ROANOKE, Va. — Strong sales have followed Tuesday’s release of tickets for the upcoming fall excursions with Norfolk & Western steam locomotive No. 611 on the Buckingham Branch Railroad. The Shenandoah Valley Limited will offer twice-daily, 60-mile round trips during October and November weekends between Goshen and Staunton, Va.
Traffic was high on the website of the Virginia Scenic Railway, the short line’s excursion operation, but various ticket options remain available, ranging from $99 to $249 in coach, coach plus, and premium. “We sold 45% of the tickets in the first 24 hours,” said Steve Powell, president of the excursion operator. “A lot of the premium seats have sold out and only a handful of single seats are still available in the dome car.”
According to the Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 Facebook page, notable passenger cars in the consist will include the Roanoke Chapter NRHS’s N&W Powhatan Arrow coach No. 537, and the Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society and Museum’s Southern Railway sleeper lounge, Crescent Harbor.
The half-day excursions will operate on Oct. 6-8, 13-15, 20-22, and 27-29, in addition to Nov. 3-5. Departing at 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day from the hamlet of Goshen, No. 611 will lead the train through the fall foliage of George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, while mostly maintaining speeds of 25-30 mph. At Staunton, diesels will be added to the other end of the train for the return trip due to the lack of turning facilities.
The Shenandoah Valley Limited expands the offerings of the Virginia Scenic Railway, which began operating excursions on the Buckingham Branch in 2022, and launches a partnership with Roanoke’s Virginia Museum of Transportation, owner of No. 611. The J-Class locomotive returned to the museum in early June after an extended stay at the Strasburg Rail Road in Pennsylvania. An FRA annual inspection will be performed before the ferry move to Goshen [see “Norfolk & Western No. 611 returns to Roanoke …,” Trains News Wire, June 5, 2023].
— Updated at 12 p.m. CDT with comments from Virginia Scenic Railway’s Steve Powell. Trains.com’s Lucas Iverson contributed to this report.
Oh how I would love to be able to be on board these trips. I still have fond memories of riding the Roanoke NRHS Independence trips from Arlington Va (or Richmond) to Chicago or Detroit. Four days each behind 611. Memories of 70+ mph with Mr. Claytor at the throttle. Wet rail on the grade up to Bluefield and 611 having clogged sanders and multiple tries to gain traction. As a song says, “THESE ARE A FEW OF MY OF MY FAVORITE THINGS”
Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 No. 611 is deeply loved and that is evident!
Dr. Güntürk Üstün