The Shadow
LOCOMOTIVE — The Norfolk & Western 611 Class J steam locomotive, which was built in the Roanoke shops in 1950, stands in Roanoke. The Virginia Museum of Transportation’s race against time to put the 611 back on the rails next year continues its uphill climb. Launched June 28, the “Fire Up 611!” campaign seeks $3.5 million by Oct. 31 to make the 611 operational and construct a shop on the museum’s property where the engine can be housed and serviced. The goal is to have the 611 take part in Norfolk Southern’s 21st Century Steam passenger excursion program in 2014. (AP Photo/The Roanoke Times)
LOCOMOTIVE — The Norfolk & Western 611 Class J steam locomotive, which was built in the Roanoke shops in 1950, stands in Roanoke. The Virginia Museum of Transportation’s race against time to put the 611 back on the rails next year continues its uphill climb. Launched June 28, the “Fire Up 611!” campaign seeks $3.5 million by Oct. 31 to make the 611 operational and construct a shop on the museum’s property where the engine can be housed and serviced. The goal is to have the 611 take part in Norfolk Southern’s 21st Century Steam passenger excursion program in 2014. (AP Photo/The Roanoke Times)
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ROANOKE (AP) — The Virginia Museum of Transportation’s race against time to put the Norfolk & Western J-Class 611 steam engine back on the rails next year continues its uphill climb.
Launched June 28, the “Fire Up 611!” campaign seeks $3.5 million by Oct. 31 to make the 611 operational and construct a shop on the museum’s property where the engine can be housed and serviced. The goal is to have the 611 take part in Norfolk Southern’s 21st Century Steam passenger excursion program in 2014.
Transportation museum officials declined to disclose the total raised to date.
“The money has not come in has quickly as we had hoped from the big donors, but it’s coming in quickly from small donors,” said museum Executive Director Bev Fitzpatrick.
The museum had hoped by this time to have raised about $750,000. “We’re not there yet,” he said.
Museum officials have said the campaign began with $150,000 already in hand.
Director of Development Fran Ferguson said that the campaign has received more than 730 donations from 44 states and 10 foreign countries. The campaign also received two grants at the end of July.
The Candelaria Fund, an independent foundation based in San Francisco, awarded the campaign $25,000. The foundation had previously provided $100 toward the museum’s feasibility study to see if the 611 could be made ready for excursions.
The museum was asked to apply and notified of the award within a few hours of turning in the application, Ferguson said.
The other grant came from the Chicago-based Tom E. Dailey Foundation, established by the chief executive officer of 2Checkout.com to support his favorite causes, including railroad heritage. The foundation awarded $15,000, the maximum amount possible.
Dailey contacted the museum to ask them to apply, and also made a private donation, Ferguson said,
In addition to spreading the word through social media, the museum has made fliers distributed to Trains magazine subscribers, and has made them available to rail societies as well. Ferguson said she sent 250 fliers in response to a recent request from a group in Ontario, Canada.
Yet the campaign likely won’t make its goal without major gifts, and so far none have come through, though the staff is meeting with potential deep pocket donors and giving presentations, Fitzpatrick said.
If the campaign does not meet its goal by the Oct. 31 deadline, “we’ll just keep going,” Ferguson said, and aim toward adding the 611 to the 21st Century Steam program in 2015.
Though the museum is already working out contracts with the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, N.C., where the 611 would be restored, the work won’t begin until the $3.5 million is raised.
Should that goal ultimately prove out of reach, it will be up to the donors whether their money gets refunded or whether it’s used to create an endowment to support the engine, Ferguson said.
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