611's Debut
Norfolk and Western Class J 4-8-4 number 611 has a short photo freight in tow on the grounds of the North Carolina Transportation Museum located in the former Southern Railway Spencer Shop complex. Here she is marching beneath a preserved and relocated former Southern Railway signal bridge.
Built by the Norfolk and Western in house at their East End Shops she was in the last of three batches of the class built totalling fourteen units. Entering revenue service on May 29, 1950 she had a short nine year revenue service career before being retired and donated to the city of Roanoke and placed on display in a park. In 1963 the Roanoke Transportation Museum was created around 611 as its centerpiece. The museum's original location was destroyed by a flood in 1985 and subsequently moved downtown and was renamed the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Restored by NS for their original steam program she would have her first excursion career spanning from September 1982 until December 1984 when she would be retired again for another two decade slumber.
In 2012 the city officially donated her to the museum and a year later the Fireup611! campaign began with a goal of raising $3.5 million for her second resoration. With NS contributing $1.5 million to the project she was moved here to NCTM only one year prior to this photo where her restoration began.
On May 9th less than a year after restoration began she made her first test run under her own power and on this day she finally performed in her first public appearance. Two days after I took this image she would triumphantly steam home to Roanoke over her old home rails unassisted with NS CEO Wick Moorman at the throttle as the culmination and conclusion of NS 21st Century Steam program. She led multiple mainline excursions the rest of 2015 and the next two years though in recent times she has been relegated to only operating on museum grounds here and on the Strasburg's 4 1/2 mile route that she has visited twice now for extended periods.
Spencer, North Carolina
Thursday May 28, 2015
611's Debut
Norfolk and Western Class J 4-8-4 number 611 has a short photo freight in tow on the grounds of the North Carolina Transportation Museum located in the former Southern Railway Spencer Shop complex. Here she is marching beneath a preserved and relocated former Southern Railway signal bridge.
Built by the Norfolk and Western in house at their East End Shops she was in the last of three batches of the class built totalling fourteen units. Entering revenue service on May 29, 1950 she had a short nine year revenue service career before being retired and donated to the city of Roanoke and placed on display in a park. In 1963 the Roanoke Transportation Museum was created around 611 as its centerpiece. The museum's original location was destroyed by a flood in 1985 and subsequently moved downtown and was renamed the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Restored by NS for their original steam program she would have her first excursion career spanning from September 1982 until December 1984 when she would be retired again for another two decade slumber.
In 2012 the city officially donated her to the museum and a year later the Fireup611! campaign began with a goal of raising $3.5 million for her second resoration. With NS contributing $1.5 million to the project she was moved here to NCTM only one year prior to this photo where her restoration began.
On May 9th less than a year after restoration began she made her first test run under her own power and on this day she finally performed in her first public appearance. Two days after I took this image she would triumphantly steam home to Roanoke over her old home rails unassisted with NS CEO Wick Moorman at the throttle as the culmination and conclusion of NS 21st Century Steam program. She led multiple mainline excursions the rest of 2015 and the next two years though in recent times she has been relegated to only operating on museum grounds here and on the Strasburg's 4 1/2 mile route that she has visited twice now for extended periods.
Spencer, North Carolina
Thursday May 28, 2015