Norfolk and Western 611

A drawing design of the N&W class J locomotive

After the outbreak of World War II, the Norfolk and Western Railway's (N&W) mechanical engineering team developed a new locomotive to handle rising mainline passenger traffic over the Blue Ridge Mountains, especially on steep grades in Virginia and West Virginia.[4][5] The N&W built 11 streamlined class J 4-8-4 Northerns (Nos. 600-610) at the Roanoke (East End) Shops in Roanoke, Virginia, between 1941 and 1943.[5][lower-alpha 1] They were painted black with a Tuscan red stripe wrapped with golden yellow linings and letterings.[4][10] All of the class J locomotives were equipped with a Hancock long-bell 3-chime whistle.[11][12]

The class Js were the most powerful 4-8-4 passenger steam locomotives ever built with 70 in (1,778 mm) driving wheels, 80,000 lbf (355.86 kN) of tractive effort, and an operating boiler pressure of 300 psi (2.07 MPa).[1][lower-alpha 2] They were all equipped with Timken roller bearings on their drivers and tender axles, which provided them a smooth run and quicker acceleration.[1][10] The class J locomotives generally operated about 500 miles (800 km) per day and 15,000 miles (24,000 km) per month.[15][16] Their 22D-type tenders each hold 35 short tons (70,000 lb) of coal and 20,000 US gallons (76,000 L) of water.[17][lower-alpha 3] They each consumed 6.5 short tons (13,000 lb) of coal and 11,880 US gallons (45,000 L) of water per hour.[20]

The class Js were among the N&W's most reliable steam locomotives; they ran evenly on its mountainous and relatively short route at an average speed of 40 mph (64 km/h), producing 5,100 hp (3,800 kW) at the tender drawbar.[14][21] On flat terrain, the class J locomotives could haul a 1,025 short tons (2,050,000 lb) passenger train of 15 cars at 110 mph (177 km/h).[22][23]^: 5–6 After World War II ended, passenger traffic on the N&W started to decrease due to the population of automobiles, which led the railroad built the last three class Js (Nos. 611-613) in 1950 in order to meet the demand.[19][24] Additionally, they were the last passenger steam locomotives built by the N&W and the last mainline passenger steam locomotives built in the United States.[24][25][lower-alpha 4]

No. 611's builder's plate

No. 611, the twelfth class J locomotive, was the first of the final batch of three.[8][27] Completed at a cost of $251,544, it was put into revenue service on May 29, 1950.[1][2]^: 2 After some promotional photographs at N&W's Roanoke passenger station, No. 611 joined its fellow class J locomotives at work.[24] They hauled N&W's Powhatan Arrow, Pocahontas, and Cavalier passenger trains, running 676 miles (1,088 km) between Norfolk, Virginia, and Cincinnati, Ohio.[5][16] They even ferried the Southern Railway's (SOU) Birmingham Special, Pelican, and Tennessean, running 209 miles (336 km) between Monroe and Bristol, Virginia.[5][16] They also hauled mail trains and local passenger trains.[5][28] On June 29, No. 611 went to the Shaffers Crossing engine terminal in Roanoke for its first monthly maintenance and an inspection of its right-side cylinder head.[29]

On September 24, 1952, No. 611 and sister locomotive No. 613 hauled the Eisenhower Special presidential campaign train from Columbus, Ohio, to Kenova, West Virginia, with brief whistle stops in Ohio at Chillicothe, Portsmouth, and Ironton.[29][lower-alpha 5] Aboard was Dwight D. Eisenhower, the former U.S. General of the Army who would win election as president of the United States seven weeks later.[29][30] In November 1955, after No. 611 ran a total of 30,628 miles (49,291 km), it was given a scheduled repair at the Roanoke Shops.[31][32]

On January 23, 1956, the locomotive derailed near Cedar, West Virginia, with the late westbound Pocahontas.[33][34] The engineer was killed and 60 passengers and crew were injured.[33][34] The locomotive was extensively repaired and returned to service the following month.[35][36] The accident was the country's last major steam-powered revenue passenger train wreck.[37][lower-alpha 6]

Around February and early March 1958, the class J locomotives' tenders were outfitted with a cupola for the head-end brakeman to sit in, along with pipes to connect auxiliary water tenders and thereby eliminate stops to replenish water.[35][39][40] On March 31, Robert H. Smith retired as president of the N&W; Stuart T. Saunders succeeded him a day later.[39][41] Unlike his predecessor, Saunders had no interest in running steam locomotive operations and began to dieselize the N&W by ordering 268 new GP9 locomotives from the Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) company.[39][42] However, he had not yet received the passenger GP9s needed to take over the class J locomotives' passenger duties and instead leased some EMD E-units from the Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) and Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac (RF&P) railroads during the summer of that year.[39][43]

The class Js were reassigned to local freight service on the Norfolk Division, running between Norfolk and Crewe, Virginia, along with occasional trips to Lynchburg, Virginia.[39][44] They also hauled scheduled freight trains on the Scioto Division, between Williamson, West Virginia, and Columbus, Ohio.[39]

The class Js' retirement began with No. 604 heading for the scrap yard on October 24, 1958.[45][46] However, when the ACL E-units returned to their railroad to handle heavy winter traffic in Florida, some of the class J locomotives, including No. 611, briefly returned to passenger service until they were replaced by N&W's new passenger GP9s, which arrived at the end of 1958.[39][43] Some of the class Js continued to haul local freight trains on the Norfolk Division until their five-year boiler flue time certificate expired around 1959.[39][45] Ultimately, the class J locomotives ran more than 3,000,000 miles (4,800,000 km) in revenue service.[2]^: 2[47]

In January 1959, No. 611 was taken out of revenue service and stored alongside its fellow sister locomotives Nos. 603, 606, 608, and 609 at Bluefield, West Virginia, waiting to be scrapped.[45][49] But Washington, D.C., lawyer W. Graham Claytor Jr., began trying to convince Saunders that No. 611 should be retained in working order; he noted that the locomotive was in good condition with an extended boiler flue time certificate, thanks to the extensive overhaul that followed its 1956 wreck.[36][48] As vice chairman of the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS), Claytor requested that No. 611 be moved under its own power back to Roanoke.[48] This was done on May 22, and it was stored at the Shaffers Crossing roundhouse to await its chance to pull an excursion train.[35][50][lower-alpha 7]

On August 30, 1959, Appalachian Power Company (APCO) vice president W. Graham Claytor Sr., the father of Claytor Jr., borrowed No. 611 to haul a special excursion train from Roanoke to Norfolk, enabling the passengers of APCO employees and their families to travel over to Virginia Beach, Virginia, before returning to Roanoke on September 2.[35][50] On October 18, No. 611 traveled to Petersburg, Virginia, where it hitched up to a Washington, D.C. Chapter NRHS excursion from Washington Union Station and hauled it to Norfolk.[50][lower-alpha 8] Six days later, No. 611 pulled N&W's Farewell To Steam excursion from Roanoke to Williamson, and back.[35][50] Upon returning to Roanoke, the locomotive went to the Shaffers Crossing roundhouse, where it was officially retired from revenue service on October 27 and stored alongside M class 4-8-0 No. 475.[53][54] On November 3, Saunders announced that No. 611, which still had some serviceable flues in its boiler, would not be scrapped, but used as a standby stationary boiler at the Roanoke Shops.[48][55]

In May 1960, the N&W ceased to operate steam locomotives in revenue service, becoming one of the last major Class I railroads to do so.[56][57] In April 1961, photographer O. Winston Link offered to purchase No. 611 for $5,000; the N&W replied that it was not for sale.[55][58] A year later, the locomotive's boiler flue time certificate expired and it returned to storage at the Shaffers Crossing roundhouse.[55][59] In late May that same year, Saunders abruptly donated No. 611 to the Roanoke City Council; Claytor donated $500 for its upkeep.[55][60] In spring 1963, No. 611 was cosmetically restored and put on static display at the new Roanoke Transportation Museum in Wasena Park, which opened on Memorial Day that year.[55][60] In late 1966, at Claytor's request, SOU president D. W. Brosnan launched the railroad's steam excursion program with Ms class 2-8-2 No. 4501 running excursion trips, including additional N&W trackage.[61][62][63]

During the 1970s, there was speculation about returning No. 611 to operation.[65][66] The Roanoke Chapter of the NRHS supported the idea and sought permission from N&W president John Fishwick to perform a hydrostatic test on the locomotive.[65][66] Fishwick agreed, but he refused to let No. 611 run on N&W trackage.[65][66] Two weeks after Fishwick retired on September 30, 1981, his successor, Robert B. Claytor, brother of Graham, leased the locomotive from the Roanoke City Council for $5,000 per year.[66][67] On October 16, No. 611 was removed from display and moved to the Roanoke Shops to be inspected and prepared for its trip to the restoration site.[68] It was discovered that the locomotive's bearings were already greased up, thanks to some N&W crew workers who had secretly entered the Roanoke Transportation Museum on its closing days in January 1981.[65][66] On October 22, the locomotive left Roanoke; three days later, it arrived at the SOU's Norris Yard steam shop in Irondale, Alabama.[68]

A close-up of No. 611's driving wheels, running gear, and valve gear in 2023

The restoration work, performed by SOU master mechanic Bill Purdie and his team, began with supervision from former Roanoke Shops foreman Paul Housman and ex-N&W draftsmen Mark W. Faville, who provided some of the original N&W class J design drawings.[2]^: 10[69] No. 611's injectors, dynamo, and other mechanical appliances were completely rebuilt.[69][70] The firebox sheets, and flues were replaced.[68] The locomotive's cracked feedwater pump was replaced with a new one taken from class A 2-6-6-4 No. 1218.[70][lower-alpha 9] Some new parts were fabricated, including the crosshead guide shoes from a pattern mold and the boiler staybolts from die casting.[70] Two of the locomotive's left-side rod bearings were refurbished by Timken.[70] The locomotive's original Westinghouse 8-ET type brake system was replaced with a new 26RL type brake stand to accommodate easier repairs and replacement parts.[72] The cab interior was sheathed with varnished hardwood.[72] A radio speaker system was added inside the cab to enable the locomotive crew to communicate with the train dispatcher.[72] The locomotive's original single-beam headlight was replaced with a vertical dual-beam headlight.[70] Most of No. 611's new parts came from its sister locomotives, excluding Nos. 600 and 613.[58][73] Additionally, its running gear's components came from No. 605.[73] The restoration work, which cost around $600,000, would be Purdie's last contribution before he retired at the end of 1982.[70][74]

No. 611 at the Norris Yard Steam Shop in 1993

On July 5, 1982, No. 611 was steamed up for the first time in 23 years.[75] It took over excursion service from Southern No. 2716, which was retired due to firebox problems.[70][lower-alpha 10] During that time, the N&W and SOU railroads merged to form the new Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), retaining the steam excursion program and doubling the trackage available for No. 611 to run on.[1] Robert Claytor became the first chairman and chief executive officer of NS; he would serve through 1986.[67][80] After completing test runs from Irondale to Chattanooga, Tennessee, on August 15 and 16, 1982, No. 611 departed for Roanoke on August 20 with Robert Claytor as the engineer and his son Preston as the fireman in the cab.[70][72] After some whistle stops in Anniston, Alabama; Atlanta, Georgia; and Salisbury, North Carolina, the locomotive arrived in Roanoke on August 22 in time for the city's centennial anniversary, where Claytor made a public speech in which he called No. 611 "Roanoke born, Roanoke bred, and Roanoke proud".[72][81] As a result, the locomotive became an icon of Roanoke's railroading history.[81]

On Labor Day weekend of 1982, No. 611 began its inaugural excursion run, pulling the NRHS Roanoke Chapter's Centennial Limited train from Roanoke to Norfolk, Virginia.[70][82] The locomotive was to be turned on the Lambert's Point Yard turntable for the return trip to Roanoke, but it derailed on the sharply curved approach track, which was modified after the N&W steam era ended.[70][82] A pair of GE C30-7 diesel locomotives were called in to haul the return trip, while No. 611 was rerailed and towed to Roanoke to be repaired.[70][82] On September 6, No. 611 made a one-way excursion trip from Roanoke to Alexandria, Virginia, with Graham Claytor running it.[70][82] On October 19, No. 611 went to Bluefield and Iaeger, West Virginia, where it was tested to be turned on the wyes in preparation for the round-trip excursions from Roanoke to Bluefield and Iaeger on October 23, 24, and 30.[82][83] On Thanksgiving weekend, No. 611 hauled its last 1982 excursion, which was called the Oyster Bowl Special and ran from Roanoke to Norfolk and back.[82] During that time, ex-N&W locomotive foreman Frank Collins served as No. 611's primary engineer.[70][72]

No. 611 approaching Tolono, Illinois, with the NRHS Independence Limited excursion in June 1985.[84]

In 1983, No. 611 continued to pull more public and private excursion trips for the Norfolk Southern steam program, including an NRHS excursion, where it double headed with Savannah and Atlanta 750 on RF&P trackage from Alexandria to Richmond, Virginia, on July 17.[83][85] Afterwards, the locomotive hauled the longest one-way excursion trip from Richmond to the Midwest,[86] where it ran some excursion trips out of Chicago, Illinois; and St. Louis, Missouri, on Chicago and North Western (C&NW) tracks as well as ex-Nickel Plate Road (NKP) and Wabash (WAB) rails that N&W acquired back in 1964.[83][87] After the 1983 season, No. 611 went back to Irondale to have its firebox repaired and staybolts replaced before resuming excursion service in April 1984.[88][89]

On May 19, 1984, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) named No. 611 a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark and presented a plaque to the Roanoke Transportation Museum.[2][71] On August 11 and 12, the locomotive pulled more excursions on ex-NKP rails, including between Erie, Pennsylvania, and Buffalo, New York, for the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society.[84][90] On August 19 and 20, it double headed with Nickel Plate Road 765 from Erie to Ludlow, Kentucky.[84] On November 10 and 11, No. 611 visited Jacksonville, Florida, to haul the Suwanee Steam Special round-trip excursion from there to Valdosta, Georgia, for the North Florida Chapter NRHS.[84][91][lower-alpha 11] In June 1985, No. 611 ran the longest one-way NRHS Independence Limited excursion trip from Roanoke to Kansas City, Missouri.[84]

In early 1986, the locomotive was given a thorough overhaul that included repairs to its running gear and receiving a new ashpan.[71] During the Roanoke NRHS convention in August 1987, No. 611 pulled a round-trip excursion train from Roanoke to Radford, Virginia, where it ran side by side with the recently restored No. 1218, which was pulling an empty 50-hopper car train; the locomotives later double-headed at Radford.[92][93] After 1987, Collins retired; his assistant Bob Saxton would serve as No. 611's primary engineer until late 1994.[93][94][lower-alpha 12] A maintenance period saw No. 611's flues replaced;[96] it returned to service in September 1988.[92][lower-alpha 13]

In June 1989, No. 611 joined Nickel Plate Road 587 to haul the Roanoke NRHS Chapter Independence Limited excursion trip from Cleveland, Ohio, to Roanoke.[92][98] On September 16, No. 611 ran two round-trip excursions from Roanoke to Radford and Lynchburg, Virginia, pulling a matching set of ten Tuscan red passenger cars, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Powhatan Arrow re-equipment.[92][98]

In early 1991, the Norris Yard maintainers replaced No. 611's crown sheet and tires and overhauled its trailing truck.[96][99] Upon returning to service, it joined No. 1218 and No. 4501 on a triple-header, hauling a 28-car passenger excursion train from Chattanooga to Ooltewah, Tennessee, on November 3, during the NS steam program's 25th anniversary.[100][101] While No. 4501 took a few coaches to Cleveland, Tennessee, and then back to Chattanooga, the two N&W steamers hauled the rest to Atlanta, Georgia.[101] Afterwards, No. 611's tender was given a longer coal board bunker, which enabled the locomotive to run more than 300 miles (480 km) without stopping for coal.[102][103]

No. 611 pulling an excursion out of Norfolk, Virginia, in 1993

In late October 1992, No. 611 ran two round-trip excursions from Charlotte to Asheville, North Carolina.[92][101] The first, on October 24, ran via the Old Fort Loops.[92][101] The second, on the following day, brought 20 passenger cars over the Saluda Grade, the steepest standard-gauge main line railway grade in the United States.[92][101] On the advice of NS Piedmont Division superintendent Eugene Greene, the consist was split up at the bottom of the grade to prevent the couplers on the passenger cars from breaking while climbing the steepest part of Saluda Grade.[101] Three assisting EMD SD40-2 diesel locomotives pulled the first 15 cars, while No. 611 pulled the last five.[101] The latter briefly wheel slipped and stalled for a few minutes, then finally reached the top of the grade.[101] The locomotives and cars were reassembled in the Saluda siding for the rest of the trip to Asheville and the return trip back to Charlotte.[101][lower-alpha 14]

In July 1993, No. 611 pulled the NRHS Roanoke Chapter's 19th annual Independence Limited excursion, which arrived from Knoxville, Tennessee by SOU No. 4501 at Richlands, Virginia, bound for Fort Wayne, Indiana.[92][104] Upon arrival in Fort Wayne, the excursion was transferred to NKP Nos. 587 and 765, which took the train to Chicago for that year's NRHS convention.[92][104] Sometime after 1993, No. 611 was added to the National Park Service's Historic American Engineering Record.[105] In June 1994, No. 611 joined a double-header excursion run with Frisco 1522 for the annual NRHS convention in Atlanta with trips to Macon, Georgia; and Chattanooga, Tennessee.[106][107]

No. 611 on display in front of the Hotel Roanoke and O. Winston Link Museum buildings during National Train Day 2010

On September 28, 1994, a consist was being moved at the Kinney Yard in Lynchburg for a planned NRHS excursion to Richmond, which was to have been led by No. 611 in early October.[106] The consist derailed, damaging nine passenger cars, two of which were deemed unrepairable.[106] The accident led NS to raise its liability insurance from $10 million to $25 million.[106] On October 29, NS CEO David R. Goode announced the decision to end the steam program due to rising insurance, maintenance costs, low spare system capacity, and delayed freight traffic.[106][108][lower-alpha 15]

On December 3, 1994, No. 611 hauled the last NS steam-powered excursion trip from Birmingham, Alabama, to Chattanooga and back.[110] On December 5, No. 611 set out for Roanoke with brief stops in Atlanta that day and Salisbury on December 6.[110][lower-alpha 16] After it arrived in Roanoke on December 7, No. 611 had its fire put out for the final time after 12 years of excursion service with NS.[110] The locomotive's boiler flue time certificate expired in early 1995.[112]

No. 611 sat in storage at the Roanoke Shops until October 1995, when it was returned to the Roanoke City Council.[79][113] It was put back on display at the Roanoke Transportation Museum, which had been renamed the Virginia Museum of Transportation Museum (VMT) and given a new home in the former N&W Roanoke freight station after its original location was destroyed in the 1985 Election Day floods.[113][114] The locomotive sat under the Robert B. Claytor and W. Graham Claytor Jr. Pavilion, whose namesake brothers had died in 1993 and 1994, respectively.[79][115][lower-alpha 17]

In June 2003, No. 611 was reunited with No. 1218, which was partially reassembled and cosmetically restored from its cancelled 1992-96 overhaul.[116] In 2007, Nos. 611 and 1218 were put on temporary display at the Roanoke Shops to commemorate its 125th anniversary.[117] At that time, No. 611's original whistle, currently owned by Preston Claytor, was on loan to the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, Michigan, where it was temporarily used on the Pere Marquette 1225 steam locomotive.[118] In 2011, the Roanoke City Council nicknamed No. 611 "The Spirit of Roanoke", which the VMT inscribed under the cab windows.[119] On April 2, 2012, the Roanoke City Council donated Nos. 611 and 1218 to the VMT.[120][121]

No. 611 (left) with No. 1218 (right) in July 2013

In 2011, NS CEO Wick Moorman brought back the steam program under the name 21st Century Steam, leading to speculation that No. 611, nicknamed the Queen of Steam, might be restored to operating condition once again.[122][123] On February 22, 2013, VMT executive director Bev Fitzpatrick and the officials formed the Fire Up 611! committee to study the feasibility of returning No. 611 to active service.[124][125] Members of the committee included some who had worked with No. 611 since the 1980s and 90s: chairman Preston Claytor, volunteer firewoman Cheri George, and Steam Operations Corporation president Scott Lindsay.[124][125]

On June 2, 2013, the VMT and NS tested No. 611's bearings and confirmed that the locomotive was in excellent condition to be restored.[126] On June 28, VMT officials launched the Fire Up 611! capital campaign.[123][127] The group aimed to raise $3.5 million by the end of October to acquire a maintenance facility for the restoration, but raised just $2.5 million.[123][128] Shortly after, NS donated $1.5 million of the proceeds from the auction of a Mark Rothko painting to the committee.[129][130]

In April 2014, after raising money from nearly 3,000 donors all over the United States and 18 foreign countries, several key appointments were made by the Fire Up 611! committee to the locomotive's mechanical team, and a formal agreement was made with the North Carolina Transportation Museum (NCTM) in Spencer, North Carolina, to use the ex-SOU Bob Julian roundhouse to restore No. 611.[131][132] The mechanical team members included three people who had previously worked with No. 611: ex-SOU general foreman of steam Douglas S. Karhan, ex-NS steam department foreman Robert Yuill, and NS senior general foreman Bob Saxton.[94]

On May 24, No. 611 was towed out of the VMT and moved to the NCTM the next day.[133][lower-alpha 18] At the Streamliners at Spencer event the following weekend, Moorman removed the first bolt from No. 611 and the restoration work began on June 2.[135][136] The restoration work was performed by the Steam Operations Corporation with the help of 75 volunteers, including several from the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio.[137][138] By July 1, the locomotive had been completely stripped off.[139] The restoration work included installing new flues and rear flue sheet, boiler work, repairs to the locomotive's trucks, tender, superheaters, boiler staybolts, cross-compound air pumps, safety valves, running gear, and air brakes.[140][141] It met the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) current safety guidelines and certification requirements.[137] On July 25, the Fire Up 611! committee and the NCTM offered behind-the-scenes tours of No. 611's restoration progress.[142]

On February 23, 2015, No. 611's boiler passed a hydrostatic test;[143] it was test-fired on March 31.[144][145] The locomotive was then reassembled and repainted with paint donated from Axalta.[146][147] On May 9, No. 611 moved under its own power for the first time in nearly 21 years.[148][149] On May 15, Claytor resign his position to protest the VMT board's decision to engrave No. 611 with the words "The Spirit of Roanoke"; he was replaced by executive search consultant Jim Stump.[119][149] On May 21, the locomotive completed a round-trip main line test run from Spencer to Greensboro, North Carolina.[150][lower-alpha 19]

The recently restored No. 611 (middle) with the static display Nos. 1218 (right) and 2156 (left) on May 31, 2015

On May 23, during the Send Off Celebration event, ten guests paid $611 each to drive No. 611.[149][153] On May 28, the NCTM and Trains Magazine held the Fired Up! photo charter runbys with the locomotive pulling replicated 1950s freight and passenger train consists, alongside ACL E6 No. 501, which was temporarily re-lettered with "NORFOLK AND WESTERN" letterings to replicate one of the leased ACL passenger diesel locomotives that N&W used to replace No. 611 and the other class J locomotives on their passenger trains.[154][155] On May 30, No. 611 began its homecoming trip back to Roanoke with now former NS CEO Moorman at the throttle.[138][156] The next day, the locomotive was reunited with the static display class A No. 1218 and class Y6a No. 2156, which was on loan from the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis to be on display at the VMT until 2020.[151][157][158]

On June 6 and 7, 2015, No. 611 hauled its first 21st Century Steam excursion in Virginia, running The American from Manassas to Front Royal on ex-SOU tracks.[159][160] The locomotive then returned to ex-N&W rails, where it hauled the Cavalier excursion from Lynchburg to Petersburg on June 13 and 14.[159][160] On June 15, it hauled a short freight train bound for Spencer, where it began its monthly boiler inspection at the NCTM.[160][161] On July 1, it returned to Roanoke, where it ran two round-trip excursions: the Powhatan Arrow to Lynchburg in the morning and the Pelican to Radford in the afternoon during the Independence Day weekend.[159][160] Then NS ended its 21st Century Steam program, although No. 611 continued to pull various excursion trips over NS trackage.[162][163]

In February 2016, No. 611 received new front leading wheels and axles made by the Brenco Product Engineering.[164][165] Afterwards, the locomotive ran two round-trip excursions with the NCTM: The Virginian from Spencer to Lynchburg on April 9 and the sold-out Blue Ridge Special from Spencer to Asheville the next day.[164][166] On April 11, No. 611 partook in another NCTM photo charter runby along with ex-Lehigh Valley Coal Company 0-6-0 No. 126.[167][168] On April 23 and 24, the locomotive ran The Roanoker round-trip excursion from Greensboro to Roanoke via Altavista, Virginia, on ex-Virginian Railway (VGN) main line.[164][169] From mid May to early June, it reran the previous year's Powhatan Arrow, Pelican, and American round-trip excursions.[164][170] Afterwards, it went back to the NCTM for the summer events of cab rides, caboose rides, in-cab experiences, whistle-blowing, and short passenger train rides around the museum.[171][172] On August 8, No. 611 returned to Roanoke under its own power to be on display at the VMT.[172] On Labor Day weekend, it was steamed up again for the VMT events of cab tours and photo sessions with N&W GP9 No. 521.[173] On September 7, No. 611 returned to the NCTM again for more events of cab rides, caboose rides, and in-cab experiences before returning to Roanoke on October 24.[172][174]

No. 611 waiting to depart Roanoke, Virginia, with the morning Powhatan Arrow excursion on May 28, 2017

On January 6, 2017, the locomotive returned to the NCTM for its annual FRA inspection.[172] On April 8, it ran The Virginian round-trip excursion and the next day's Charlotte Special round-trip excursion from Spencer to Charlotte in the morning and a second round-trip excursion, The Piedmont Limited from Spencer to Greensboro in the afternoon for the NCTM.[172][175] Afterwards, No. 611 took part in NCTM's 100 Years of American Steam event, which marked the unveiling of the restored 4-4-0 Texas steam locomotive.[176][177] After the event, No. 611 reran the two round-trip excursions; The Roanoker from Greensboro to Roanoke on April 22 and 23 and The Cavalier from Lynchburg to Petersburg on May 6 and 7.[172][178] On May 23, the Virginia General Assembly officially named No. 611 as the Official Steam Locomotive of Virginia.[179] Additionally, the locomotive's excursion economic impact was at least $4 million per year.[180] On Memorial Day weekend, No. 611 ran its final main line round-trip excursions out of Roanoke; The Powhatan Arrow to Lynchburg and The Pocahontas to Radford.[172][178] These were the last contributions of VMT executive director Bev Fitzpatrick before he retired at the end of 2017.[181][182]

In 2018, No. 611 was unable to perform any main line excursions due to new restrictions on private charter trips, which were imposed by Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson.[183][184] VMT now operated No. 611 as a traveling exhibit; it visited the NCTM for its annual FRA routine maintenance, as well as more smaller events around the museum.[185][186] On September 26, No. 611 returned to the VMT under its own power for the final time.[187] Afterwards, the locomotive was forbidden to run on the NS mainline under its own power because it lacked a positive train control (PTC) system.[172][185] The VMT sought donations to equip No. 611 with PTC.[172][185]

No. 611 running on the Strasburg Rail Road in June 2021

In 2019, VMT sent No. 611 to the Strasburg Rail Road (SRC) in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, for the five-weekend N&W Reunion of Steam events from September 27 to October 27.[188][189] Lacking both the PTC and cab signaling system, No. 611 was paired behind a diesel locomotive for the trip to Strasburg.[185][190] Upon arrival, No. 611 joined another ex-N&W steam locomotive, No. 475, for the first time since 1959.[54][191] The first weekend of November found No. 611 back at the NCTM for in-cab experiences and caboose rides.[192]

In early 2020, No. 611 was restricted to static display at the NCTM by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was steamed up during the autumn season for in-cab experiences, cab rides, and caboose rides.[193][194] From late May to early October 2021, the locomotive returned to SRC for weekends of excursions, in-cab experiences, cab tours, hostling tours, and whistle-blowing.[195][lower-alpha 20] Afterwards, No. 611 went into the SRC workshops for its annual FRA inspection and maintenance to its boiler staybolts.[199][200] In 2022, it participated in more SRC events: in-cab experiences on September 30-October 2, cab tours on October 7–9, photo charters on November 9–10, and excursion rides on November 11–13.[201][202]

No. 611 climbing the North Mountain grade in Augusta Springs, Virginia, October 13, 2023

On January 31, 2023, No. 611 was put on temporary outdoor display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, near the SRC.[203][204] From May 21 to 29, it participated in The Farewell Tour weekend events of in-cab experiences and excursion rides at the SRC.[205][206] It left the SRC on May 31 and returned to the VMT for display on June 2.[207][208] On June 24–25 and July 22–23, the VMT offered behind-the-scenes tours around the locomotive and its history.[209][210]

On the morning of September 14, No. 611 left the VMT and arrived at the Virginia Scenic Railway's (VSR) Victoria Station in Goshen, Virginia, that afternoon.[211] There, the locomotive would haul VSR's weekend Shenandoah Valley Limited round-trip excursions through the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests between Goshen and Staunton, Virginia, running on the Buckingham Branch Railroad (BB) tracks during October and early November.[212][213] This would mark the locomotive's first fall season excursions through Virginia since 1994.[211][214] It performed test runs on September 28 and 29 in final preparations for the excursions.[215][216] On September 30, the VMT and VSR offered in-cab experiences for guests to operate or fire No. 611 locomotive along the Goshen industrial track.[217][218] No. 611 ran its first VSR excursion on October 6.[214][219] As there is currently no turntable or wye for No. 611 to be turned around at Staunton, two BB diesel locomotives were placed on the rear of the excursion train for the run back to Goshen.[212][216]