On Sunday, my son and I went chasing the 611 between Manassas and Front Royal. We first saw her early Sunday morning when she was parked way in front of the station in the darker wooded area. As we approached I felt as if I was entering a sacred temple where the engine was perched up high on the rails and roadbed and she was surrounded by dozens of people who were standing still and gazing at this massive machine. It was quiet, no one was talking. I was afraid to talk as if I was in church. I don't exactly know what it was but it was like seeing a T-Rex in real life. Very impressive and larger than life. I have seen many trains and some live steam before but nothing quite like this. There was something special about this engine. Even my son was not expecting it to be that impressive. Anyway, I put a video together and posted it below. The engine still looks impressive in the video, but its nothing compared to seeing her in real life. When I got home, I got inspired to pull out my MTH model, run it and takes some video and photos. There are a couple photos below and a short clip of the model at the end of the video. Enjoy!
Rich
