ROANOKE, Va. - (WSLS 10) - Crowds of people gathered across our area to welcome home the Norfolk & Western Class J 611 steam engine as it returned to Roanoke.
Over the past year, the "Queen of Steam" has been at the North Carolina Transportation Museum being restored.
Volunteers said it took months of work to replace miles of tubing inside the engine, along with thousands of other replacements and repairs.
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Further Coverage: Queen of Steam returns to the Star City Saturday
On Saturday, the 611 traveled more than 200 miles through North Carolina and Virginia and gave thousands of onlookers a chance to see the steam engine locomotive roll through.
The 611 was supposed to arrive between 2 and 4 p.m. on Saturday. However, it did not pull into the Star City until almost 5 p.m. due to some overheating issues in Lynchburg.
Crowds waited patiently for the train to come. As she came roaring into Roanoke, she was met with cheers, shouts and even tears. People traveled from across the state and as far away as Japan and Australia to see the grand return.