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Friday - Today was declared Will Harris Day by the mayor of Goshen, Tom McCraw, as the famed 611 steam engine pulled its first passengers on a trial run for the new Goshen to Staunton fall excursions.
Hundreds of local government officials, members of the Virginia Scenic Railway and the Virginia Transportation Museum, media, and those who helped put together the project over the past several weeks were invited on the trial run Friday morning. And, yes, there was one glitch, an electrical one, that caused the train to stop for a few minutes while it was fixed; otherwise the ride went smoothly. Along the way, dozens of people could be seen along nearby roads and in front of homes taking photos and videos.
Prior to the ride, the Goshen mayor gave Will Harris, the Rockbridge County train enthusiast most responsible for bringing the excursions to Goshen, a plaque and the key to the town. Then a ribbon brought by the local chamber of commerce was cut to officially open the project.
The "real" excursions begin next Friday and will continue every weekend through the first weekend of November.
For more on the day's activities, see next week's issue of The News-Gazette.
(photos by Mary Woodson)
