Norfolk & Western 611: The Most-Powerful 4-8-4 in the World

norfol Southern launched the 21st century steam program in 2011 featuring historic steam power on its system which lasted through 2015 this program was different from the earlier program which ended in 1994 in that the locomotives were leased through their owners to host excursions throughout the year the idea for this program is promoted by then CEO Wick Mormon and complemented the railroad's Heritage Unit Fleet that was introduced in 2012 initially steam locomotives 630 765 and 4501 pulled excursions over norfol Southern rails with speculation that norfol and Western 611 might be restored to operating condition in 2013 the fire up 611 committee was formed to study the feasibility of returning 611 to service and after tests showed that the locomotive was in excellent condition to be restored a fundraising campaign was launched to raise money for the Restoration in May of 2014 611 was moved mov to the North Carolina Transportation Museum to be restored with work commencing in June of that year the restoration was conducted by the steam operations Corporation under the direction of Scott Lindsay inside the former Southern Railway Roundhouse at Spencer volunteers also contributed to the restoration by May 2015 611 was repainted and moved under its own power for the first time in nearly 21 years on May 30th 611 returned to Rowan Oak Virginia the city the locomotive was built in and was reunited with nnw class a number 1218 and class y6a number 2156 at the Virginia Museum of Transportation following its homecoming trip 611 operated several roundtrip excursions in Virginia as part of the 21st century steam program [Music] Norfolk Southern's ultimate goal for the program was to have steam locomotives visit all of its major terminals by 2015 this goal was fulfilled by September of that year and as a result the program officially concluded in December although the program was no more Norfolk Southern allowed the 611 to pull various Excursion trips throughout Virginia and North Carolina in 2016 the first two excursions that year were round trips operated in conjunction with nctm the first was the Virginia Which ran from Spencer to linsburg on April 9th and the second was the soldout Blue Ridge Special from Spencer to Asheville the next day the latter was one of the most highly anticipated steam excursions in recent memory since it had to climb Southern railway's famous Old Fort Loops to reach Asheville just after 7:00 a.m. on April 9th 611 and its train Departed the North Carolina transportation museum for Lynchburg the 611 followed much of the same route as it did during the homecoming Excursion in 2015 giving us an opportunity to document the streamlined locomotive at new locations along the former Southern Railway Mainline [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] he a a ahead of the 611 we recorded Amtrak pedmont service train 73 heading southbound at mpost 294 in Jamestown North Carolina less than 5 minutes later the queen of steam and her train charged through Jamestown as a crowd of rail fans snapped hundreds of photos [Music] [Music] at Reedsville the train passed by the old Lucky Strike cigarette factory [Music] JB Duke founded the American Tobacco Company in 1890 by merging several us tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin in company however antitrust action in 1911 forced the company to break up into several major companies the Reedsville cigarette plant was purchased shortly before the dissolution of the American Tobacco trust in 1911 and was enlarged to produce Lucky Strike under the leadership of Charles a Penn who became the vice president of manufacturing for nearly eight decades the facility was the largest employer in town before it closed in 1995 in Danville Virginia the train stopped to pick up a group of onboard emergency medical technicians since Virginia and North Carolina don't cross on our EMT certifications it was necessary for the Virginia certified EMTs to board at Danville after picking up the EMTs we recorded the train crossing over the Dan River you might recognize Danville from a well-known Johnny Cash cover song The Wreck of the Old 97 based on a true story the song recounts The derailment of fast mail train number 97 at the still house Trestle on the original Mainline near Danville it was known for never being late and the crew wanted to make up for lost time the derailment caused the train to jump the bridge resulting in the death of 11 crew members and injuries to seven others although the bridge no longer exists a small section of the original Mainline remains and can be seen in this aerial footage at Alta Vista 611 crossed the r Oak River and the former Virginia Railway Mainline over a high Steel Bridge about 100 100 photographers were assembled both on and below the Main Street bridge to capture the famous 484 as it charged up the Southern Railway Mainline toward Lynchburg we also recorded the train from the Southern Railway Depot at altta Vista which is now home to the area Chamber of Commerce this would be the last location we caught the Northbound train before it reached Lynchburg opting to avoid the area due to the large crowds that were gathered to see the 611 up close [Music] we opted to record several freight trains in Evington from the leeville Road overpass our first norfol southern train was a Northbound Intermodal led by an es44dc and 2-9 known as the Danville District this section of the norfol Southern system was was built in the mid 1850s by the Richmond and Danville railroad after the Civil War the railroad expanded by connecting Washington DC to Atlanta Georgia and [Music] Beyond in 1894 the R&D became part of the Southern Railway system which integrated it with other subsidiaries to form a massive system that extended over 4,000 Mi across the southeastern United States in 1982 Southern Railway merged with norfol and Western to create the modern-day norfol Southern Corporation today the former R&D Mainline remains a vital Transportation Corridor in the eastern United States with much of the traffic being Intermodal trains like this one the next train we caught at EV was a southbound manifest led by three GES [Music] [Music] about 30 minutes later we recorded a second Northbound with more General Electric Motive Power now that [Music] [Music] the last freight train we saw at Evington was another Northbound with norfol Southern sd60i number 6749 on the point followed by two-9 the signature Lesley air horn worn by many excon rail locomotives was instantly recognizable and was a pleasant surprise to the monotonous GES following the Conrail split in 1999 norfol Southern acquired 47 sd60i and 55 sd60m as a result of the merger although both models had a similar appearance the sd60i were recognized for their use on coal trains as a result of their isolated cabs represented by the i in their name in the latter part of 2019 all 102 locomotives were sold to different buyers with the majority of them being bought for scrap [Music] you [Music] [Music] finally after waiting patiently for about 3 hours with dozens of other rail fans 611 rolled southbound through Evington after being turned in Lynchburg for the trip back to Spencer what [Music] [Music] we caught the Train on this gentle sweeping curve at Lynch station with what seemed like the entire town population there to greet the 611 if you look closely you can see several plastic tarps hanging from the under body of some of the passenger cars these tarps came off a centerbeam car in the last train we saw at Evington [Music] before 611 made its southbound stop at Danville we caught this southbound manifest Freight with two 8900 ser-9 bracketing an e s44 DC for Motive Power danville's historic station was built in 1899 and was designed by renowned architect Frank Pierce Milburn in 1915 a track expansion required the station to be moved 133 ft to the Northeast the building was jacked up on rollers and Crews used mules and stump pullers to roll the building it is said that the move was done so skillfully that not a single brick was cracked in 1922 the building was severely damaged by a fire but was rebuilt to its original specifications the decline of passeng rail service in the 1970s led to the station falling into disuse for several years in 1995 the station was listed on the national register of historic places and was later renovated using Federal funding and local contributions it currently serves Amtrak Crescent service passengers and also houses a campus of the Danville Science Center and the Danville farmers market in 2021 Amtrak reported a ridership of 3,743 people out of Danville with the freight train now clear of Danville the southbound Excursion train was able to stop and swap out EMT Crews [Laughter] [Laughter] [Music] about [Music] you [Music] [Music] the most powerful 484 everb built looked stunning in the golden hour light while the train was stopped we observed the two diesel locomotives es44 AC number 8099 was christened as the Southern Railway Heritage Unit in 2012 Southern Railway 6133 is an fp7 built by the electromotive division of General Motors in 1950 it was later donated to the nctm in 1980 where it was restored to its original Green and imitation aluminum paint Scheme the locomotive is now used to pull trains around the museum grounds in Spencer the main reason the Diesels were added to the train was to extend 61's fuel range since the steam locomotive only took on coal prior to each Excursion the Diesels allowed 611 to go longer distances using less coal 61's tender has a coal capacity of 37 tons when filled all the way up which is well above the coal extension boards a [Music] [Music] the following day the diesel helped by providing Dynamic braking as 611 descended the Old Fort Loops Dynamic braking is used to slow down or stop a train by converting its kinetic energy or momentum into electrical energy this is achieved by using the traction Motors of a diesel locomotive as generators which creates resistance and electrical energy what do you think smoke impressive very impressive a after dark we caught 611 at Greensboro North Carolina as it continued South dispenser w he [Music] oh me the train arrived in Spencer just after 10 p.m. roughly 2 hours behind schedule it was a long but successful Excursion with many passengers saying this was the most fun they'd had on a train in years overnight 611 took on coal and was serviced in preparation for what might have been the most highly anticipated steam Excursion in decades a trip over the Old Fort Loops to Asheville and back we arrived at the North Carolina transportation Museum early on the morning of the 10th where we found the train crew busy preparing for the Blue Ridge Special the train would take the S line out of Salsbury to Asheville battling 1.3 to nearly 3% grades on Southern railway's old forth Loops between Old Fort and ridgerest thankfully despite having only 70-in driving Wheels the jclass locomotives had a calculated Tractive effort of 80,000 lb making them the most powerful 484s without a booster ever built to compensate for their 70-in drivers the locomotives had an extremely rigid wheelbase lightweight rods and precise counter balancing all of these features would prove to be very important in handling the train up and over the loops hundreds of rail fans on the general public gathered at control Point Salsbury to watch the Blue Ridge Special leaving town for Asheville [Music] [Music] hey man on the head in there [Music] over is [Music] going around a w down [Music] [Music] okay let's go [Music] [Music] f Hickory is located at mile poost 58.1 on the sine and has a population of 43,000 people in addition to norfol Southern Hickory is also served by the Caldwell County Railroad which is famous for its roster of two classic EMD gp6s that still wear Family Lines paint [Music] 97 [Music] [Music] oh ascending the Blue Ridge Mountains 1,100 ft from Old Fort to Ridge Crest North Carolina the former Southern Railway Mainline requires 12 rail miles to travel a distance of only 3 m by air eight tunnels huge Earth and fills numerous bridges over mil Creek and 2776 de of curvature allow the railroad enough distance to maintain the tolerable yet challenging gradients that range between 1.3 and 2.94% Over The Ridge at high fill about 100 rail fans were gathered together to document history in the making this was the first time time 611 climbed the Old Fort Loops since the original steam program in the early 1990s for many this was a dream come true [Music] [Music] [Music] EX [Music] later that afternoon we caught up with the Blue Ridge Special in Asheville as it was preparing to make the return trip back to Spencer [Applause] [Music] [Music] oh what he he [Applause] oh [Laughter] [Laughter] [Laughter] [Laughter] w [Laughter] [Laughter] [Laughter] [Laughter] during the 2016 Excursion season we at delay and block were working on a featurelength documentary about the history of the 611 and the 2st century steam program along with the production of a 60th anniversary vinyl tribute to Winston Lake that was to feature audio recordings from the documentary proceeds from album sales would go directly to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in an effort to raise money for 61's seasonal maintenance needs to assist us in the production the noruk southern media Department gave us special access to the 611 and its crew NS also allowed us to place cameras and microphones on the locomotive so that we could document three of the most historically significant trips that year here including The Descent down the Old Fort loops and what would be 61's final trips to Rowan Oak Guided by the original n NW CPL signals in exchange norfol Southern and the Virginia Museum of Transportation would be given access to the footage for use in their own media Endeavors unfortunately the documentary never came to fruition thankfully we're blessed to be able to share this footage captured from our cameras on the 611 as it began its Journey back to Spencer [Laughter] a sh [Laughter] unfortunately 611 had to take the siding at grovestone to clear the main for a westbound freight train while in the siding all but one battery powered locomotive camera died leaving only the engineers side view to record the trip down the loops we'll show you some highlights of the descent from this perspective including an interesting scene involving a model who became the Talk of the Town that evening norfol and Western 61 was one of 14 jclass passenger locomotives built between 1941 and 1950 constructed at a cost of $21,300 611 rolled out of Rowan Oaks East End shops on May 29th 1950 with simple symmetrical boiler lines a bullet nose and a tusen red stripe that extended the length of the locomotive the jclass was recognized as one of the most beautiful streamlined steam locomotives ever designed the JS powered the nmws famous Nam trains like the aano the Cavalier and the Pocahontas equipped with roller bearings on the drivers and the tender axles the locomotives operated more efficiently and could accelerate faster the 611 and her sisters were one of the most praised locomotive classes in the industry with trains magazine editor David P Morgan asking in the November 1954 issue what other locomotive with a 70-in wheel has so easily been pushed past the three fig mark on the speedometer more than 200 moving parts were lubricated by an automated mechanical system cutting down service time at station stops and division points the JS were truly the last great steam locomotives ever built and were the Pinnacle of steam technology according to fire up 611 the organization that brought the 611 back to life for 21st century steam the Jays were the most powerful passenger steam locomotives ever built operating at 300 PSI with with attractive effort of 80,000 lb many Jays operated upwards of 15,000 m per month and several logged over 3 million miles by the time they were retired in 1959 only 6 years into her career disaster struck on January 23rd 1956 611 was pulling the Pocahontas near Cedar West Virginia when the engineer took a sharp curve too fast the locomotive and five cars derailed with the 611 being overturned she nearly slid into the tug River escaping what could have very well been her demise deciding to rebuild the 611 the ever resourceful norfol and Western returned the engine back to service later that year this meant the locomotive had a completely rebuilt boiler placing her in much better condition than her other sisters [Music] an the [Music] due to Rising costs associated with operating steam the nnw decided to replace its legendary steam locomotives with more efficient diesel electrics in 1957 due to its relatively good operating condition number 611 was selected to pull the company's farewell to steam excursions in October of 1959 once 61's duties were officially over her fate was uncertain several people including famed nmw photographer O Winston Link and Rowan Oak natives Graham and Robert clater reached out to company president Stuart Saunders to save 611 from The Scrappers torch Saunders agreed to keep 611 as a resered steam generator at the East End shops until the flues in her boiler ran out she was then donated to the new Rowan Oak Transportation Museum later the Virginia Museum of Transportation for static display she sat outside in the elements waiting for the chance to steam again that chance came in 1981 when soon to be norfol Southern Railway company president Robert clater sent the 611 to the southern Railways Norris steam shop in Birmingham Alabama the locomotive would become the star of the norfol southern steam program in the 1980s pulling excursions throughout the Eastern United States in 1994 four norfol Southern ended their world-renowned steam program as a public relations tool the two norfol and Western locomotives jclass 611 and a class 1218 were returned to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Rowan o with an uncertain future ahead of them fast forward to 2015 the 611 returned to the main line once again as a participant of norfol Southern's new steam program branded under the name 21st century steam thanks to the renewed interest in using steam as a public relations tool 611 will continue to inspire thousands of people who witness her in motion while Trackside [Music] swanana NOA tunnel is 1,832 Ft long and is the summit of the grade between ridgerest and Old Fort many famous photographs from the original NS steam program were taken here of NW 611 128 and Southern 4501 up up [Music] d High Ridge Tunnel is 494 ft long while McElroy tunnel immediately after it is only 77 ft long [Music] [Music] After exiting the shortest tunnel on the loops 611 ran through the nearly 600t long lick log tunnel [Music] he as the train began to descend the loops the engineer could see Mount Mitchell in the distance the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest east of the Mississippi River Mount Mitchell's elevation is 6,684 Ft above sea level [Music] the [Music] jumping ahead to the curve at highfill you can see just how tight the radius is at the most famous spot on the Old Fort Loops at the time this footage was recorded Norfolk Southern was investing heavily in the maintenance and upkeep of the Old Fort Loops fast forward 7 years and there are now no road trains that operate between Asheville and Salsbury primarily the result of precision scheduled railroading and the closure of Lynwood yard north of Spencer in May of 2020 time will tell but the future looks Grim for not just the loops but the entire Asheville District The 212t Long Point tunnel was the final tunnel the train traveled through on its descent down to Old Fort this tunnel is unique in that its East portal features a steel overhang that protects trains from falling debris [Music] oh a go point Point tunnel was the last location we recorded the Blue Ridge Special opting not to chase it all the way back to Spencer since the entire run would be backlit the Excursion was a massive success creating lasting memories for all who rode or chased on April 23rd and 24th 611 pulled the Rowan ochre Excursion between Greensboro North Carolina and Rowan Oak Virginia the Train's routing involved taking the Danville District to HT Virginia where the Excursion then took the former Virginia Railway to Rowan Oak now known as norfol Southern's ala Vista subdivision the line is incredibly Scenic and features multiple high bridges and tunnels Greensboro is the third largest city in the Tar Hill State in the past the city was recognized as a hub for textiles with numerous Mills factories and blue collar workers Greensboro has gained a new reputation as tournament Town due to its abundant athletic facilities including Sports Fields golf courses stadiums and even pools just after 6:00 a.m. 611 arrived in Downtown Greensboro with its train from nearby pomon yard the consist was stored there overnight after having been deadheaded from Spencer the day before greensboro's train station a former Southern Railway passenger Depot was built and opened in 1927 it now acts as a Central Transportation Hub for Greyhound inner city buses and Amtrak the Carolinian Crescent and pedmont service trains all stop here providing the city with great transportation to North Carolina's most populated areas [Music] directing the Train's movements throughout the 2016 Excursion season was none other than senior General Foreman Bob Saxton an icon from the original norfol southern steam program in the 1980s and90s Saxton returned to his role as the leaon of excursions for the 21st century steam program overseeing most trips all over the NS system dozens of volunteers including car hosts were already waiting at the Depot for the 611s arrival that morning to make sure the train was clean and ready for the passengers waiting to board with the train now positioned at the station platform the volunteers began preparing the classic Passenger cars for boarding unlike the earlier April excursions 611 would be pulling the Rowan oer without diesel assistance since it was a much shorter trip than the others the Jay was able to make it to Rowan Oak and back on a single tender full of coal the Excursion consist included an auxiliary water tender a tool car three full domes a short Dome and 17 additional Passenger cars norfol Southern supplied seven of the coaches plus the Tennesse head-end power car the remaining cars were all privately owned and Amtrak certified a tremendous amount of planning went into locating the passenger cars for these trips which were spearheaded by Adam oxier the former director of rail events and operations at the Virginia Museum of [Music] Transportation after all the passengers were boarded and accounted for the Rowan ochre departed Greensboro at 8:00 a.m. [Music] [Music] [Applause] a oh w as with the previous excursions the train stopped in Danville to once again swap out on board EMTs thankfully there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the wind was virtually non-existent that day giving us another opportunity to record the train crossing the Dan River engineer Aaron Sherman a fixture throughout the entire 21st century steam program and a Norfolk Southern employee was at the throttle on this excursion Sherman expertly handled the train over both the Southern and Virginia mainlines [Music] oh w at hert Virginia the Excursion diverted over the hurt connection to the ex Virginia alav Vista District [Music] a [Music] [Music] [Music] after getting a good view of the Train Running westbound we opted to spend the afternoon waiting for the return trip in monetta Virginia this Tiny Town a fewer than 500 people Rose to fame as a filming location for several scenes in the 1991 movie What About Bob w sh [Applause] St bringing up the rear of the train was the Deering a Pullman passenger car built in 1925 for the Great Northern Railway as the Thompson it was a 12 section one drawing room sleeper and operated on the gn's Oriental Limited in 1931 it became part of Pullman's pool service and was eventually sold to the Chicago and Great Western Railway in 1948 the car was rebuilt in the early 1950s as an office car with various amenities and it was used by the Chicago and Northwestern until 1996 it was later sold to the North Carolina Department of Transportation before being purchased by its current owners in 2006 the car was renovated and updated by its owners and Now features two bedrooms three baths a crew room a dining room a kitchen an observation lounge and a platform do you hear it look homy [Music] [Music] w [Music] up I back 611 arrived at Greensboro just after 8:00 p.m. as you'll see the station can be a real Hub of activity between Freight and passenger trains as the passengers were deboarding the Excursion train southbound Dam TR Carolin in number 79 arrived at Greensboro the Excursion train and a modern Amtrak train both stopped at the same station as a unique phenomenon the classic Road names and paint schemes from railroading Golden Age are a stark contrast to the standardized coaches and simple Livery found on Amtrak [Applause] [Music] the passenger cars are the yam Fleet 1 series built by the bud company in the mid to late 1970s most trains include a business class car a cafe car and four coach Class Cars maximum seating in such a configuration is 346 split between business class and reserved coach as the two trains were unloading passengers a Northbound Norfolk Southern manifest freight train passed by the station on the Danville district with a nice mix of NS and Canadian Pacific Power [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] over ch [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] with the freight train now clear of control Point Elm the Carolinian was given permission to head south its final destination is Charlotte North Carolina's most populated city with nearly 1 million people who call it home oh [Music] [Music] indeed the Ron ochre Excursion was an unforgettable trip and for many of the residents of Greensboro a memory they will forever look back on with fondness on the first full weekend of May 611 returned to Rowan Oak for a weekend of excursions on home rails on the mornings of the 7th and 8th the J pulled the poano round trip to linsburg and in the afternoon ran the Pelican to Walton and back over the famous Christiansburg grade excitement was in the air as many rail fans were eager to photograph the 611 passing by the same color position light signals that guided the locomotive back in the 1950s we began our Chase at Webster where the power tenero ducked under a candal lever style signal at speed since Lynchburg is only about 50 m from Rowan Oak we were only able to record the Jay at Webster and mod Vil before waiting at control Point Liberty for the return trip [Music] [Music] [Music] CP Liberty is a few miles west of Lynchburg and is named after the nearby Liberty University e [Applause] a [Music] [Music] at villamont we caught the 611 working hard up the 1.2% Blue Ridge grade [Music] oh [Music] [Music] in the afternoon 611 pulled the pelicin over the world famous Christiansburg grade A 1.34% climb over alany mountain shawville is perhaps the best place to record trains working hard up the grade and about 300 photographers formed a photo line in the rain to shoot the 611 on the iconic scurve located there well-known photographers like Bill schaer Ed painter Jim Ren Kevin Gillum Kyle junker Ryan Markham will Jordan pton gupton and many more were all there to capture the moment [Music] w [Music] we caught up with the Pelican at Montgomery tunnel a 663 ft twin boore east of Christiansburg made famous by norfol and Western company photographer O Winston Link who took several iconic photos here of the norfol and Western steam locomotives in the 1950s [Music] [Music] you west of Christiansburg we set up to record the 61 on its return trip to Rowan Oak while waiting for the eastbound Pelican we saw this westbound inter motal train descending the 1% ruling grade thankfully unlike many of the other photographers who are patiently waiting to photo gra 611 from the opposite side we were able to record 611 passing the freight train unobstructed [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] oh east of Elliston a caravan of rail fans paced alongside the 611 as it continued East with the pelican come a not long after seeing the Pelican Norfolk Southern's track geometry train made an appearance heading westbound for Christiansburg the brick contains sensing and measuring equipment for track geometry and rail Weare as well as an onboard generator research car 36 is waited to deflect the track it also contains the recording and processing equipment for the data supplied by ns38 in downtown Rowan o we caught up with the Pelican as it passed by the former northwalk and Western Railway company headquarters nnw headquarters were originally located in Lynchburg but were relocated to Rowan Oak in 1883 however a fire damaged the building Beyond repair 3 years lat later by 1897 a new six-story building was constructed on the same site over time two identical buildings were added to the complex in 1931 a much larger office building was constructed on Jefferson Street which connected to the older buildings after norfol Southern Railways headquarters were relocated to norfol in 1989 the original buildings were donated to the Rowan Oak foundation for downtown the old building was turned into apartments and the newer building was donated to the Rowan Oak Higher Education Center [Music] as 611 came to a stop we were able to get an aerial view of the famous steam locomotive in front of East End shops the very place the locomotive was built 66 years prior the powan arrow and Pelican excursions brought an end to an Era with the CPL signals replaced the next year by Norfolk Southern we returned to the Blue Ridge District of norfol Southern on May and were surprised to find norfol and Portsmouth Belt Line GP 38-2 number 5259 leading a short passenger train dead head with some of the cars from the 611 [Music] excursions at Bedford we caught this former Conrail SD 40-2 running light through town [Music] [Music] the verion approach a few minutes later the passenger train rolled through town on its way to Lynchburg the npbl is a class 3 terminal switching Railroad in Southern Virginia that serves the cities of norfol Portsmouth and Chesapeake it was founded in 1896 and operates 26 miles of track it is jointly owned between Norfolk Southern and CSX with NS having a 57% majority stake [Music] [Music] heading west on the NW we caught another local at whv with an SD 40-2 and a standard cab -8 for Motive Power [Music] in Maran we caught another local with a pair of SD40 d2s heading eastbound by the historic nnw cpl's and station unfortunately our camera's exposure was set to manual which is why the color and lighting look over blown here since the CPL signals are now long gone we decided to keep this scene in the video for historical purposes [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] at Rural Retreat we found the same local we caught earlier in Maran as it was switching out clockner [Music] [Music] constructed Circa 1870 the Rural Retreat train station stands as one of the oldest in Southwest Virginia and is one of only two remaining from the Reconstruction period its distinctive italianate features include a pair of square towers and wide shallow Eaves with paired brackets the station was made famous by O Winston Link who took several well-known steam locomotive photos here as well as a hauntingly beautiful Christmas Eve 1954 audio recording of a train arriving as Chimes were played at the nearby Grace Lutheran [Music] Church after dark we caught one last train at Rural Retreat a southbound manifest with a standard cab -9 leer we hope you enjoyed our coverage of norol and Western 61's memorable 2016 excursions over norfol Southern thank you for watching delay inblock Productions until next time happy railroading [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: Delay In Block® Productions

Views: 24,432

Keywords: Trains, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, Railroads, Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, CSX, BNSF, Union Pacific, Shortlines, Steam Train, Locomotive, Diesel Locomotive, Steam Locomotive, CSX Transportation, Freight Trains, Passenger Trains

Id: E54BYiA-VE0

Length: 122min 11sec (7331 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 11 2024