|
|
|
It will be the second biggest party in VMT's history!*
All Aboard Celebration to celebrate the Spirit of Roanoke!
*We'll throw the biggest party in VMT's history when the Class J 611 steams home in 2015!
Join the celebration!
Saturday, May 24 | 10 am to 5 pm
Free Admission!
303 Norfolk Avenue SW | Downtown Roanoke
The Class J 611 is special to Roanoke and western Virginia. She was designed,
engineered and built by citizens of the Roanoke Valley.
On May 24, the Class J 611 will be pulled out of the
Virginia Museum of Transportation's Railyard for the long-awaited restoration.
The All Aboard Celebration is a special day.
We want to celebrate all those who had a part in designing, building and
maintaining the iconic locomotive. We want to celebrate those who watched
her pull into the Roanoke station and watched in amazement as she steamed by at track speed.
Come celebrate what Roanoke and our people built.
Music | Food | Activities for the kids | Rail Heritage Lectures and Short Seminars
The Class J 611 will be pulled out of the VMT Railyard at 2 pm!
|
Where to stay. What to do. Where to park. Roanoke, Virginia, will be bustling with activity Memorial Day weekend.
Here are some helpful guides to help you find parking, restaurants and hotels. The Class J 611 is known throughout the world. So, we aren't surprised when we hear that folks are coming from far and wide for the All Aboard! Celebration.
Where to stay: The Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Center has a comprehensive list of hotels in the Roanoke Valley. Rooms are still available throughout the Valley. What to do: For a small city, Roanoke is big on entertainment options. Festival in the Park is a weekend-long music festival that tops the list of non-rail events happening during Memorial Day weekend. Museums, galleries, restaurants, shows and hiking will fill in your non-611 time. Check out these sites: Things To Do from the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau and Downtown Roanoke, Inc., lists restaurants, activities, galleries and hidden gems found only in downtown Roanoke; and the Roanoke Times calendar section is packed with activities.
|
From Roanoke, Virginia, to Spencer, North Carolina!
The Class J 611 will head dead-in-tow to the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina, for her restoration. She'll arrive just in time for Streamliners at Spencer, a four-day festival of streamlined locomotives from the 1930s through the 1950s. Can I follow the Class J 611 to Spencer?
Rail fans have been waiting for this moment for decades! We understand the excitement, and the desire to follow the 611 to restoration.
Routing information is at the discretion of Norfolk Southern based on operational conditions at the time of the move. Also, following 611 from Roanoke to Spencer could be problematic. Security, traffic, crowds - these are all concerns - and the dead-in-tow will be slow, anyway. Those who insist on following her should remember to do so only from safe public vantage points. Trespassing on railroad rights of way is both potentially hazardous and illegal. The safety of the locomotive, its crew, its fans, and communities along the route should be everyone's top priority.
We think the best ways in which to participate are to see the 611 off from the Virginia Museum of Transportation on Saturday, May 24, and to welcome her in Spencer on May 29 during the Streamliners Event at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. After all, once she's up and running again, we'll all have what we hope will be hundreds of opportunities to photograph her under steam at many locations.How long will the restoration take? Can I visit the Queen of Steam in Spencer during the restoration?
We expect the restoration of the Class J 611 to take up to nine months, and there is a chance the restoration could take longer. You will be able to view the restoration from designated areas in the Bob Julian Roundhouse at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. Safety is paramount, so there may be times where visitors won't be able to get close to the Class J 611.
Look for updates in this newsletter, on fireup611.org, Facebook or Twitter. |
Fire Up 611! Mechanical Volunteers attend important
safety and restoration orientation
at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC
 The second mechanical volunteer orientation was held on Saturday, May 3, at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina. The group -- 24 volunteers in all -- reviewed project goals and important safety regulations. Thank you to all mechanical volunteers who attended the orientations in Roanoke, Virginia, and Spencer, North Carolina. (Photos by Cheri George )
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
