When people envision a train, a lot of them think of something that looks like the 611. It's a steam locomotive built by Norfolk and Western in Roanoke in 1950. It was one of the last mainline passenger steam engines. And people still revere it today.
"The 611 is the Cadillac of steam locomotives," says Zac McGinnis, steam operations manager for the Virginia Museum of Transportation, and a caretaker for the only surviving example of the N&W Class J 611 locomotive. "The bullet nose, the streamlining, the Art Deco look. it's impressive to see here in person, but when it's fired up and running down the tracks like it's supposed to be, it's a totally different animal. It's an experience you'll never forget"
The N&W Class J 611 locomotive was salvaged by the railroad in 1959 and donated to the city of Roanoke. When Norfolk and Western merged and became Norfolk Southern in 1982, it ran the 611 on excursions all over the eastern U.S. — from Norfolk to Kansas City, Missouri, from Buffalo, New York, to Jacksonville, Florida — up until 1994. And now, the 611 is running again. Two weeks in Staunton earlier this month, and this week and next, it'll run from Louisa.
"Just to have that locomotive on our line and to have literally tens of thousands of people come and enjoy the views and the sounds and the feels and the smells of the 611 and to ride behind her and to be able to experience that and to get new memories of trains is really a great experience," says Steve Powell, president of the Buckingham Branch Railroad and Virginia Scenic Railway, which is partnering with the Virginia Museum of Transportation for the trips.
Tickets are still available for the trips, which conclude July 5.
Thanks to WMRA and reporter Meredith McCool for audio of the 611.
