As steam engines go, this one is state of the art.
The Norfolk & Western Class J 611 steam engine rolled off the assembly line in 1950, at a time when diesel had all but replaced steam railroading. As more people chose to travel automobile, the 611 was retired nine years after it was built.
The locomotive is rolling once again after a more than 20-year hiatus. This weekend, you can see and ride on the 611. The passenger train will make one trip Saturday and two on Sunday, from Manassas to Front Royal and back again.
The crew of the 611 said it’s a chance for passengers to see how Americans once traveled, and to marvel at the size and power of this massive locomotive.
The 611 is in town during the 21st Annual Manassas Heritage Railway Festival, which takes place Saturday, June 5, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The festival will feature model train displays, train memorabilia, vendors, and bluegrass music. There will also be four roundtrip rides on Virginia Railway Express trains from Manassas to Clifton, at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Tickets for the 611 train excursion start at $109. The 611 will leave Manassas at 8 a.m. Saturday and is expected back by 12:30 p.m.
The 611 ran excursions from 1982 to 1994 as a public relations effort for the railroad that operated it. The locomotive sat idle afterward, until an effort to restore the engine began last year.
Crews worked seven days a week to restore the 494,000 pound locomotive. Because this steam locomotive is relatively new, it wasn’t that difficult to restore, crews said. Combined with its tender box, the coal-fired machine weighs a total of 863,000 pounds.
Manasssas is the first of three stops on the 611’s restoration tour. The engine will take passengers from Lynchburg to Petersburg on June 13 and 14, and from Roanoke to Lynchburg July 3, 4, and 5.
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