I'm responsible for planning our model RR club's rail fan outing this year and am developing an outline for seeing 611 at one or two vantage points along its route to Petersburg, VA. As we will be day-tripping from Williamsburg, VA we'll not want to venture further west than Crewe, VA. Does anyone know if 611 and it's train will pause at Crewe, VA on it's morning eastbound run? If that's the case I'll plan to be in Crewe ahead of it's arrival in order to see it coming in to town. Then before the train departs town we'd drive several miles east on US460 to a pre-selected grade crossing where we would setup the cameras and view it at speed. I'll provide some slack in the schedule as I don't want to have a car/train chase down US460. If 611 isn't going to stop at Crewe I'll select a location along the NS main closer to Petersburg and catch it there. After (hopefully) seeing the train pass at speed the plan is to drive back to Petersburg for a group lunch. There will be time to see 611 close up during its 12:30-3:30 layover in downtown Petersburg. For hard core rail fans in our group, we'll drive west several miles to Jacks, VA where the train will re-enter the NS main for its westbound run to Lynchburg.
Another question - will they turn the train or just the locomotive for the return trip to Lynchburg? What track will they use for the turn around?
