Happy 611 Day!

A look back at some of my favorite clips of 611 during her run on Norfolk Southern between 2015 and 2017. Comments for each clip can be found below.
Clip 1: Front Royal, VA - June 6, 2015
This was my first ever encounter with the 611. I drove down with a friend of mine from the Harrisburg, PA area for the day. I don't know why, but I had no intentions of chasing 611 this day. I got this shot and one more of it leaving Front Royal after it was turned on the wye. My friend and I then headed north up to the CSX at Shenandoah Junction for a few hours before we headed back to PA.
Clip 2: Distillery Rd; Belle Meade, VA - June 5, 2016
I was a bit more intentional in 2016 with shooting 611, deciding to spend a Sunday chasing her for two excursions along the B-Line, the same line I had seen her on the previous year. This was the first excursion returning to Manassas.
Clip 3: The Plains, VA
I love the Virginia scenery and for some reason, this shot of the 611 at The Plains is one of my favorites. To me, it really captures the bucolic nature of the state very well. The propane tank by the switch doesn't help the scene, but I digress. There were easily 20-39 people at this spot when I arrived. I was even surprised I managed to find a place to pull over.
Clip 4: Fiery Run Rd; Belle Meade, VA
Not even a mile from Distillery Road is Fiery Run Road where this nice S-Curve can be found. There wasn't any room for me to pull over on this side of the tracks, so I had to cross over and park on the other side. You can see my backed in car right next to the crossing bungalow.
Clip 5: Blue Ridge Pkwy; Bonsack, VA - May 27, 2017
Memorial Day Weekend in 2017 had the 611 running excursions out of Roanoke. They went to Lynchburg in the morning and then to Radford in the afternoon. On Monday, they surprised everyone by doing two trips to Radford instead of a trip to Lynchburg. This opened up some different photo opportunities that would previously have not been able to happen. This was my first shot (and apparently about 100 other people's too) on the morning of the first excursion. The S-Curve here looked nice in the morning sunshine.
Clip 6: Villamont, VA - May 28, 2017
The Sunday morning trip was a bit cloudy, which allowed for the smoke plume to stand out even better. Villamont was my first stop for the morning trip and required a small hike up a hill near the crossing. I remember a dog from a property across the tracks coming over to my car when I arrived at this spot.
Clip 7: Wabun, VA - May 29, 2017
This was THE shot I wanted. When the Monday morning Radford excursion was announced, this was the first spot I had in mind. I managed to be the very first person to arrive at this location, so I had my pick of the lot when it comes to spots. By the time 611 showed up, another 50 or so people joined me.
Clip 8: Vicker, VA
Vicker was another spot I knew would be packed (much like the Montgomery Tunnel, which I didn't go back to, but I heard stories). I was surprised I managed to find a place to put the car let alone find a spot in the photo line. I actually ended up sitting down on the opposite side of the guardrail along the road right over the culvert.
Clip 9: Shawsville, VA
While not the iconic Shawsville location (which I did get), I found this spot about a mile west of the Johns Farm crossing and thought it would be good for a westbound. I turned out to be the only one at this spot. I may recall someone walking in to check it out and then turning around, but most of the people stayed that that first crossing you see in the clip.
Enjoy, subscribe and thanks for watching!!
Happy 611 Day!

[@royzug2847]

Beautiful engine.