Roanoke’s iconic 611 steam engine will be back on the rails this fall for a series of five weekend excursion trips that will begin and end at Goshen in Rockbridge County.
The Virginia Scenic Railway announced Wednesday that a joint venture between the Virginia Scenic Railway, the Virginia Museum of Transportation, the Steam Railroading Institute and the Virginia Mechanical Preservation Society will bring the locomotive back into service for the excursions.
The 611 locomotive, designed and built in Roanoke by the Norfolk & Western Railway, has been widely regarded as representing the height of steam locomotive construction. The 1950 Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 is the sole surviving Class J 4-8-4 steam locomotive. After entering service in 1950, it transported passengers until it retired in 1959. It’s the only one of its series that survives today. The 611 is owned and operated by the Virginia Museum of Transportation as a traveling exhibit. It is the official steam locomotive of the state of Virginia, a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Starting on Sept. 26, the Virginia Scenic Railway will operate the steam-led passenger excursion as the Shenandoah Valley Limited for five consecutive weekends. Tickets are expected to be available for purchase later this summer through Virginia Scenic Railway’s website. Specific details about the schedule, price and ticket release dates are not yet available.