I was in Roanoke on July 11th thru 13th for business and had an afternoon free on the 12th so I stopped by the Virginia Museum of Transportation. I spoke with one of the docents at the front desk and he informed me that the 763 is scheduled to move on July 24th at 10 am and that I should stop by if I was in the area. (Unfortunately, its approximately 6 hours from home so needless to say I won't be making the trip).

Anyhow, the 763 appeared ready to go. The main rods, bell, whistle, front numberboards, headlight, etc. have been removed. Plywood shims have been placed on the crank pins to "replace" the main rods. All bearings appeared to have been serviced and packed. "OHCR" has been stenciled under both cab windows.

Also, museum volunteers were busy constructing a staircase into the cab of the 1218 which is probably completed by now.

Sorry for the delay in getting this info out but I was out of town on vacation and didn't have access to the computer. Hope someone is able to attend and post photos of the event.

Brian