/interesting to me:1. The Photography. I absolutely can not say enough about the photography. It is art. Whether or not trains are your thing or not, if you are interested in photography, you should see this museum. Someone described Link as the Ansel Adams of Steam Trains. I think that was a perfect analogy. 2. Steam Trains. Not necessarily my thing, but it was interesting. 3. History. The history of the Roanoke & how it was shaped & influenced by the rail yard. The history of steam trains in their final years. The history of photography as new techniques & equipment was developed by O. Winston Link. How the history of all of these elements were intimately entwined to create history together. 4. The Technical Creativity/Lighting Genius. Link created his own lighting systems or had them custom made to his specifications. Many of his images were taken at night. Take a moment to think about the difficultly of properly exposing an image, in the pitch dark, a moving object, a swiftly moving object, lighting the entire scene so it looks natural & doing it all often with one shot, because the train has moved once the exposure has been taken. What Link created, & HOW he created in the era he created it...is simply stunning & deserves a moment of awe. 5. The Photography. It's so good it deserves to be mentioned twice.