From the Virginia Museum of Transportation: All Aboard for National Train Day: Saturday, May 8, 2010 The three rail museums in Virginia’s Rail Heritage Region are teaming up on May 8, 2010 to provide special National Train Day activities for rail fans of all ages. Visit the C&O Railway Heritage Center in Clifton Forge and the O. Winston Link Museum and the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke for a complete rail experience. In addition to many special exhibits and activities, visit all three on National Train Day and save $7.00 over individual museum admission. A joint ticket for the day is just $12 for a very full day of rail-related fun! As part of the collaboration and to provide a truly unique experience for rail fans, the Virginia Museum of Transportation is loaning perhaps its most prized exhibit—the Norfolk & Western Class J 611 steam locomotive—to the O. Winston Link Museum to serve as the centerpiece of the Link Museum’s celebration. For the first time in several years, the 611 will be back on mainline tracks, being moved by Norfolk Southern Corporation to the O. Winston Link Museum on Friday May 7 and back to the Virginia Museum of Transportation on Sunday May 9.
I seriously doubt they will steam it up. It is a short move from the Museum of Transportation to the Link Museum and it has been many years now since the last fires were dropped. They just have NS send a Geep over. This is the locomotive that showed up when they moved the Nickle Plate Berkshire # 763 over to the Roanoke shops to prep if for its move to Ohio to be restored.
I'm sure it'll be DIT. The flues needed to be replaced back in 1996, and there has been no reason to put them in. Since 611 is a larger engine than 763, the power for the move may be larger, and there may be an idler car between the power and 611. I hope whatever performs the move is clean...
We're planning to attend the event. I'll also try to snap some photos of the 1218 not normally possible because of the proximity of 611.
