All aboard for a look at five different operations featuring steam power in 2016.
We begin in Roanoke, Virginia, in May, as Norfolk & Western Class J 4-8-4 #611 hauled a series of excursions from Roanoke to Lynchburg and Walton. We focused on the grades surrounding Roanoke to present scenes of the locomotive at work. This segment features highlights of the weekend. For complete coverage, check out our program “Norfolk & Western #611: Makin’ The Grade.”
In July, we visited the Hesston Steam Museum, near Michigan City in northwest Indiana, which features steam locomotives of many sizes.
Next we visit the Strasburg Rail Road in Pennsylvania, where 1924 built 2-10-0 #90 was in operation.
Then it’s on to eastern Missouri and southern Illinois, where Union Pacific 4-8-4 #844 was filmed en route from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to the Memphis, Tennessee, area. This was #844’s first extended trip after returning to service following a three year overhaul.
The show wraps up in Dixie, as Southern Railway 2-8-2 #4501 heads up a pair of excursions between Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Summerville, Georgia. We shot at several scenic locations, including Whiteside Tunnel through Missionary Ridge and the Missionary Ridge Grade near Rossville, Georgia.
