Word's out!

Railfans gather at nearly every grade crossing at the Strasburg Rail Road to catch a glimpse of N&W No. 611, captured here charging across Cherry Hill Road.

N&W No. 611 J Class valve gear in motion - a Railroad: Norfolk & Western
Locomotive: Steam 4-8-4
Location: Cherry Hill, Pennsylvania, USA
Locomotive #: NW 611
Train ID: Unknown
Photo Date: October 06, 2019

N&W No. 611 captured in a heavy downpour while climbing the grade at Cherry Crest Farm, at the Strasburg Rail Road.

Norfolk & Western's 4-8-4 No. 611 leads an excursion through a tunnel of trees near Esbenshade Road during a visit to the Strasburg Rail Road in 2019.

Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 No. 611 in a more)

N&W 611 returns to Strasburg with a late evening excursion.

Having racked up hundred's of thousands of miles pulling famed passenger trains between VA and OH throughout her career which began in 1950, J-class N&W No. 611 finds herself young at heart during... (more)

The "Queen of Steam", N&W No. 611 arrives at Blacksburg... I mean, Groff's Grove, in Cherry Hill, Pennsylvania. The "modern" streamline J-Class locomotive may look a little ou... (more)

(Yet another) Three way meet in Paradise

Leaman Place Junction was a busy place in October of 2019, with Strasburg's "regular" steam excursions, visiting 4-8-4 No. 611 and Amtrak's Keysto... (more)

Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 No. 611 backs up towards the water tower for a big gulp before pulling the next excursion. Strasburg Rail Road's 1953 built EMD SW8 (3 years younger) can be seen in the ba... (more)

"The Spirit of Roanoke". The Queen of Steam may not wear this on her side any more, but she will always be the Spirit of Roanoke to me. Taken on her first trip up from the VMT back in ... (more)

Harrisburg commuters race east towards Philadelphia, PA passing two of Roanoke's finest at Leaman Place; N&W No. 475, built in 1906 (by Baldwin in Philadelphia), and N&W No. 611, built in 1950 by ... (more)

N&W No. 611 puts on a great show pulling a passenger excursion around the bend at Paradise, PA, en route to the depot at the Strsaburg Rail Road.The J-Class locomotive, built by the N&W's own shop... (more)

N&W No. 475 takes the siding with a small mixed train giving way to a hot shot freight led by N&W No. 611. Seem unlikely? Perhaps, but no more so than having N&W No. 611 show up in Pennsylvania,... (more)

Stormy Return

After Norfolk & Western 611’s successful visit to Strasburg in 2019, it seemed logical that a return was likely. Getting it back to Pennsylvania became a stormy jou... (more)