On April 10th, 2016, the Virginia Museum of Transportation, NC Transportation Museum, and Norfolk Southern teamed up to operate an excursion train from Spencer to Asheville and back. The star of the show was N&W 611, which would lead NS 8099 and SOU 6133 on the trip.

Of course, the route would take the train through one of the most legendary railroad engineering feats in the east: The Old Fort Loops. Built between 1875 and 1879 by a predecessor of the Southern Railway, the unique track structure ascends the Blue Ridge Mountains at a steady 2.2% gradient. In a three mile long stretch, the tracks loop back on themselves three times to maintain the steady grade and fit in a compact area of less than 1 square mile.

611 performed beautifully on the ascent, and we were there to capture the climb through the loops with our drone. In addition to our loops sequence, you'll find clips from Asheville and Old Fort on the return trip east. Enjoy!