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STRASBURG, Pa. — Famed Norfolk & Western J-class 4-8-4 No. 611 will return to steam this fall in a series of limited-time-only events announced by the Virginia Museum of Transportation, owners of the locomotive, and the Strasburg Rail Road, which together are completing the most recent federally required inspection of the 72-year-old locomotive. Among […]
Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history, heritage, and style of the Norfolk & Western Railway all through January 2022. So, please enjoy this photo gallery of Norfolk & Western locomotives selected from the archives of Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. Norfolk & Western locomotives served in the coal fields and later on high-speed freight […]
Norfolk & Western Railway history has two distinct phases. Before 1964, it was a coal hauler controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad. It even looked like the Pennsy in places: Tuscan Red coaches, position-light signals, and a short electrified district — but no Belpaire fireboxes. In 1964, possibly as a reaction to the proposed merger of […]
STRASBURG, Pa. — Norfolk & Western Class J locomotive No. 611 will remain at the Strasburg Rail Road this winter, undergoing an annual inspection and maintenance, following the conclusion of its operations on the Pennsylvania short line. The Virginia Museum of Transportation’s 4-8-4 had operated at Strasburg since May, wrapping up its schedule of excursions, […]
N&W 611 heads to Strasburg for lengthy stay Its stoker repaired, Norfolk & Western Class J steam locomotive No. 611 made the move from the Virginia Museum of Transportation on Monday and is slated to begin operation at Pennsylvania’s Strasburg Rail Road this Saturday, May 29. For security reasons, the museum did not announce a […]
Work under way to repair N&W No. 611 for trip to Strasburg The Virginia Museum of Transportation reported late last week that work was under way to identify and repair the problem with the stoker of N&W No. 611, an issue which has delayed the Class J’s planned trip to the Strasburg Rail Road. To […]
ROANOKE, Va. — The Virginia Museum of Transportation has announced the arrival of Norfolk & Western No. 611 at the Strasburg Rail Road will be delayed, and events involving the Class J scheduled for this weekend, May 21-23, have been cancelled. In preparations for the move, a malfunction was discovered with the locomotive’s stoker, preventing […]
ROANOKE, Va. — Norfolk & Western Class J 4-8-4 No. 611 will again return to Pennsylvania’s Strasburg Rail Road for excursions and other special events, the Virginia Museum of Transportation and Strasburg have announced. The Strasburg visit will begin later this month and continue through October 2021. Events will include opportunities to ride behind the […]
Friday morning tourist railroad and preservation news: North Carolina Transportation Museum to host weekend of 611 events The North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, N.C., will host two special tours and a nighttime photo session featuring Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 Sept. 18-20. The Fired Up Behind The Scenes Tour, on Sept. 18, […]
SHENANDOAH, Va. — Norfolk & Western No. 611 will try to escape from Virginia again today. After leaving homebase in Roanoke, Va., Monday morning, the locomotive tied down for the night in the division point of Shenandoah, Va., Monday night after an attempt to reach Enola Yard, just outside Harrisburg, Pa., on its way to […]
Norfolk & Western No. 611 sits at Buena Vista, Va., this morning on its trip to Pennsylvania’s Strasburg Rail Road. Kevin Gilliam BUENEA VISTA, Va. — Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 No. 611 has begun its trek to Pennsylvania, but its northbound run through the Shenandoah Valley is going less than smooth thanks to a freight […]
On May 29, 1950, workers put the finishing touches on brand-new Norfolk & Western J Class 4-8-4 No. 611 at Roanoke, Va. It was one of four such engines outshopped in 1950 and would come to be the face of successor Norfolk Southern’s steam program in the 1980s and 1990s. Norfolk & Western photo […]
