FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clay Hamner
chamner@petersburg-va.org or 804-339-5818
Or Leslie Strickler
lstrickler@petersburg-va.org or 804-733-2301
April 27, 2017
Norfolk & Western Class J 611 Steam Passenger Locomotive Makes a Stop in Petersburg
Petersburg, VA: The City of Petersburg and Petersburg Area Regional Tourism (PART) are
thrilled to announce the arrival of the very historic Norfolk & Western (N &W) Class J 611 Steam Passenger Locomotive, which will be bringing visitors to Old Towne Petersburg on Saturday, May 6, and again on Sunday, May 7. On each of those days, the train will bring approximately800 passengers to see and experience historic Old Towne and enjoy lunch in one of the wonderful restaurants here. Additionally, there will be hundreds of train enthusiasts who will also come to Old Towne on each of those days to see and get a picture of the Class J 611 locomotive.
The simple lines, bullet nose, midnight black façade, Tuscan stripe and baritone whistle make N& W’s Class J 611 the most distinguished steam locomotive left in the world. She has recently been completely restored in North Carolina and will now be permanently located at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke.
The excursions are sponsored by the Virginia Museum of Transportation and will be coming
from Lynchburg to Petersburg. The trains will arrive at 12:30 p.m. each day and will depart
Petersburg at 3:30 p.m. Passengers will be disembarking behind River Street in Old Towne
within easy walking distance to all that Old Towne has to offer. Many of the region’s residents will recall the train excursions from Lynchburg to Old Towne Petersburg two years ago, which generated lots of excitement. This is a wonderful “up close and personal” opportunity to see and photograph this amazing locomotive.
For more information on City of Petersburg services and programs, please visit
www.petersburg-va.gov . For more information on PART, visit
www.petersburgarea.org and for tickets or more information about the Virginia Museum of Transportation, visit
www.vmt.org.
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