Strasburg, PA. – The Virginia Museum of Transportation (VMT) and Strasburg Rail Road are pleased to jointly announce limited-time-only events this fall featuring the historic Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611.

Throughout 2022, the VMT Engine Crew and Strasburg Rail Road Mechanical Department have worked in partnership to complete a federally required inspection of the 72-year-old steam locomotive. These ticketed events will mark the locomotive’s first public operations following that work. Among the scheduled educational and
immersive events are at-the-throttle opportunities allowing ticketholders firsthand and exclusive experiences to operate this unique marvel of mechanical engineering; static display of the locomotive while under steam; and 45-minute excursion rides through the scenic Amish farmlands of Lancaster County.

“On behalf of the Virginia Museum of Transportation, I’m thrilled to continue our partnership with the Strasburg Rail Road where we have had the opportunity to showcase the Class J 611 to thousands of visitors, perform necessary maintenance, and generate revenue essential to preserving the locomotive’s status as an operating steam engine in the years to come.” stated Gavin Miller, 611 Assistant Operations Manager and Virginia Museum of Transportation Board Member.

Event Schedule:
September 30 – October 2 At-the-Throttle-Experiences October 7 – October 9 Stationary Cab Tours
November 9 – November 10 Photo Charter directed by Pete Lerro
November 11 – November 13 Excursion Rides

For tickets and more information, please visit the Strasburg Rail Road website at
https://www.strasburgrailroad.com/611-experiences/

A portion of proceeds from these events benefit the Virginia Museum of Transportation and support the preservation and maintenance of the Norfolk and Western Class J No. 611.

$900 for a half hour throttle experience. Really taking that Disney "put the screws to the customer" mentality to heart.

As a side note… why do participants need a valid drivers license? I’ve noticed that on other at-the-throttle events as well. Always seemed strange to me.

From my understanding, the drivers license requirement establishes a minimum threshold of who is "capable" of participating in the throttle time. Take that how you will. Additionally presenting an ID to verify the customer isn't the worst idea in my mind, either- especially when throttle times cost as much as they do.

As for the Disney comment, I'm confused why some people still have this mindset towards the Strasburg when the "Disney" person(s) are no longer employed at the railroad.

With the size and cost (of note increases in the price of coal, and the recent extensive 5-year inspection) of operating something the size of 611, I'm not surprised it costs $900. Inflation and rising costs all around are setting in.

Let me see... to get a driver's license, the applicant has to pass a vision test. To keep that license, he has to drive responsibly... things like NO DUIs.

Yeah but for exactly the same price Nevada Northern will let you take a 2-8-0 that just had a complete overhaul on a full 14 mile round trip, light engine. Plus NN is hauling their fuel and supplies out into the literal middle of nowhere.

I just paid $400 to book what will be a full 3 hour experience as both fireman and engineer on one of the Gramling engines and that included tickets for a couple of guests to come ride with me. Granted their 0-4-0 ain't a Northern but it wasn't cheap to fix either.

I'm just saying there's way better bang for your buck out there than shelling out nearly a grand to sit in a seat and toot a whistle for the time it takes you to sit through an episode of a sitcom.

The need to show ID for more and more daily occurrences is a different argument…. But that’s not my complaint here. There doesn’t seem to be a reasonable reason why a drivers license should be required. Again, I’m not complaining about Strasburg specifically, I’ve seen it with other railroads as well.

As to the Disney comment, did that general manager not work out? Who’s managing it now?

I'm a big fan of making sure there are enough events, offerings, ticket prices, etc so as not to exclude people and also cater to different crowds and markets. What's listed appears to do exactly that and appeal to casual fans, serious photographers, and diehards.

Comparing one guest engineer program to another is apples to oranges. That's the price people will pay, and have paid, historically, for comparable opportunities. Knowing that, if you charge less, you're leaving money on the table. If you don't sell out, it only takes a few slots to break even for the day. That kind of revenue can usually be enough to make a dent in the the annual insurance premium. I wouldn't turn down 15k-20k for running back and forth all day.

I've found not everyone who rides as a passenger would want to run, and not everyone who would want to run wants to sit on a passenger car. Likewise, not everyone who likes the 611 necessarily sees themselves traveling out to Ely. There is also no 611 in Ely. Because of the "specialness" of these kinds of events, I've also found that family members, fathers/sons, grown adult children etc will purchase these tickets for the people they care about in their life that really loves trains. For many it really is "once-in-a-lifetime," whereas for us its only Thursday.

In some programs, the actual waiver language from the FRA will stipulate the Driver's License requirement for the reasons mentioned here -- mainly its to ensure that the person operating can receive instruction and has some capabilities to perform the task at hand.

Comparison is a thief of joy. I think most people RYPN users can glean the differences in programs and venues, but the consumers aren't shopping for those experiences on RYPN.

Read what I said: "To establish a minimum threshold of who is capable". QJDriver touched on a few of these- I'll add that the FRA often requires a driver's license to obtain any railroad crew qualifications. This was true in my time spent working for a railroad.

If what you're getting at is that a person who does not have a driver's license may be capable of operating a locomotive, you're right. But a person who cannot get a driver's license (whatever the reason) may not.

Interesting - I was qualified with a class I and have never had a drivers license. This was in the 2010’s so pretty recent.

Seems like an odd rule to me but if you guys are convinced so be it. :-) I’m not in the market for this anyways. Now the Pete Lerro photo events…. Take my money!!!!

The idea is to have various ways for a railroad to evaluate the prior safety conduct of a candidate for engineer. See: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-240.109

FRA makes allowances for those without a DL in a railroads approved Part 240 program: See 49 CFR 240.109(h)

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The 611 Lerro trips have been my best investment ever!!! No complaints there.

I am curious about “Disney no longer there” - has there been another change in management already?

Hearty congratulations to the Strasburg leadership and to the VMT for promoting their mutual interests via an iconic locomotive that brings much joy ( and some new steam lovers) to many.

Here's wishing them sold out, incident free, highly successful events.

Ross Rowland

Thanks to all who have expressed their well wishes. Many are quick to criticize, few ever speak out with gratitude. Your support is greatly appreciated. Having led the Strasburg team creating these events, I can say that working with VMT to bring this latest round of events has been a pleasure. Both organizations are looking forward to putting on another successful round of events this fall. I appreciate Mr. Lynch pointing out that we have experiences that are targeted towards all levels of enthusiast and income. It’s a difficult balance to strike.

We require driver’s licenses so that we don’t have to administer vision and IQ tests to participants at the gate. We presume that someone with a driver’s license can see and has a level of cognition that allows them to operate a simple machine. We certainly would honor a locomotive engineer certificate as well. It’s not a perfect system, but as someone wise once told me, perfect is the enemy of done. Time is finite and there’s a lot that goes into running a railroad.

Price points were developed collaboratively with VMT. Costs for everything have gone up and prior year’s prices don’t go as far covering this year’s expenses. These in-cab events have sold out every time, and we believe the demand will be there at this new price point. Leaving money on the table is foolish, whether for profit or not for profit. I can tell you the the revenue is generously divided with VMT and that money goes directly towards keeping the 611 in a condition that enables these types of events. At SRC we put most of our revenue right back into our equipment and property. Believe me, I won’t be driving to work in my new Masseratti any time soon.