# Virginia Museum of Transportion - The 611



## Just-a-Guy (Feb 11, 2013)

If this post is not appropriate here, mods delete or move please.

My family traveled South last week and we scheduled a stop-over in Roanoke. First off, what a great city! Lots of hip places to eat (or drink), a cool downtown area with interesting shops... and the most awesome transportation museum I've ever seen. My son and I spent an entire afternoon in the museum, while SWMBO and daughter did whatever they do (no idea). Assuming it's ok, I will do a couple of posts, this one dedicated to the 611. 

In case you have been living under a rock, the N&W J Class #611 is the last surviving J Class in existence. It entered service in 1950, built at Roanoke Shops, right down the road from where it sits today. Miles and I have a BLI model J, and it's an awesome model. Miles is somewhat fanatical about it (for a 9 year old). So we were thrilled to see it person. 

Also, FYI, the 611 is scheduled for a full restoration, which will be done at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC. We went there, too, and will post a separate thread about that museum, which has a working turntable (we rode it) and the largest roundhouse ever built (37 stalls), in addition to the restoration facility and a short tourist line (we rode with the engineer). The 611 will move to Spencer next month. There was a lot of excitement in Roanoke about it, and also in Spencer. A few pics below. If this is an ok thing to do, I can post more pics, including a bunch of the 1218 and other locomotives (not all of which require you to look at the Boy Who Needs a Haircut).

Thanks, Ed .. now I just need to figure out how to get them to a reasonable size...


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

click edit, then click go advanced, look up top in the box and click on the paperclip (next to the white smiley face) then click insert all.

If you only had one picture you would then just click on the link you see)

Every time you upload just go back and click the second time, otherwise the pictures will just be a clickable link.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

This is the proper forum, General Model Train Discussion.
It is about trains.:smokin:

I will go and look a the pictures now.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Nice pictures. :smilie_daumenpos:

The kids hair looks normal if not short for today's youth, though with him in the pictures it makes the locomotive look huge.


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## Just-a-Guy (Feb 11, 2013)

Wait til you see him next to the 1218.... (the Boy can't get enough trains, he's awesome!).


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Actually, they really do belong here, I'm moving them.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Actually, they really do belong here, I'm moving them.


That would work too.


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## DavefromMD (Jul 25, 2013)

I rode behind the 611 on an excursion from Alexandia, VA to Charlottesville, VA in the mid 1980s. Wonder when was the last time it pulled an excursion before being sent to the museum? If they're going to do a full reestoration, I would assume it will pull excursions again.


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## Just-a-Guy (Feb 11, 2013)

DavefromMD said:


> I rode behind the 611 on an excursion from Alexandia, VA to Charlottesville, VA in the mid 1980s. Wonder when was the last time it pulled an excursion before being sent to the museum? If they're going to do a full reestoration, I would assume it will pull excursions again.


That's cool, Dave. Would love to see some pics if you have any. There's a video that is shown in one of the passenger cars at the museum of a 1981 restoration of the 611, which I believe was done in Alabama. It had been retired from service in 1959, and sat at the Roanoke museum until 1981. It went back into excursion service from 1982 to 1994, when it was once again retired to Roanoke. My son and I are hoping to someday ride behind it after this upcoming restoration.


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## DavefromMD (Jul 25, 2013)

Don't know if I have pictures. If they are they are film pictures or slides and burried somewhere. One thing I do remember is the "sound" car they had. It was a baggage or mail car that had the doors open and modified with bars so people could be right behind the tender and take in or record the sounds. It even had a place for people to put tape recorders to record the sound.


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