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Norfolk & Western 611 restoration nearly half complete
I hope she makes it to DC.
Hope she comes to Chicago.
I hope she makes it back to Alabama. The last time I saw her was December 1994 in Birmingham.
Hope they bring it deep into the Midwest, like through Hannibal, MO to Kansas City (former N&W line). Though this is such a big deal I’ll probably go out of my way to see this engine when it first steams up.
611 should never have been retired in the first place in 1994. The bean counters at NS waited until both Claytor brothers had passed away before they abolished the steam program as fast as they could, depriving NS of its best, most recognized PR tool. Fast-forward to the present and NS is headed by Wick Moorman, a dynamic leader with a sincere appreciation of his company’s history and the commitment to honoring it with “Heritage Series” diesels and the return of 611 to service. Go, Wick!
I really didn’t expect to see the 611 run again. My first encounter was in the early 70s when she was in Wasena Park until the flooding of the Roanoke River and the move to the museum. Now, seems she may be back in service by next year. I just wonder if there is a chance the 1218 might join her?
It was always a treat to ride behind and photograph this classy locomotive at many NRHS conventions and other events. #611 even showed up close to my home in Central New York to pull an excursion round trip on the old Nickel Plate from Buffalo to Wallace Jct. And who could ever forget when #611 and 1218 ran side by side on both tracks of the N&W main during the Roanoke convention? While we may not see her run in the grand old manner of the Claytor regime, let’s hope that she gets wide circulation over the NS system.
It was always a treat to ride behind and photograph this classy locomotive at many NRHS conventions and other events. #611 even showed up close to my home in Central New York to pull an excursion round trip on the old Nickel Plate from Buffalo to Wallace Jct. And who could ever forget when #611 and 1218 ran side by side on both tracks of the N&W main during the Roanoke convention? While we may not see her run in the grand old manner of the Claytor regime, let’s hope that she gets wide circulation over the NS system.