In a valley deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the town of Roanoke, Virginia, has served as a hub of transportation for nearly 150 years. Roanoke got its name and rose to railroading prominence in 1881 when Norfolk & Western, the great rail company of the Southeast, began to use the village of Big Lick, Virginia, as a central hub and exchange point between two rail lines. The Roanoke River became the town’s namesake, and the railroad, the town’s proprietor.
Roanoke quickly grew into a city as thousands of rail workers moved in to meet the growing demands of the industrial revolution. Norfolk & Western’s Roanoke Shop became famous for building the acclaimed A, J, and Y6 steam locomotives. The most famous of these locomotives was the Great 611, a J Class train built in 1950. The J trains were built and designed entirely by Norfolk & Western employees, a rarity at the time. They were also among the most dependable locomotives, being relied upon to pull passenger trains at high speeds through the mountains and coal fields of West Virginia.
The Great 611 is one of the few J Class steam locomotives that survived the scrap yard after the turn from steam to diesel in the 1960’s. The locomotive gained fame and popularity when photographer O. Winston Link offered to purchase her himself should no one else claim her. Currently housed in the Virginia Transportation Museum, the train and Mr. Link’s photography stand as reminders of the great bygone era of steam locomotion in Roanoke.
Learn more about the history of the 611 JClass Steam Engine by visiting the Virginia Transportation Museum’s website, or take it a step further and contribute by becoming a member of the Virginia Transportation Museum!
