Norfolk and Western 611 was built at which railroad shop?

Norfolk and Western 611 was built at the Roanoke Shops.

More precisely, the locomotive was constructed at Norfolk and Western’s East End Shops in Roanoke, Virginia. Completed in May 1950, No. 611 was part of the railroad’s Class J fleet, a group of streamlined 4-8-4 Northern-type locomotives built for fast passenger trains.

Roanoke was the center of Norfolk and Western’s locomotive engineering and manufacturing operation. The railroad developed and built its Class J engines there rather than purchasing them from an outside builder. No. 611 was among the final mainline passenger steam locomotives constructed in the United States, representing the peak of American steam-locomotive design.

The locomotive later became known as the “Spirit of Roanoke” and the “Queen of Steam.” It was retired, restored more than once, and returned to excursion service. A frequent confusion is associating it with Altoona Works, a major Pennsylvania Railroad facility; Altoona built many important locomotives, but not Norfolk and Western 611.