The expanded opportunities include:
• Friday, Sept. 27: Ride behind 611, behind-the-scenes tours, cab tours,
and the whistle blow
• Monday, Sept. 30: Ride behind 611, behind-the-scenes tours, cab tours,
and the whistle blows
• Friday, Oct. 4: Ride behind the 611, behind-the-scenes tours, cab tours,
and whistle blows
• Monday, Oct. 7: Railfan Photography Extravaganza (morning and afternoon sessions available)
• Saturday, Oct. 26 and Sunday, Oct. 27: At the Throttle of Norfolk & Western steam
Members of Virginia Museum of Transportation’s 611 Society have already begun using advance ticket purchasing opportunities. The general public can purchase tickets beginning at 2 pm on Friday, March 29.
“The response to the news that the 611 and the 475 would appear together at the Strasburg Rail Road was overwhelmingly positive,” said Brian Barton, VMT board member and 611 operations director. “Fans of Norfolk & Western Railway steam are coming to Strasburg from across the country. It will be an unprecedented celebration of Norfolk & Western steam.”
“It’s an exciting time for the Strasburg Rail Road,” said Steve Barrall, station master. “Railfans, tourists and families, regardless of age or knowledge of steam locomotives, can experience the majesty of seeing the 611 and the 475 side-by-side.”
Maybe in this day and age just transporting the 611 to a place where fans can see her & ride behind her is good PR for NS!
Powhatan Arrow in its initial form was typically 6-8 cars, with no head-end equipment. After the “Cavalier” was discontinued on the railroad’s west end, the “Arrow’s” consist grew, mostly with mail & express. As of 1950, I don’t think that the “Pocahontas” ran with 15 cars that often, either.
Is Norfolk-Southern paying attention here? Looks boys, there’s money to be made utilizing Mighty 611. I’m not saying 611 excursions have to dominate weekend operations as they did during the Claytor years, but a limited excursion schedule in selected markets would certainly add to the corporate bottom line.
But what do I know? I’m just an outsider looking in.
I did Warren, I did. I can agree, and not agree at the same time.
Risk? There’s always going to be risk trackside, and it doesn’t take a steam excursion to bring it out. We all know of the irresponsible, the foolish, and downright idiotic who get themselves squashed by trains, it happens all the time. Try as you might, you can’t save some people from themselves.
Anyway, if NS’s lawyers have told them not to do it, and keep in mid the lawyers and risk management people are “…professional worry-warts…” as Steve Lee used to call them, then OK, I can’t blame NS officials for taking the advice and playing it safe. It follows the safest thing to do would be run no trains at all, sell off the equipment and property and go into stockbroking.
But if they’re staying in the railroad business, they’re throwing away golden PR opportunities. How do you put a price on that?
A steam engine DOES have an ability to turn that pain-in-the-ass train that holds you up at a grade crossing into something magical.
I admit this is the railfan talking and not an industry insider. But how can you be in a business that’s an American icon and not want to be a part of the iconography? That’s something I’ll never understand.
Wayne, read Arthur Miller’s blog today about James Bistline and the Southern’s excursions years ago.
There’s more to it than the bottom line, especially when it comes to risk management.
WOW!
Great news.