Norfolk & Western No. 611 has a new place to run.
The Virginia Museum of Transportation and Virginia Scenic Railway — the excursion operation of the short line Buckingham Branch Railroad — have announced the Class J 4-8-4 will run weekend excursions this fall on the Virginia Scenic Railway.
The steam-powered Shenandoah Valley Limited will offer twice-daily trips during peak fall foliage in October and November, departing from Goshen, Va. Trips will operate through the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests into the Shenandoah Valley, where it will pause to be joined by a pair of diesel locomotives for the return trip to Goshen.
Trips will operate Oct. 6-8, 13-15, 20-22, and 27-29, as well as Nov. 3-5, with departures at 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day.
“We are delighted to help make this run possible,” Steve Powell, President of the Virginia Scenic Railway, said in a press release. “We love trains and railroad history, and we look forward to partnering with the Virginia Museum of Transportation to host the legendary 611 and bring the steam engine roaring to life in the Shenandoah Valley. This is one of the prettiest routes around, and we are excited to share it.”
Tickets will go on sale in mid-August at the Virginia Scenic Railway website. Those signing up for the railway’s newsletter will be informed when tickets become available. Tickets, priced from $99 to $249 each, will be offered in coach, premium coach, first class, and dome class.
“We are excited for the opportunity to partner with Virginia Scenic Railway,” said Mendy Flynn, executive director of the Virginia Museum of Transportation. “These excursions will have a major tourism impact on the region and showcase Virginia’s Rail Heritage to visitors near and far.”
The locomotive recently returned to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke after an extended stay in Pennsylvania including operations at the Strasburg Rail Road.
Buckingham Branch began operating its Virginia Scenic Railway excursions last year, rapidly selling out its initial season [see “Virginia’s new tourist railroad sells out …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 1, 2022] and expanding its offerings this year. The railroad’s regular operations include two routes — and both are sold out for all of August and much of September.
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