Engines Diesel This Time
Scenic train excursions are returning to Goshen this fall, but, for the first time, the historic train cars won’t be pulled by a steam engine.
The Virginia Scenic Railway Tuesday announced the start of ticket sales for the excursions, which will be pulled by vintage diesel engines.
The railway will be offering four different “Autumn Special” excursions from Goshen in October ranging from two hours to six hours. Information can be found on its website.
The start of the ticket sales comes just days after the Steam Railroading Institute in Michigan announced that it would not be able to bring its Pere Marquette 1225 steam engine to Virginia for the fall color excursions as planned.
“Unfortunately, circumstances beyond SRI’s control have made it impossible to secure the necessary arrangements to move the steam engine, preventing us from planning and operating the excursions,” the nonprofit posted on Thursday.
After steam railroad enthusiasts on Facebook began pointing fingers at railroad companies, Aaron Farmer, operations manager for the SRI, offered a further explanation on Facebook later that day.
“There was no ‘ban’ on steam locomotives or outright refusal by the railroads to move the equipment that led to this decision,” he wrote.
“The reality is that we needed sufficient lead time to properly announce and market the excursions, as well as firm commitments from all of the railroads involved before we could responsibly move forward. Every railroad involved viewed the proposed operation positively and expressed interest in seeing the venture come to fruition,” Farmer said.
This is the second year in a row that the SRI has been unable to bring its famous steam engine to Goshen for the fall excursions.
The nonprofit had planned to bring the engine – the inspiration for the engine in “Polar Express” – and its period passenger cars to Goshen last fall, but the steam engine needed too many repairs to make the trip from Michigan in time.
At that point, with help from Steve Powell, president of the Virginia Scenic Railway, the SRI contracted with the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke to bring the Norfolk & Western 611 steam engine back to Goshen. The 611 had pulled the initial Goshen- to-Staunton fall excursions in 2023.
Steam Railroading Institute personnel did bring its passenger cars to Goshen for last fall’s excursions, and officials expressed hope that the Pere Marquette 1225 could make it to Virginia for this year’s excursions.
While planning for SRI’s participation in this fall’s Goshen excursions continued, the 611 returned to service this summer with the Virginia Scenic Railroad, pulling passenger cars – including SRI cars – out of Staunton and Louisa on weekends in June through the July 4th weekend.
Since those excursions ended, the 611 has been sitting on private railroad property within an active rail yard in Fishersville while the Virginia Museum of Transportation works through the logistics of getting the locomotive back to Roanoke, according to Zac Mc-Innis, steam operations manager for the VMT.
Railroad enthusiasts on Facebook last week wondered if the 611 could once again be used to “sub” for the Michigan steam engine for the fall excursions, but that, according to McInnis, was simply not a “viable option.”
“The 611 was only scheduled to operate four weekends of summer excursions this year, which we successfully completed,” he wrote in an email to The News-Gazette. “Fall operations for the locomotive were not planned because 611’s FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) annual inspection date is in mid-September 2026. This means the locomotive cannot continue operating under steam beyond that date without first undergoing the required FRA inspection. Since there were no fall operations planned for 611 this year, there was not enough time built into the schedule to complete that inspection and have the locomotive ready for potential fall operations.
“Additionally, the maintenance and work planned for 611’s off-season had already been scheduled … As much as we would have loved to step up on short notice to assist with the fall excursions, it simply was not a realistic option,” he said.
The Virginia Scenic Railway will once again be using Victoria Station south of Goshen to load and unload passengers. The nonprofit Virginia Mechanical Preservation Society leases the site from Will Harris, a site that underwent extensive improvements prior to last fall’s excursions.
“We’re happy to have the fall excursions return to Rockbridge, even though we won’t have a steam engine this year,” said Harris. “We’re optimistic that we’ll be able to bring steam back next year, and we hope the excursions will be an annual event in Rockbridge.
“We appreciate the work of the Virginia Scenic Railway in coordinating this,” he continued. “Without them, none of this would be possible.”
