By Railfan & Railroad Staff

STRASBURG, Pa. — The Virginia Museum of Transportation has announced that the planned move of Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 611 to the Strasburg Rail Road has been delayed. The locomotive — which is spending the summer on the Pennsylvania tourist railroad — was expected to head north in the coming days but as workers were preparing the locomotive for the trip they discovered a problem with its stoker. 

“VMT mechanical personnel are actively working on diagnosing and repairing the stoker. The Virginia Museum of Transportation would like to extend a thank you to Norfolk Southern for their support and cooperation as an essential partner of our program,” the museum wrote. 

Locomotive 611 last visited Strasburg in 2019 for a series of excursions and photo charters that fall. This year, the locomotive will stay in Strasburg until October and operate on numerous excursions throughout the summer.

At this time, it is unclear if the delay will impact the schedule of events at Strasburg.