Info on 611 Excursions

[NW Mailing List]

Here is some info on 611 Excursion from NCTM issued this past weekend.

ROANOKE, Va. - World famous Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 will pull public excursions four weekends between April and June in its home state of Virginia and North Carolina, the Virginia Museum of Transportation and North Carolina Transportation Museum announced Monday. The announcement ends weeks of speculation as to the extent of NS's steam operations for 2016 following the conclusion of the five-year 21st Century Steam program.

Restored in May 2015, the streamlined 4-8-4 will pull excursions out of Spencer, N.C.; Greensboro, N.C.; Manassas, Va.; and Roanoke, Va., where it was built in May 1950. In addition, No. 611 will make special appearances in Roanoke, Manassas, and Danville, Va., and Spencer, N.C.

After work to replace the front truck wheels and axles, No. 611 will deadhead from Roanoke to Spencer in February for annual maintenance work and its annual Federal Railroad Administration-required inspection.

The season begins April 9-10 with a pair of excursions out of the North Carolina Transportation Museum. On April 9, the engine will run to Lynchburg, Va., and return. On April 10, No. 611 will run to Asheville, N.C., This will be the first time the Class J will operate on the famous Southern Railway Loops between Old Fort, N.C., and Ridgecrest, a mountainous area of tunnels and bridges where it takes 13 miles of tracks to cover 3 air miles.

Following the NCTM excursions, the remaining three excursion weekends will be hosted by the Virginia Museum of Transportation.

On April 23 and 24, full-day trips will depart Greensboro, N.C., to Roanoke, Va., and return. The route will be via Hurt, Va., and former Virginian Railway trackage to Roanoke both directions.

On May 7 and 9, No. 611 will run out of Roanoke to Lynchburg via Blue Ridge grade in the morning and to Walton via Christiansburg grade in the afternoon.

On June 4 and 5, No. 611 will pull a total of three trips from Manassas, Va., to Front Royal, Va., and return: One roundtrip on the morning of Saturday, June 4 and two roundtrips on Sunday, June 5, as part of the 22nd Annual Manassas Heritage Railway Festival.

Tickets will go on sale in February. For excursion details and information visit www.fireup611.org<http://www.fireup611.org>.

In addition to opportunities to ride and watch No. 611 roll by on excursions, the public is invited to take advantage of a number of special opportunities to get up close to 611 under steam, take photos, and meet the crew.

"We are very excited to offer this experience that people haven't had before, to get really close to 611," says Jim Stump, Forward 611 committee chair for the VMT. "We will be taking 611 to new destinations and giving communities an exciting opportunity to celebrate their history and rail heritage. It is amazing to experience this engine fired up."

 *   Over the weekend of May 14, 2016 - visitors to the Virginia Museum of Transportation will get to view No. 611 fired up, and meet the crew.
 *   June 4, 2016 - After the morning excursion, No. 611 will make a guest appearance at the Manassas, Va., Heritage Railway Festival.
 *   June 2016 - No. 611 will be on display at the VMT.
 *   July 2016 - No. 611 will be featured at the North Carolina Transportation Museum for special events.
 *   Early August, 2016 - No. 611 will return to the VMT.
 *   Early September, 2016 - No. 611 again will return to NCTM for special events and maintenance.
 *   Sept. 24-25, 2016 - No. 611 will travel to Danville, Va., to be featured during Danville Rail Heritage Days.
 *   No. 611 will return to Roanoke after the NCTM events conclude in the fall.
The events at the NCTM and the City of Danville involve only the locomotive and its crew. No excursions to Danville or to Spencer will be offered.



Start planning now ...

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