Railway historian to share photos
The Norfolk & Western’s “J” Class steam passenger locomotive No. 611, famed for its work as a regular railroad engine and later for its excursion runs, left the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke last week heading to Goshen, Va., to begin a five-weekend series of runs on the Virginia Scenic Railway.
Railroad historian Ken Miller of Salem will share his photos at The Radford Photo Club March 19 meeting, at 6 p.m. at the Radford Public Library. An acknowledged expert on the N&W and Virginian, Miller has preserved railroad history and artifacts since age 10. He maintains a large collection of N&W photos and documents. His preservation of full-size N&W and Virginian equipment is well known. He also led the saving and restoration of the former Virginian Railway station in Roanoke.
Miller is a 50-year member of the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, where he was very involved in managing steam excursions during the 1980s and early 1990s. He wrote the book “Norfolk and Western Class J, The Finest Steam Passenger Locomotive,” published in 2000. He has also written articles for Trains and Railfan magazines, and co-authored the book “3 Times A Lady,” about N&W 611, with Tim Hensley, as well as another work about the Cass Scenic Railroad’s 50th anniversary.
He spent years in television, graphic design, and photography before joining the N&W Historical Society as editor of their quarterly publication and ex officio general manager and its archivist.
The photo challenge for the March meeting will be night photography with light. There is also an open category. The club will have a show at the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley in April and May. Follow The Radford Photo Club on Facebook for notifications about outing and events (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1923381475201424/).
The Radford Photo Club is a public group for ALL levels of photographers from the New River Valley. Club officers are Tracy Burlingame of Riner, Chuck Lynch of Christiansburg, and Jennifer Franklin of Pulaski.