21st Century Steam excursions planned for 2013

The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) and the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS), in partnership with Norfolk Southern Corporation, will host 21st Century Steam excursion trips in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania in the Spring of 2013.

Schedules, prices, and ticketing information are available at www.tvrail.com for TVRM-hosted trips and fortwaynerailroad.org for FWRHS-sponsored trips. Norfolk Southern employees will be able to request tickets for the employee appreciation trips soon through the ERC. First class and coach amenities will be offered on all trips.

• March 9: Bristol, Va., to Radford, Va. Host: TVRM. Steam locomotive SOU 630.
• March 10: Bristol, Va., to Bulls Gap, Tenn. Host: TVRM. Steam locomotive SOU 630.
• March 16: Roanoke, Va., to Radford, Va. (morning), and Roanoke to Lynchburg, Va. (afternoon). Host: TVRM. Steam locomotive SOU 630. Combination public and NS employee appreciation trips.
• April 13: Spencer, N.C., to Barber, N.C. Host: TVRM. Steam locomotive SOU 630. Combination public and NS employee appreciation trip.
• April 20 and 21: Asheville, N.C., to Old Fort, N.C. Host: TVRM. Steam locomotive.
• April 20 is combination public and NS employee appreciation trip.
• May 12: Rocky River, Ohio, to Bellevue, Ohio. Host: FWRHS. Steam locomotive NKP 765.
• May 25, 26 and 27: Lewistown, Pa., to Horseshoe Curve, Pa. Host: FWRHS. Steam locomotive NKP 765.

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was founded in 1961 in Chattanooga to create an interpretive operating museum of historic equipment and artifacts in an authentic setting. Today it operates an extensive schedule of historic and scenic trains in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia, supported by its East Chattanooga shop facility. TVRM is the largest operating historical excursion railroad in the Southeast. In 2012, more than 100,000 people visited the museum or rode on TRVM-sponsored 21st Century Steam excursions.

The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society was formed in 1972 with the goal of saving Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive 765 from rusting away in a city park. The organization was successful in restoring the locomotive to operation. The engine first ran again on Sept. 1, 1979. Since then, NKP 765 has operated on over a dozen different railroads from New York City to Rock Island, Illinois, hauling more than 250,000 passengers on excursion trains covering over 50,000 miles of operation. In 1986 FWRHS bought the locomotive from the City of Fort Wayne.

21st Century Steam is a partnership between Norfolk Southern and TVRM to operate steam-powered excursions throughout the territory Norfolk Southern serves. More information is available on the 21st Century Steam website at www.21stcenturysteam.com.

21st Century Steam Program

Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation’s premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal, automotive, and industrial products.

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