While Amtrak service to Roanoke is not expected to begin until 2017, there was no shortage of railroad enthusiasm over the Fourth of July weekend as the restored Class J 611 passenger locomotive made six excursions out of The Star City to a pair of Virginia destinations.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning Powhatan Arrow excursions between Roanoke and Lynchburg across the Blue Ridge Mountains, were followed by afternoon excursions on The Pelican that climbed the Allegheny Mountains to Walton Junction near Radford.
Both excursions then reversed course before returning to the present O. Winston Link Museum, and former N&W passenger depot in downtown Roanoke.
Simple lines, a bullet nose and a Tuscan red stripe made the Class J locomotive stand out as one of the most beautiful streamlined steam locomotives ever designed.
The Class J locomotives were the product of superior engineering and design, and resulted in performance unmatched in the era of steam or diesel. The Class J locomotives are the most advanced and most powerful 4-8-4 steam passenger locomotives ever built in terms of actual drawbar horsepower at speeds up to 50 miles per hour.
One of 14 Class Js originally produced in Roanoke’s East End Shops, No. 611 rolled out on May 29, 1950 at a cost of $251,344. After N&W switched to diesel locomotives in 1957, No. 611 was selected to pull the company’s “farewell to steam” excursions in October 1959. While the other 13 Class J locomotives were scrapped, No. 611 awaited her fate.
In 1981 Norfolk Southern president Robert Claytor sent the 611 to Birmingham, Alabama for restoration, after which she became the star of the Norfolk Southern steam program, pulling excursions throughout the eastern United States for 11 years. That program ended in 1994, and the 611 returned to Roanoke to serve as a static display.
On May 30, 2015, after a successful capital campaign and year-long restoration in Spencer, North Carolina, the 611 returned home to Roanoke. “The Spirit of Roanoke,” a living testament to the ingenuity of American workers and everyone who worked at Norfolk & Western, had made its return to operation 65 years after being built.
The weekend excursions offered the opportunity to relive those bygone days as 19 passenger cars of all styles, many on loan from railroads across the United States, were pulled by the powerful 611.
While many of the passenger cars are from the original N&W stock, all are air conditioned, spacious and have expansive windows. Car 17, named ‘Stampede Pass’ from the Northern Pacific line, is pure luxury with mahogany interior and steps to a domed vista section.
On the last excursion on Sunday afternoon, officials noted over 900 passengers boarded The Pelican bound for Walton Junction. As we climbed up the stairs to ‘Car-2’, conductor Elly Wefel continually bellowed “Welcome Aboard” as passengers began the boarding process 30 minutes prior to the 1:30 departure.
Wefel, who was on duty both Friday and Sunday, had a 35-year history in railroading with Penn Central, C&O, CSX, Conrail and Norfolk Southern before retiring twelve years ago. He was one of many conductors throughout the train making the day enjoyable.
“It makes it fun when you see the smiling faces,” Wefel said before the train pulled out precisely at 1:30. “I’ve said ‘Welcome Aboard’ a lot of times. I haven’t heard one complaint on any of the trips.”
The train passed through Shaffers Crossing, the west end of the yards and the old Salem train depot before reaching Glenvar, the beginning of the climb over the Allegheny Mountains.
While passengers enjoyed the views from inside the cars, there was no shortage of excitement along the tracks. Thousands waited along the way at crossings, in back yards and any vantage point that offered a 60-second glimpse of the passing locomotive and passenger cars. None was better than Elliston, where the majority of the town seemed to line Route 460 and adjacent viewing points, waving and filming the passage of an era decades past.
We passed through Shawsville, Arthur, the Montgomery Tunnel, Houchins, Christiansburg, Cambria, and followed Crab Creek towards the New River past Vickers before arriving at Walton Junction. There, the tracks form a “Y” with lines to Bristol and Bluefield, where the train was backed up to turn around for the return to Roanoke.
Once again, railroad fans lined vantage points all along the route before we rolled to a stop at the Link Museum. Elly Wefel prepared everyone to leave the train. His smile confirmed without a doubt it had been another successful trip.
Bill Turner
