On a beautiful Sunday afternoon several HARM members, spouses and friends spent the day at Strasburg Railroad enjoying the sights and sounds of the famed Norfolk and Western J-class 4-8-4 #611. The day began with a delicious lunch at Plain and Fancy Smokehouse BBQ and Brew. After that, we made our way over to the the railroad grounds to check out the sights and pick up our tickets. On the way over, we passed several large groups of railfans parked at grade crossings, ready to catch a glimpse of the locomotive. We arrived at the station just as 611 was pulling in from its 12:30 run. The Strasburg Railroad crews had everything worked out perfectly to switch between trains. #611 pulled forward to clear the end switch, backed onto the siding, and then pulled forward on to a dedicated spur. After 611 was securely in place, the SRC SW-8 switcher then pulled forward, coupled to the passenger cars and pulled them into the yard to make room for #475 to come into the station. Once 475 departed, the process was reversed to get 611 ready for its next run. In between runs, the 611 crew allowed visitors (for an extra fee) to climb into the cab and blow the whistle. This was also a perfect time to capture some stunning pictures of this magnificent locomotive. Just before 2:30 it was our turn to board the open-air cars for a 45-minute ride up the line. The trip took us through the beautiful Lancaster County countryside and through a passing siding, where we met #475. At the end of the line, #611 moved from one end of the train to the other for the return trip. After the ride, and dusting the cinders from our har, we explored the station area a bit and then visited the Strasburg Model Railroad club in a tent on the other side the rails. They had their modules setup that give a pretty accurate depiction of the tourist line in HO scale. The weather was beautiful, the trains majestic, and visiting with friends made everything that much better.
