ROANOKE, Va. — Norfolk & Western steam locomotive No. 611 returned to its hometown of Roanoke for the first time in nearly 5 years. The J-class 4-8-4 steamed into the yard of the Virginia Museum of Transportation on June 2 after extended stays at both the Strasburg Rail Road in Ronks, Pa., and the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, N.C. since 2019.
The homecoming came after two weekends of “In-Cab Experiences” and 45-minute excursion trips over Strasburg’s mainline. No. 611’s final excursions at the tourist railroad took place on Memorial Day in celebration of its 73rd birthday.
“The locomotive performed great during operations at the Strasburg Rail Road,” said Zac McGinnis, social media coordinator and member of the engine crew for the locomotive. “The ‘In Cab Experiences’ and excursion rides were very successful and well attended.”
No. 611 departed Strasburg on May 31, towed in reverse by Norfolk Southern to Enola, Pa. where it was repositioned. An NS diesel escorted the locomotive while still under steam from Enola to Roanoke as part of a two-day ferry move with an overnight stop on June 1 at Shenandoah, Va. No. 611 was welcomed by a large group as it entered VMT trackage, according to McGinnis. The museum even held a whistle blow and cab tour event on June 3 so the public could experience it fired up, he said.
“Next on the list for the locomotive is cleaning and preparation for its FRA annual inspection to be conducted later this summer,” McGinnis explained. No. 611 will also be on display at the museum during that time. Further news and operational plans will be released at a later date, according to the Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 Facebook page.
Built in 1950 by the N&W at its East End Shops in Roanoke, No. 611 operated in regular service until 1959, when it was donated to the Virginia Museum of Transportation for display. It was restored to operation in 1982 by Norfolk Southern for the railroad’s steam excursion program. Since returning to service in 2015, No. 611 has been operated and maintained by Steam Operations Corporation in partnership with the locomotive’s owner, VMT. Both groups would like to give special thanks to the Strasburg Rail Road, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Amtrak, and Norfolk Southern.
For more information on Norfolk & Western No. 611 and future operations, visit the Virginia Museum of Transportation website.
Right. Unless you remove parts, steam locomotives are towed live, with fire maintained, to keep the lubrication functioning. That’s how 611 got from Roanoke to Leaman Place and how it got back. NS has diesels with the necessary PTC to lead over Amtrak between Dillerville and Leaman Place.
Operation from East Strasburg to Leaman Place would be lite under her own power. No PTC needed. Once PTC became needed diesels escorted 611.
Presume the “escorted” NS portion of the move was dead-in-tow, so at what point at the end of the journey was it steamed up?
Somebody didn’t read the article. 🤦♂️
“An NS diesel escorted the locomotive while still under steam from Enola to Roanoke as part of a two-day ferry move with an overnight stop on June 1 at Shenandoah, Va.”
My bad.