Brought To You By the Letter 'J' - part 1

[NS9710]

Don't run Dave, it won't hurt you LOL!

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@NS9710 Hehe...I didn't want to stick around and let that steam from the cylinder cocks hit me. I was wet enough already from the on-and-off drizzle that day.

[35UGA0511]

As a switchman in Atlanta, I had the privilege to take the 611 from the Inman stock pen track to her train at Brookwood station for a north-bound steam excursion. I will remember it as long as I draw breath. As I dismounted, I took a bow; Sarcastic weak applause from the throngs. Then I gestured an intro to the mighty iron beast and ecstatic pandemonium erupted! I was totally upstaged by that magic steel lady, and you know what ?....I didn't mind a bit.

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@35UGA0511 Maybe you didn't quite stick the landing on your dismount, hence the weak applause. Probably just a tough judging panel that day.

[cellphonzrock]

@FastFlyingVirginian The J 611's whistle sounds quiet when it is at around 65mph.

[35UGA0511]

@FastFlyingVirginian ......Actually, I dismounted with melodious precision and athletic snap. And I actually looked good back then ( I've been retired 4 years now ) But, the adoring throng didn't come to see me -- They wanted "The J" !! It was such a pleasure to give the intro for that magical Amazon Queen that purred so wonderfully ! BTW - Y'all be careful up there, what with all the recent seismic activity and such. Really enjoy your video(s).

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@35UGA0511 Okay after the seismic activity, it's the 4-day power outage from Irene I could do without.

Queen...hm...I always thought 'High Priestess Of Roanoke' had a nice ring to it myself. But to each his own term of endearment.

[MrGroovy888]

the 611 is at the transportation museum in roanoke but they show it everywere i live in roanoke and go to the museum and the o winston link museum often the 611 could be the most reconizable unit ever

[BossNigger4]

The J was one of my faorite steam as a kid.

[Jakey611]

FFV, don't pay any attention to people knocking anything about your videos! ANY video is a record of history, REGARDLESS of what others think! Personally, I enjoyed every second of it. I rode behind 611 many times, and would give anything to do it again! Great video my friend, you did the old girl proud!

[Mandeenky]

the 611 is my favorite steam train. I remember it going thru ludlow ky yrs ago. Does anyone know if it will be doing rides there again and when?

[SFLRailFan]

Nice blast from the past. I think I read somewhere that NW 611 is preserved at the TVRM in Chattanooga, TN. Hopefully, it'll get a new lease on life when they start running steam excursions next year. Moving on the Part-II.

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@SFLRailFan Last I heard it was still over in Roanoke, displayed along with 1218. I haven't been over there yet though.

[TPM75108]

@SFLRailFan It's in Roanoke not in Chattanooga and yes it still has a chance of running in the future but probably won't.

[HOLYSMOKES07]

@SFLRailFan NO the N & W #611 is still in Roanoke.. The Southern Railways #611 is in Chattanooga and pulls a daily passenger run. Both are operational and share the same number.

[critchley3819]

power beutty and simplicity all in one.

[critchley3819]

These steam locos are the most beutiful works of art that man ever invented

[dreambuilders48808]

Thanks for posting. I hope to see her run someday! !!!

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@dreambuilders48808 If interest in the excursions that will be run in conjunction with the TVRM is high enough, you just might get that opportunity. :)

[dreambuilders48808]

@FastFlyingVirginian I hope so! What is TVRM?

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@dreambuilders48808 TVRM = Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. They are shooting to run some steam excursions out of the Chattanooga area starting in 2012 or so.

[dreambuilders48808]

@FastFlyingVirginian Cool. Are there serious talks about running the J? And how long has it been sidelined? 17yrs? It would need a boiler tear down I think.

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@dreambuilders48808 Right now, it's all just talk I think. They want to get 4501, 610, and 722 out and about first, and then gauge interest from there.

[jay600katana]

@dreambuilders48808 she would need to comply with the FRA's new standards for steam. I would guess she will need new flues,tubes,superheaters probly some firebox work, running gear work...etc. But as she sits she is in great condition, very little money would be needed (in steam loco terms) to get her out and about.

[tartopfan]

@FastFlyingVirginian actually it's this fall

[manga12]

OHH a streamliner, they dont make them like that anymore, even then when they did they did not make many of them. It is an elegent beast as it is huge but has a line all of its own, and makes a ton of sound with lots of moving parts. too bad the old steam locos are so resource intensive and take soo much mantainance, they are what helped build the nation its a shame to let them rust away and not even breath life in to them on occasion.

[buint]

The guy shooting this vid is all over the place including the ground - very hard to watch vid. Dude, take a class or something and learn your camera

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@buint Hey, thanks for the advice. This was in fact taken 17 years ago, on my first ever outing with a video camera, and 916 clips later (and counting), I can safely say I've learned one or two things about using the camera, all without your help. But thanks for the advice anyway, 17 years late to the party as you are.

[robertgift]

@buint I'd rather hear the sound while he is looking for a place to stand, than stop the video. Not bad for no tripod.

Thank you, FFV, for sharing this.

[PRRK4Lover]

@buint Atleast know something about the video before you comments. The 611 hasnt run in years. In 1991 the NS steam program was cancelled. Thus the 611 hasnt run since the early 90's, before home video's were common.

[irish89055]

photographer needs to learn how to shoot video... sheeezz some useful scenes images anyway..

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@irish89055 I don't claim to be descended from Cecil B. DeMille, but this was in fact my first outing ever with a video camera. I've since gone from 7-pound VHS sitting on my shoulder to 1-pound HDV sitting on a fluid-head tripod, and learned quite a bit in between. I think my biggest regret watching this is remembering how my friend who owned the camera asked if I wanted to borrow the tripod too, and I turned him down. If they ever get 611 running again, I will be there with full gear.

[critchley3819]

@irish89055 ?Are you for real try finding some happiness in your life

[WorldOfNothin]

Really sad these days are over I remember riding behind this Locomotive but only the one time sadly! also remember climbing all over this engine!! Ive been in the cab up close to it like this been on top of the engine there in the front I have a few pictures of that!!! I bet to day I would get yelled at if we did what i did when I was younger!!!

[generationll]

The 611 is my all time favorite steam locomotive.Love that horn at the end

[mmcceng77]

Nice looking loco. Musta been made in Canada!!

lol

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@mmcceng77 Pfft - this is the engine that Bullet-Nosed Betty DREAMED of being. :) Although I must give props to the GTW U-4b class, I rather liked their streamlining. Except - whoops! - they were built by Lima.

[ALS2001]

@mmcceng77 Canada always copied the US

[irish89055]

@mmcceng77 NOT...

[ljones121]

the only i think the steam program will come back is if ex N&W management starts to run NS,cause it seems as long as its Southern men, not going to happen.

[critchley3819]

Feeding time for the only man mad machine that has a soul

[trainkid16]

It's cool to see footage of this from a location I am fairly close to.

[tomwendel1957]

My all time favorite engine, thanks

[DisVietVetUSA]

To long to download and a tripod works good to give a better and more steady video!

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@DisVietVetUSA Yes, this was from my young, foolish, and tripodless days - one of the first (if not THE first) videos I shot, done with a 13-lb. over-the-shoulder VHS camera. I gather you haven't watched any of my newer material then...

[Caleb230CH]

i got to meat the 611 in person in Roanoke ,VA and it is cool but a little scratches on the passenger cars but looks good. the 1218 is there to and it is right beside it.

[pianomanmaestro]

Is she still running?

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@pianomanmaestro Nope. It's on display in a museum in Roanoke, VA. Lots of talk and ugly rumors about how easy it would be to bring back though.

[crwi1983]

@FastFlyingVirginian "Ugly" is right. It'd take a miracle.

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@crwi1983 You got that right - I think killing the steam program and selling off the FP7s was one of the most short-sighted things they've ever done, and those F-units they put on the OCS moves now are a feeble attempt at penance.

[XxBec3509]

lets hope she runs again one day she looks like a fine loco ! thanks for sharing :)

[XxBec3509]

awesome looking steam engine ,,id love the have a ride behind that ,, 5*vid thanks for sharing and Greetings from England :)

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@XxBec3509 Thanks...sadly, the 611 was put back in a museum a little more than a year after this video was recorded. It's been trotted out once or twice since, but not under its own power.

[trainbuff1985]

Just majestic---By far my favorite engine, in my o Gauge Train collection----- 5 Stars!!

[FastFlyingVirginian]

Majestic indeed, even in the rain. Thanks!

[theshoe21]

I rode this train as a passenger many times. I also got to ride in the cab quite a bit. My grandfather worked for the RR and knew all the guys. When it would stop in Portsmouth, Ohio, he'd ask if I could ride in the engine cab down to the RR yards, take on water and coal, and back to the station. What fun for a kid. Just as I started to appreciate steam engines they replaced them all. Thanks for posting.

[FastFlyingVirginian]

Sounds a little like the story Ed King did in TRAINS Magazine a little while ago about going to work for the N&W - they got rid of steam just as he was hired on.

[peterkburns1]

nice

[PhilbruProduction]

A very beautiful video. Thank you. 5*

[SteffanLlwyd]

The N and W really gave steam its best shot.... and what a locomotive! North American steam is so impressive (in the UK we are restricted to the C1 loading gauge)

[Larsky1010]

A magnificent machine! And what a sound its whistle made!

[FastFlyingVirginian]

That was quite a sound, yes. It would haunt me for days after riding an excursion, almost ringing in my ears.

[pwalpar]

Great look at the 611. Brings back memories of the last time I saw her.

[fillmore593]

I rode this old girl from Jacksonville Fl to Fargo Ga and back, some time in 1992 or 1993. I had the time of my life, embers and all!!!

[70stvtool]

This is AWESOME!! Thank you! I was on the leg from Toccoa, GA to Charlotte, NC. Me and my Grandfather rode on that 611. It was the best time in my life. I sure do wish they would bring back these excursions!

[FastFlyingVirginian]

I do too. I'd love to travel out West some day for one of the big excursions with 8444 or 4449, but it's just not possible right now. I'm hoping that PRR 1361 gets put back together soon and that NS is receptive enough to let it run - other than Steamtown, that seems to be our best hope for big mainline steam in the East now. We need more folks enthusiastic about it that are in a position to make it happen.

[ripjump12]

i miss the excursion with the nkp 587 n@w 611 and the 1218

[WMrailroader734]

611 and 1218 are owned by the city of Roanoke , VA. As far as I know they are

on loan to the museum.

[Hendo56]

Always thought the bell was on top. Interesting video! Wish I had taken my camcorder when I went a-riding. :(

[whatihave2do]

With the down turn in the economy I worry that they won't make it. Then what happens to these them? Then there are the Lost Engines of Roanoke. Their fate is not looking good either. One was saved by a man in Ohio. The other 3 steam engines and two diesel engines still sit but for how much longer? There is a group that want to save them and have been trying to raise the money but are not doing well. The deadline is the end of the year and they only have about 3k and need 500k. great video!

[PennsyPostwar671]

You mean 1218 and 611 might be scrapped?

[whatihave2do]

I don't think that will ever happen to the 611 & 1218 or any thing the VMoT has. There are the pieces that are sitting in the woods off Jefferson that I feel are not going to make it. I worry that VMoT won't make it either.

[PennsyPostwar671]

Well, if the VMoT doesn't make it, then what will happen to everything they have?

[FastFlyingVirginian]

Not to be the voice of doom, but never say never...different set of circumstances, but the pictures of a pile of metal that used to be GTW 5629 were pretty disheartening.

[whatihave2do]

I don't live far from where they sit. A mile or two at most. I think the down fall of the RTM was moving from Waena. They could have picked a better place than downtown. Everything to so crammed together you can't get good picks. They 611 & 1218 are looking fine other than they could use a wash. Not much peeling paint I was last year when I went and thankfully no rust. There are others that not looking nearly as good. They are barely hanging on with no support from the city.

[xxxDeath9572xxx]

isnt the 611 still sitting in Virgina waiting as cold as a Ghost? if NS doesnt want 2 use it sell it to CSX see if they will take it(most likley not!) or then give it to UP Steamtown USA in Scarton Pa or maybe even the Strausburgh RR which helps UP out actually with repairing and doing things to there steam fleet presently used

[FastFlyingVirginian]

Both it and 1218 are on display at Roanoke Transportation Museum. 611 has since been trotted out once or twice for static display on special occasions.

[high6williams]

I remember watching the 611 getting coaled in Richmond, VA (in the early 1990's) and the man had to hand shovel a good part of it!

[EA060]

I am SHOCKED! It's TOO BIG for a locomotive! In Europe we don't have such monsters. Anyway, it's amazing. The only thing I don't like (on all american trains) is the lack of buffers. Someday I wish to see it. All the best!

[3254man]

thats what we americans live about them, the size. They get even bigger than that too, and faster than that overated Mallard.

[Triumphrob]

No, The Mallard holds the world fastest steam record.

[3254man]

I dissagree. The New York Central railroad has accounts of a J3a hitting 14omph but since it was illegal, they never made it public.

[FastFlyingVirginian]

I've heard about the 140mph figure in connection with a wheelslip test they ran once, but not actual speed - it was something to do with running a J3 over a section of greased rail. Came from a book I read years ago about the development of the PRR K4. Another story I've heard several times is a Pennsy 4-4-2 hitting 127mph somewhere in the 1920s. And wasn't the Mallard record set going downhill? :)

[3254man]

Ya it was, and the mallard broke after that too

[xxxDeath9572xxx]

All these things you talk are just interesting yet amusing with this topic and yes i agree the Mallard did set the record down hill but i do know of reading an article about the 4-4-2 suposedly hitting 127mph but it would most likey not for that time it was done at which leads to quite alot of pples points how did they get it that fast and when and where. But it would seem most likey not as how could it do that when the technonlogy was that advanced in the 20's itself? thats the big question...

[SeniorMinch229018]

That was recorded. If you look at the Penssy T-1's were easily capable of reaching 120mph but they were probaly never recorded.

[FastFlyingVirginian]

Maybe, but I think the T1s were so light on their drivers they couldn't get their power to the rail; way too much slippage.

Side note here, but interesting story out of 'Triumph I' (Roberts/Messer) is that the T1 design was responsible for a lot of fireman fatalities - they would climb into the coal bunker to loosen the pile around the stoker opening and get caught in the stoker screw, and the engineer couldn't hear them scream because of the streamlined shroud on the tender. Eww...

[SeniorMinch229018]

Scary. Never knew that could happen with an Arcamedes screw.

I read that UP FEF's reached over 120mph as well.

[DanielVolker]

Another reason to enjoy 4449, 700, 844, 611 ect. Uhggg

[WhyAyeMann]

Hey hey hey, They Are big, but its not to big for a locomotive. Blame the size of the rolling stock, not the engines.

[calinkus]

Bad weather, but great video.

[FastFlyingVirginian]

Yeah, but in retrospect it is appropriate given the setting - my last NS steam excursion ever. Sad that the only one I ever videotaped had to be the only one that was in bad weather.

[manokiller]

*chuckles* the only sad thing is, she isnt like other northerns... She was made entirely by N&W which means... She has specfic parts taht are different then normal engines. They may fit, but they wouldnt work as well. So all teh parts would have to be fabricated, which isnt to hard, jsut costs some good change

[jay600katana]

Its a F-U-C-Kin shame thats shes sittin, her power and beautity never surpassed by any steam. CN 6060 is other favourite but 611 is by far the most technologicly advanced, sitting in a museum is such a waste of her

[DJGENEX71]

So cool! I remember seeing it back then, and still gives me chills to watch it again! Thanks for posting the videos of this great locomotive!

5***** Favorite!

[Xwingpilot]

I think this engine is my favorite one of all. If I were an engineer this is totally the one I'd be delighted to drive. I have an electric model set of it. Along with several passenger cars to go with it.