I'm very lucky to have an understanding and supportive wife. With arrangements made for her to hang out with the little one for a couple days, I filled up the tank and checked the oil on the '78 and headed out after work last Friday with no particular destination in mind.
The weather was perfect, and as I passed Dillsboro, I heard the horn blast of engine #777 of the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad.
After hanging around for a minute and watching #777 move into GSMR's Dillsboro shops, I thought to myself that I had never actually seen the Queen of Steam, Norfolk and Western J-Class #611. Well, that settles it. Let's go to Roanoke.
In the interest of time, I stuck mostly to the interstate on the way North. It was already 6pm by the time I decided where I was headed, and though I had packed my hammock, I didn't know where I was staying.
The interstates in this part of the world aren't all bad though. I managed to catch I-26 into Tennessee just as the sun started to go down.
I pushed on into the rolling hills of east Tennessee, and at the next fuel stop, pulled out the map and hunted for a spot to camp. Being satisfied that my route up I-81 passed multiple state parks, I figured I'd just pull over when I got tired and put up the hammock.
After dinner in Bristol (VA), I figured I had about another couple of hours in me. I figured wrong. It got very cold very quickly. When I stopped for fuel again, I weighed my options, and remembered I had some unredeemed hotel rewards from work travel. Instead of sleeping in a hammock, I made a quick reservation at the local Hampton and stayed the night in Fort Chiswell, VA.
I woke up and got a late start, pulling out of the hotel around 9am. It all worked out though, because the Museum didn't open until 10 anyhow.
It wouldn't take much to convince me to move to Southwest VA.
Arriving at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke at about 10:15, the first thing I saw through the window was an '81 GL1100. That has to be a good omen. Sorry for the terrible photo.
The auto gallery was closed for a private event, but I was there for the rail yard exhibits anyhow.
Norfolk and Western's Y6A steam locomotive is the hardest-pulling steam locomotive in existence, beating the UP Big Boys by a substantial margin in tractive effort. To call this machine impressive is an understatement.
There are numerous other interesting exhibits, but I won't bore you with details, only photos.
And finally, the main attraction I had come to see. The fully restored and operational Norfolk and Western #611 J.
Unfortunately, I had to be there in the late morning and early afternoon. The sun was high in the sky, and with where the locomotive was parked, I couldn't get any really good shots. Oh well. Still an incredible machine. For those who don't know, this engine operated in revenue service from 1950-1959. It was then retired and mothballed, only to be pulled from storage and restored. Beginning in 1982, #611 pulled excursion trains, and was retired again in 1994 when Norfolk Southern ended their steam excursion program. The locomotive sat in Roanoke on static display until 2013, when the Fire Up 611 campaign began raising funds to return the locomotive to operation. The restoration was accomplished at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, in in 2015, #611 was back on the rails for the first time in 21 years. She now pulls regular excursions in the Southeast.
After leaving the museum, I picked up the Parkway just south of Roanoke, and began the trip home. After several hours on the parkway, I happened to run into a friend of mine and his dad. Unfortunately, the kawi had been dropped due to sand in a corner, and he was a little worse for wear.
I didn't take many photos on the way home, but I did catch a remarkable sunset just north of Craggy Gardens.
All told, I spent about 18 hours in the saddle and covered 739 miles. The bike ran like a champ the whole time without even a hint of problem.
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