Brought To You By the Letter 'J' - part 2

[TIEPILOT0815]

I have this locomotive in H0, it is a wonderful machine!

Nice Video!!!

[SFLRailFan]

Very, very cool! Love that whistle. Thanks so much for posting this marvelous piece.

[deloreanman14]

That whistle never fails to give me chills.

[lahluv]

is 5098 a former n&w engines or southern railway

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@lahluv Technically, neither - if you look closely under the number on the cab, the sublettering is for the Georgia Southern & Florida Railway (GS&F). However, the GS&F had long been a Southern subsidiary, so if it had to be one of the two it would be former SOU.

[lahluv]

@FastFlyingVirginian o ok thanks. i have a picture of it thats why i was wondering

[22microns]

Happy 60th b-day to the 611...She'll be sitting in the sunshine this weekend to celebrate @ The Virginia Transportation Museum (June 19th).

[psycotria]

Just my opinion, but I believe that one day, 611 will be shopped and put back into running shape. The pendulum swings both ways and 611 is eminently restorable. As it's my favorite loco in existence and I've never seen it, I hope it's time comes before mine is over.

[FastFlyingVirginian]

@psycotria Hope springs eternal, or something like that. :) I hope it happens someday too, since this trip was my only chance to ever capture 611 on video.

[rwk360]

Bob Claytor loved steam, but he passed away to cancer April, 1993 and David Goode took his spot at NS and Goode decided a year later to terminate the steam program at the end of 1994 because he wanted nothing to do with it and it delayed their freight trains, was a drain on personnel, who wanted to work an excursion train on the weekend after working the freights all week, and was a big liability. Goode was only interested in moving freight. He barely tolerated Amtrak. Now, Wick Moorman is boss.

[AmtrakFlorida]

@rwk360 David Goode can burn in hell. Nice video by the way

[rwk360]

What about Sou #4501? Could that be restored to operation? Maybe NS could restore both #611 and #4501. Couldn't TVRM be used to maintain #611 and #4501? NS runs right by the Grand Junction Station, if NS will do it special excursions could be done with #4501 or #611 from Grand Junction Station the opposite way onto NS for all-day steam excursions. TVRM already does all-day steam excursions via trackage rights on NS through Chattanooga and onto a short line into GA. Why did David Goode kill steam

[FastFlyingVirginian]

My personal opinion? There were executives in the ranks at NS who wanted the program gone, but could never hope to kill it while Claytor and the other higher-ranked supporters were in charge. So they just bided their time until the supporters were all retired, dead, or too low down on the totem pole to have any influence, and the program was killed, all to 'focus on serving our customers' - by killing the greatest PR tool in history?? Puh-leeze.

[DanielVolker]

4501 goes "under the knife" as soon as 630 gets out.

[CODEMASTER4601]

ghost whistle, but that last "toot" there suppose to last that toot till that engine runs over the crossing, only then it will stop

[WMrailroader734]

NS did a boiler inspection on 611 and it

passed NRA standers. The condition of 1218 is it does not have any flues in her.

[FastFlyingVirginian]

Heck, they could MAKE new flues if they wanted to. If the A-1 project in England can come up with an entire new, previously extinct locomotive from scratch, I believe they could come up with the parts for 1218 if they were of a mind to do it.

[ssstnh1996]

I have that engine for HO scale so far it as lways been my favorite engine.

very nice whistle!!!

[KOOLDAVE1953]

Fabulous whistle.....

[xxxDeath9572xxx]

that whistle is just amazing!

[juligirl00]

I hope #611 and #1218 will run again soon in the future!

[FastFlyingVirginian]

Would be nice, but Norfolk Southern put them back in the museum at Roanoke and sold or scrapped all of the machine tools used to maintain them when they ran AFAIK. I know 611's been cleaned up and rolled out (not under its own power) for special occasions, but that's about it. I've heard that 1218 isn't in such great shape at the museum either - peeling paint, etc.

[xxxDeath9572xxx]

i dont understnad if NS wont use 1218 and 611 sell them to Steamtown USA in Scranton Strausburgh RR or Up Strausburgh RR is so good with steam because they help Up with they're locomotives that they presently ahve in they're fleet its a shame what NS chooses to do.. along with making a heritage program which they refuse to do like restoring 2 beautful sleeping giants

[DanielVolker]

I think 611 would be the only N&W engine to return to operation. 1218 was in the middle of a rebuild when NS tanked the steam program. Most of the tooling was sold off and many of the parts for 1218 are missing.

[DJGENEX71]

Awesome video! 5***** and Favorite 4 sure!