Norfolk & Western 2156: Farewell to Roanoke скачать в хорошем качестве

Norfolk & Western 2156: Farewell to Roanoke

In 2015, as part of the celebration of 611's return to steam, Norfolk Southern leased Norfolk & Western Y6a 2156 from the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis for a period of 5 years and placed it on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke alongside former running mates 611 and 1218, completing the N&W's grand trio of Y, J, and A for the first time since the end of steam. Most of us thought that an agreement would be made to keep the trio together, but it was not to be. On June 10, 2020, 2156 left Roanoke once more, bound for her long-time home in the Show-Me State. She was fittingly parked at the East End Shops, her birthplace, throughout the morning and seemed reluctant to leave. Originally scheduled for departure shortly after 8am, a mix-up with the crew call resulted in several delays before the train finally left at 4:30pm. After that it was mad dash to the West Virginia line as a steadily growing motorcade of railfans raced to get as many shots of the Y on her home rails as they could before the sun disappeared below the mountains. Many hours behind schedule, the train arrived in Bluefield right at 10 and tied down there for the night. I had originally intended to intercept the train at Bluefield that morning and chase 2156 over the legendary Pocahontas line, but with prior obligations preventing me from spending the night and a recently sprained arm getting very sore from a whole day on the road I would unfortunately have to leave that chase to others. Still, it was great to chase a train over Christiansburg grade again and to see a Y in motion, even if it was towed. If this is the last time the N&W sees a Y I'm glad I was there, but I do hope she can come back some day. Huge thanks to Dossett Yard Productions for giving me a heads-up the night before, I'd have missed the whole thing without him.