INSIDER
The Queen of Steam will not be in use for this weekend’s remaining Shenandoah Valley Limited Excursions, according to the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
10 News got an exclusive look behind the scenes of what it took to get the Steam Queen ready for the rails, and why it means so much to the community.
Out for a test run, the legendary 611 steam locomotive was on the tracks Thursday as final preparations are made for fall excursions.
ROANOKE, Va. - Roanoke's famed 611 steam locomotive is headed for a little road trip next week. "The experience alone, just to be near an engine like this is wonderful, add to it the firing up of the engine," museum education director Courtney Plaster said. 611 is making the trip because Strasburg is one of the few places with private tracks for the locomotive to run on. The Strasburg Railroad is calling it a once-in-a-lifetime steam extravaganza because the 611 will reunite with Strasburg's engine, the Norfolk and Western 475. Although 475 was not made in Roanoke like 611 was, the two locomotives were stablemates at points throughout their careers, according to Barrall.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65):fill(FFF)/d1vhqlrjc8h82r.cloudfront.net/05-25-2021/t_b97471f749324a66918ccbe9c5faf598_name_image.jpg)