Norfolk and Western number 611 is one of the most famous excursion steam locomotives in
the United States.
It was built in house by the Norfolk and Western Railroad in 1950 at their Roanoke, Virginia
shops.
611 and the other thirteen “J” class 4-8-4 locomotives were primarily assigned to the
railroad’s premiere passenger trains.
Later on, they were also occasionally seen in freight service.
In 1959, after just 9 short years working for the N&W, number 611 was retired.
It was donated to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in 1962, becoming the only locomotive in its
class to be preserved.
With the merger of Norfolk and Western and the Southern Railway in 1982, 611 was restored
to operation to participate in the new railroad’s steam excursion program.
When the railroad chose to discontinue excursions in 1994, the locomotive returned once again
to the museum of transportation.
After a near 20 year hiatus, the 611 was once again restored and returned to operation from
2014 to 2015.
Since then, the locomotive has made trips for the Norfolk Southern’s 21st Century
steam program as well as public excursions for the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
Most recently, 611 has made two trips to the Strasburg Rail Road in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
in 2019 and 2021.
On both of these occasions, 611 traveled from Roanoke, Virginia to Strasburg for an entire
summer of trips through Pennsylvania Dutch country and other special events at the railroad.
During the 2019 visit, one of the special events was a Norfolk and Western themed photo
and video shoot featuring the 611 alongside the Strasburg Rail Road’s own N&W locomotive
- 4-8-0 “Mastodon” type number 475.
475 was given various different N&W styled appearances for the photo shoot, including
two days numbered up as locomotive 382.
We will now go back to October of 2019 for a look at the Norfolk and Western Steam Reunion
at the Strasburg Rail Road.
Hey everyone, thanks for joining me for this look at Norfolk and Western 611 at the Strasburg
Rail Road in 2019.
If you enjoyed this video and would like to see more 611 in the future, hit the like button
and leave me a comment down below.
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I’ll be back next Friday at 9 AM Pacific time for another railroad themed adventure
right here on the YouTube channel.
That’s it for now.
Until next time, I’m Mike Armstrong.
I’ll see you down the line!
Thanks for watching.