N&W 611: Conquering the Proving Grounds

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N&W 611: Conquering the Proving Grounds

Рет қаралды 60,229

9 жыл бұрын

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In 1950, most of the Class 1 railroads in the United States were scrapping their massive fleets of steam locomotives in favor of newer, more modern diesel locomotives. The Norfolk & Western Railway, however, vastly differed from this growing trend and was still building their own steam locomotives in their own shops. During that year the Norfolk & Western's East End Shops in Roanoke, Virginia, rolled out a massive streamlined locomotive dressed in Black, Tuscan Red, and Gold. Built with some of the most advanced technology and practices in steam railroading, the engine was designed for both speed and pulling power. This engine was 611.
The "J Class" as it was referred to, pulled trains such as the Powhatan Arrow, the Pelican, the Tennesseean, and the Pocahontas over the mountainous Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains regularly. 65 years later, Norfolk & Western 611 began her third career in service pulling trains over the same routes she ran in regular service. Restored at the North Carolina Transportation Museum's Spencer Shops over the course of the year by volunteers of the VMT and other various contractors, she left Spencer under her own power on May 30th, 2015 for her homecoming trip to Roanoke. This weekend, the 611 pulled six trips in total out of Roanoke to the towns of Lynchburg and Radford over the same routes she was designed for; the Blue Ridge and Christiansburg Grades. These were the proving grounds, of sorts, for the J's, and the 611 is in charge of pulling the 21-car consist up the 1.2-1.3% grades she used to climb back in the old days. Now, please enjoy this exciting video brought to you by Blue Comet Productions!
This video was filmed between July 3rd and 5th, 2015.
Thank you to everyone who donated in monetary and laborous ways to bring the Queen back to life! Without your help, this would not have been possible! Please visit fireup611.org/ for more details on how you can support her for many years to come!

Пікірлер: 42

@peckinpaugh1967 9 жыл бұрын

My daddy drove this train back in the 80's...i did not realize as a teenager the importance of this for alot of people. He is still driving trains now and his 50 year retirement is coming up. I love you you dad for all you have done for me.. ;)

@CentralPennRailProductions 9 жыл бұрын

Fantastic production, I had to watch it a few times to really get the full effect. The shot with the horses is a hands-down instant classic.

@DelayInBlockProductions 8 жыл бұрын

I can't really describe the awesomeness in this video.

@Bigjimvideo 9 жыл бұрын

One of the best 611 videos I've seen yet!!

@jtq69 8 жыл бұрын

Outstanding video. One of the best I have seen of the 611. Love the symbolism with the horses and NS.

@MauriceQuirin 9 жыл бұрын

Tremendous production and editing! Brings back memories of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Love the sequences at Forest with the antique store and the Vicker coaling tower. Thanks for producing and sharing.

@P61guy61 8 жыл бұрын

Thanks for posting. Thanks NS.

@Stussmeister 5 жыл бұрын

A very nicely-done video that encapsulates the romance of steam locomotives. I'm also wondering what the horses at 4:40-5:01 were saying to each other: "Goodness! Do you SEE that huge thing, Bob?" "I sure do, Frank. The humans call it an 'iron horse.'" "But it doesn't look anything LIKE us?!?!"

@tweets8284 9 жыл бұрын

one of the best yet..what a fine train..power and beauty..great video

@EricFreas 9 жыл бұрын

I like the shot at Lowry at 9:12. I was one of the people up on the bridge! Great shots! And I was standing right next to you at the crossing there at Elliston in the rain. What a coincidence!

@bigjohnrailproductions8370 9 жыл бұрын

Very awesome video.with all that EPIC SHOTS!!!

@jjsmith406 9 жыл бұрын

Fantastic!

@tony1961chl 7 жыл бұрын

Éste vídeo es una belleza,gracias.

@j.christopherlindsey8933 9 жыл бұрын

Love it. My girl showing why she's the best northern ever built. She doesn't need a diesel with that HPU car. She can handle that consist all by herself.

@j.christopherlindsey8933 9 жыл бұрын

Sorry, HEP...

@km4dnm771 7 жыл бұрын

Remember during the 4th of July weekend of 2015, she had some trains that were sold out at 1,043 people on board including staff with 4 seats for paramedics in case of an medical emergency on board. She was fun to ride on and trying to pour coffee on a moving dome car is .... interesting. To bad she was speed restricted to 40 mph. During the previous excursions during the 90's she had a medical emergency and the speed restriction was lifted and she was doing +90 mph.

@tedcartwright3183 9 жыл бұрын

Fabulous work. Must have taken a lot to keep up with it. Thanks for sharing.

@jasonoliver8416 8 жыл бұрын

Great video

@tedcartwright3183 9 жыл бұрын

Too bad about the rain, but it's still a work of art.

@indie1361 9 жыл бұрын

She purdy

@brianfalzon6739 9 жыл бұрын

611 and 765 should do a doubleheader there someday!!!

@daverossbachjr1154 9 жыл бұрын

Great video!!!

@HerfingPug 8 жыл бұрын

Poetry in motion. Thank you for great vid.

@jrcrawford4 9 жыл бұрын

What a beautiful thing was steam. And what a crime to kill it.

@struck2soon 9 жыл бұрын

Nicely filmed. Wonder how it is that NS seem happy enough to let 611 haul big trains all over their system without diesels, yet UP lash one or more to their trains every time 844 ventures out? I am guessing NS have a more enlightened approach.

@josephignudo7405 9 жыл бұрын

having diesel helpers is more along the lines of fuel efficiency rather than needing help to pull the train. unless that piece of railroad requires it. 765 just ran all over upstate New York and northern PA without diesel assistance. because they modded the tender to hold more coal. without the mod they would have needed a diesel to help with buring less coal.

@struck2soon 9 жыл бұрын

Personally speaking, I see little point in running a "steam excursion" if the steam loco is just on the front to make smoke. We all want to see what the steam loco is capable of!

@UP4014SteamTrainFan 8 жыл бұрын

+struck2soon t yeah it gets kinda annoying that they put those loud helpers I whish they would at least one excursinon with out a helper

@renegadeoflife8774 8 жыл бұрын

+Joseph Ignudo The tender extension only allowed them to make longer excursions. 765 carried with her 4 gondolas of coal, these were removed from the train before boarding passengers and left in the sidings near where the excursions boarded at. She also took on water along the way from local municipal connections- for instance in Corning NY her water tanks were filled from nearby fire hydrants, and in one town along her route fire pumpers were used to supply water to the train. The other thing that happened though is that while 765 has DMU controls aboard to allow an unmanned diesel to be operated, there was an incident while using said controls where they lost control of said diesel. It pushed her a fair distance before they could stop it, and caused some damage that was fortunately repaired. Since then though there has been more and more footage of steamers run without diesels in their consist.

@984francis 9 жыл бұрын

What the load on the hook?

@Rebel9668 8 жыл бұрын

Love how it's all steam and no diesels for supposedly electric and braking, etc.

@renegadeoflife8774 8 жыл бұрын

+Rebel9668 There was an incident with NKP765 where they lost control of the diesel assist and the diesel shoved 765 along quite a ways, causing some damage. I've noticed videos made since then the steamers are finally being run diesel-free, other than when needed to get up a hill or when a train has to run backwards- the steam engine enjoys the ride as the diesel pulls it back so as to avoid derailments. Though having a diesel in the consist would give the train Dynamic Braking, which steam is incapable of doing, everything else the diesel does when it isn't pulling the train can be done by equipment mounted on the loco itself or in the maintenance car that almost always travels with the steamer to carry its crew and spare parts.

@TrainTrackTrav 8 жыл бұрын

+renegadeoflife87 844 had the same thing happen. From what I understand, the helper crew put the diesel in notch 8 in stead of dynamics. Shoved 844 two miles with her drivers locked. NOT GOOD!

@peterrosenquist 7 жыл бұрын

renegadeoflife87 in regards to the incident, when did it happen?

@GDP999-z1u 9 жыл бұрын

only thing I don't like is the Whistle, engine is a beautiful machine, it sounds like her original voice is gone

@bcbloc02 9 жыл бұрын

19:48 is that some kind of coaling station? Great video, loved the tunnel shot. Wish they had run more 611 trips this year! Seems early to be ending the season. fall runs thru the mountains when the leaves change would be amazing. 17:05 any idea what that grade is? looks pretty steep.

@EricFreas 9 жыл бұрын

bcbloc02 That is an ex-N&W coaling tower at Vicker, Va.

@frederickmiles327 9 жыл бұрын

The J and U classification seem the ultimate for steam locomotives. In US and French parlance in might be regarded as meaning 110mph for 100 miles for Js and 100mph for 100 miles for the Canadian U1, U2 and U3 and French U5 possibly the ultimate conventional steam locomotive. As well as the NYC J3a Hudsons and NW J the NZR J and JA were extraordinarily fast narrow gauge 3ft 6 inch express steam, probably at least as fast as the Japanese narrow gauge pacifics that were still running many of the expresses on what became Tokaido lines as they were converted. The Japanese worshiped their fast steam where the Chinese ignored it. On 143/144 the J and JA probably frequently exceeded80mph and far faster speeds were often claimed, particularly on the last desperate downhill 53 miles from Ashburton to Chrsitchurch. The South Island limited running from Invercargill at sunrsie, 374 miles to Lyttelton to connect with the steamer express at sunset, is an immensely tight timetable and the last 111 miles from St Andrews to Chrsischurch demanded a timetable 15 minutes under the time alloted for the Pochnatas and Phowatan over the last 111 miles into Cincinati. The overnight steam express from Lyttelton was a luxury level cruise with the only unrestricted evening and late night clubs in NZ before . My mothers wartime boyfriends were of Cook Straight steamer express captains and shell company executives.