611 at Strasburg

Being outside, with a crowd of people, not worrying about face masks or getting the corona virus.

Okay,

That "Polar Express" moment when you look up as it slowly passes and you realize how BIG and TALL it is.   I was in AWE!

I’ve been a TCA member since 2013

I took my Grandson on one of the shop tours.  We were  able to climb up in the cab.  look at over the boiler . That baby is big. Can only imagine the sheer power it has.  I have a special memory he & I  together  seeing the  J  up close.

Franky-Ogee

Very cool! I bet your grandkids had a time of their lives! 😉

I have ridden behind it 4 times over the last few years.  However I got throttle time in the engineers seat when it was there.  What a blast that was.  The crew was awsome and very relaxed.  It made the whole experience worth the money.

It would be nice if N&W 611 became a semi-permanent item at Strasburg, at least until the insurance thing ie resolved

J

I took my family to an NRHS convention in the 80's in Richmond VA. We participated in the night photo session at the famous triple crossing and rode behind the 611 to Balcony Falls. The excursion was an all day (10+ hour) affair that included riding through a forest fire and being routed around kinked rail.  I was able to get into the cab at a water stop where we had a great barbeque lunch. It was so very hot that day that the passengers cleaned out all the ice cream  at the nearby RR YMCA.   The high speed photo run-bys were more than worth the price of admission.  It was a long, hot and sooty day, but I didn't hear anyone complaining.  We all headed to the Richmond Hotel, tired and dirty and happy.  Gotta' dig out those old Kodachromes.    

My grandson and I made a day of it. Finally getting to see, and experience 611, one of his favorite locomotives, and York in the afternoon. It was a great day. We knew we’d prolly never see her in person again, but had no clue the it was also our final York for who knows how long.

Awesome day - Thank you Skip 👍🏼😊🚂

A friend clued me in on the 611 visiting Strasburg in March of 2019.  Luckily I bought the tickets at the time, because they sold so quickly.  

Great time in the cab of 611

They should consider bringing 611 up north again, like to the Reading and Northern or Steamtown. There are very limited to no excursion possibilities for it in Roanoke, with NS and Amtrak not wanting excursions at this time. NS however is still willing to deadhead 611 almost anywhere. At NCTM it only has a short stretch to run on. It would need PTC gear to lead excursions on NS again. I think NS just doesn't want the liability of public excursions, and Amtrak still has its charter ban started March 2018.