Roanoke Rails: A Celebration on the N&W Mainline 2010

[E.M. Bell]

Saturday, May 8, 2010 | Festival: 10am-3pm; Museum remains open until 5pm

A now yearly celebration of railroad heritage, this year's event will feature the famed Norfolk & Western Class J 611 passenger steam locomotive, plus historic paint scheme Southern Unit GP-59 diesel locomotive 4610, 1/8 scale train rides, telegraphy demonstrations, antique model trains, railroad photography, children's activities and more. On the evening of May 8, the Link Museum will also hold a night photo shoot featuring the 611 stopped once again alongside Roanoke's historic passenger station. Admission to the photo shoot is $50 per person and is not included in the joint ticket. Reservations are required: call 540-982-5465 for more information.

Between 1955 and 1960, photographer O. Winston Link created unforgettable black and white images that documented the last days of Norfolk & Western's steam giants and the people and places along its lines. The Museum's collection features more than 300 stunning photographs, audio listening stations, a documentary film, artifacts and recreations of Link's photographic settings. The Link Museum is owned and operated by the Historical Society of Western Virginia.

Kimberly Parker, Director | 540-982-5465 | www.linkmuseum.org

101 Shenandoah Ave, Roanoke, VA 24016 | Monday-Sunday 10-5

Virginia Museum of Transportation

Roanoke Rails: A Celebration on the N&W Mainline | Saturday, May 8, 2010, 10am-5pm

Tour a modern Norfolk Southern SD-70 EMD locomotive and enjoy railroad motorcar rides, a Class J cab exhibit inside the Museum, handcrafted wooden models of N&W steam locomotives, children's activities, and more to complement the collection of rolling stock on display in the Museum's Rail Yard.

The Virginia Museum of Transportation is home to two of the most powerful steam locomotives in existence today—the Norfolk & Western Class A 1218 and the Class J 611. Through exhibits, artifacts, and an outstanding collection, the Museum tells the rich story of Virginia's transportation heritage. The Virginia Museum of Transportation is the Official Transportation Museum of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Jr., Executive Director | 540-342-5670 | www.vmt.org

303 Norfolk Avenue SW, Roanoke, VA 24016 | Monday-Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 1-5

Also enjoy: The David R. and Susan S. Goode Railwalk

Stretching approximately 1/3 of a mile along active Norfolk Southern mainline tracks in the heart of downtown Roanoke, the Railwalk connects the O. Winston Link Museum and the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The Railwalk is part museum, with numerous rail artifacts, interactive exhibits, and story boards, and part linear park with great vantage points for watching modern operating trains, and for watching the Class J 611 steam locomotive moved to the O. Winston Link Museum on May 7, and returned to the Virginia Museum of Transportation on May 9. Always open, always free.

National Train Day celebrations in Virginia's Rail Heritage Region are made possible by Norfolk Southern Corporation, xpedx, Graham-White, Roanoke Gas, and David and Susan Goode; volunteers from the Norfolk & Western Historical Society and the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society; and media sponsors WDBJ-7 and Clear Channel Communications.