2017 featured an extra trip over the Christiansburg grade, as the Monday trip to Lynchburg was cancelled in favor of the more popular run to Walton. You'll see all three days of operation (May 27-29) during the Memorial Day weekend, as #611 pulled half-day trips over two of the most famous grades on the N&W: Blue Ridge and Christiansburg Mountain. The second half of the program covers the last trips of the year: the annual Roanoke excursions. With slippery rails and numerous steep grades the "J" put on a spectacular show, thanks in part to the inclement weather. These 260-mile trips ran from Greensboro north to Hurt, VA on the former Southern mainline, before taking the Virginian Railway west to Roanoke. You'll see both trips (April 22nd & 23rd), as #611 pulled a 20-car train under cloudy skies and, at times, heavy rain. The next day #611 pulled the first of two trips from Greensboro to Roanoke, a repeat of the previous year's popular "Roanoker" excursions which were covered in Reborn Vol. As usual the locomotive spent the winter at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, and our coverage begins on Friday April 21st with a short ferry move from Spencer to Greensboro, NC for the 2nd weekend of excursions.
In this video - the fifth and final volume in the "Reborn" series - we'll look at 2 of those weekends as #611 ran over some familiar territory in Virginia and North Carolina. Norfolk & Western J-class 4-8-4 #611 returned to the Norfolk Southern mainline in 2017 for 4 weekends of public excursions in the spring. There are also many STEAM education resources to choose from – STEAM-focused conferences, online courses, and webinars to discover additional classroom ideas and hands-on projects.*note you must have a Blu-ray compatible player to watch Blu-ray discs
There is also incredible opportunity for professional development, such as advanced degree programs for STEAM educators. Both can be accomplished with varied student abilities, needs, and goals in mind. Curricula opportunities range from taking planned STEM lessons and adding in an arts component or perspective, to developing STEAM plans that fully integrate arts education from the very start. Fun classroom activity ideas are plentiful. How can you start incorporating STEAM education? Adding an arts component to your students’ STEM experience is easy for any age group or level, or starting point. And finally, the inclusion of arts in STEM learning can help develop higher levels of subject knowledge for students who pursue artistic professions. The STEAM approach helps develop confident, competent learners by leveraging the topics where art and STEM naturally intersect – STEAM subject matter also has the added benefit of showcasing the value of the arts, by highlighting the inherent role they have in all areas of STEM. Professional STEM fields have suffered from a persistent lack of diversity, but incorporating the arts empowers students who may have felt discouraged. These skills can correlate to greater success in STEM careers such as engineering and finance. STEAM encourages the development of creative problem-solving skills, inventive thinking, imaginative design capabilities, and obtaining a more well-rounded skillset to tackle challenges. The inclusion of arts learning into STEM education has distinct benefits. Get Relevant Teaching Content and Updates Delivered Directly to Your Inbox.