3/22/20

Today's image is another shot of Norfolk & Western locomotive 611 and it's train across the soybean field in Pennsylvania from last autumn.  The 611 was out at Strasburg PA giving rides and doing other fun things and i had a chance to ride behind it after I took this image.

1/26/20

Back at the end of September I went to the Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania to be able to ride behind this beautiful locomotive that was visiting from Virginia.  This was not long before my ride where the Queen of Steam, Norfolk & Western J class 611, was sitting on display so visitors could get in the cab and blow the whistle for a fee.  In a few moments it would move and hook onto our train and pull us to Leaman Place Junction at Paradise PA and back again.  A fun if short ride.

10/13/19

I have always admired this style of locomotive, ever since I saw it made famous in the photographs of O Winston Link.  Link was famous for his night photography of steam trains of the Norfolk & Western line between 1955 and 1960.  He used numerous flash bulbs to illuminate his night shots.  One of them can be seen at the link here to his museum which helped provide some funding to bring 611 to Strasburg.  More of his images can be found if you Google him.  I learned of his photographs several years ago.  Anyway, it was wonderful to be able to see this beautiful locomotive in person in Pennsylvania.  

10/6/19

Last Sunday I was on a steamy adventure in Strasburg Pennsylvania.  I made a trip out there to see a locomotive I have admired for quite a while.  It was made famous in some night photography images by O Winston Link.  This is the Norfolk & Western J Class locomotive 611 which was spending several weekends out at the Strasburg Railroad.  611 is currently housed at the Virginia Museum of Transportation.  It is the only survivor of 14 of these J Class Northern type locomotives and was built in 1950 near the end of the steam era.  It has a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement and is a shrouded locomotive for a streamline look.  It is definitely gorgeous and quite impressive in person.  I captured it here on it's way back to the station across a field of soybeans.