Steam & Excursion > Heading to Roanoke for the 1St time seeing 611

Ok guys I was hesitant at 1St but since I had the money it was like what the heck, anyway I'm heading out tomorrow morning on No. 4 for Chicago, 30 to DC and 171 to Lynchburg, anyway it's just me and this will be the 1St time for me seeing 611 so anyone wants to meet up in person let me know!

Glad you got to go this year. Next year may be....

Don't know of your interests or whether you've been to Roanoke before, but I was there for five days a couple of weeks ago. Be sure to visit the Link museum and the Virginia Museum of Transportation, which has important preserved N&W steam locomotives. There's an old coaling tower in Lynchburg, and a very famous old coaling tower at Vicker, just outside Christiansburg, about a 30 minute drive from Roanoke. I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Good on you for taking the opportunity to "treat yourself" and support the 611.

Thanks guys and those 2 Museums are on the list!

As you walk into the Transportation museum, right in front of you is a full sized, black & white photo of Robert & Graham Clayton standing under the cab of
NKP 759, the Famous Berk.. That picture was probably taken in 1968, in Roanoke ...... it truly is steam's Mecca... Welcome to our joyous throng..
We all love the 611 the 1218 and the rest... not in the photo is a very young Scott Lindsay, who as a youngster, helped us so much with rmaintaiing and working on 759. Scott did the original restoration of the J , and Class A, and others. He is a true Giant in the Syeam Loco business.

Make a Contribution to the Museum, to partially 'thank' the Claytors for their brave support of the operation of full-sized steam engines...

Pause there, in front of that great picture of two proud RRers...... for a moment....for without those two, nothing in Mainline, steam-railfandom would exist .

At that time, the restoration 611 was a personal dream of Bob Claytor....in that portrait , it was the seminal event that led to SO MUCH in future loco restorations.

Bob's belief in Ross Rowland's skill and the "High Iron Team" that brought all that we have, in to reality.

Wes.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/17 20:03 by wcamp1472.

I will, besides they got a much better run program than Cheyenne anyway!

I definitely recommend the Link Museum. I'm just glad the guys were outside shooting diesels when I got choked up standing next to the old gravity feed gas pump Link made famous. I'm sure I would have gotten kidded about THAT!

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

About a mile & a half to the south of Virginia Museum of Transportation is the restored Virginian Railway Station. Half of the building houses the Virginian Historical Society Museum stuff. Unsure of their hours. The other half of the station is for event space. It sits right beside the NS trackage at the old Virginian yard (South Yard to NS.) There's an illuminated Virginian Searchlight Signal in the parking lot, along with it is the headstone from the Virginian's electric generating plant at Narrows, VA.

NS's East end shops (former N&W shops where the 611 etc was built,) is just east of the Link Museum. NS has a bunch of engines stored along the line to Hagerstown, MD at the shop complex. Also, you'll find various science experiments and beat down & blown up engines gathered around the turntable for rebuild /heavy repair if that's of interest to you. FWIW, within the same complex, a little further east, is Freight Car America. They will be closing in June. That part of the shops used to be the N&W /NS car shop.

Plenty of good places to eat & hang out in downtown, a very brief walk from the tracks. The glass overhead walkway spanning the NS tracks downtown has a lot of historical photographs & info within it too. Non train related, Mill Mountain zoo is, well, on top of Mill Mountain where the star is (it lights up at night,) & great views of the city from up there.

Enjoy your trip to the Star City.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/17 03:07 by nsrlink.

Danny you will enjoy the N&W 611 like I did with two trips last year. Have plenty of fun with her!


Chris



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/17 14:36 by Mudrock.

Thanks Chris

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It will run somewhere. Wrote:
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> Glad you got to go this year. Next year may
> be....