Thanks!

Nice not to have a diesel. And it doesn't even need one.

How many Diesel Electrics would it take… 2, maybe 3.

Camelot is up,and running on the Bluebell. Gorgeous .

Laws of economics. Americans needed big heavy power: UK needed to move a lot of short trains very quickly and efficiently. And they did.

Agree and disagree. Daylight Limited looks better.

Other railroads had made all of the mistakes by the time they built this.

kind of like a busmans holiday.

the sound rattling in the tunnel is amazing

Robert Coulter that is the sound of people trying to breathe!!!

They'll manage :)

611 is a real beast, you could feel her shaking the ground as she went by.

Thank you!

Damn right Brit

Thank you! Glad there’s so many still operational.

You over in England have some beautiful steam locomotives too!

Western Virginia is beautiful. I hope to see 611 running through there many more times in the future.

East coast engines, there were a lot more powerful than west, of course coal was big part of that

Glad you enjoyed it!

I live in Radford

NEVER underestimate the power of steam

Fun story: In July 1988 NKP 765 was tucked behing two SD40-2's and a U33C which were pulling a 60 car freight train. They were heading up to Gulf Summit on the former Erie, and at first they were rolling at 40 mph but once they hit the hill at Gulf Summit their speed began to drop to 25 mph and was was continuing to drop. The fireman on 765 that day wanted to test a new load of coal they just aquired (765 had been "idling" this whole time on this 60 car freight train) 765's engineer radioed the diesels and asked if they wanted some "help" up the hill. Eventually after easing 765 into the load the throttle was to the roof with a steady 245 psi boiler pressure with the 765 making SO much noise it drowned out the diesels ahead of it. After several minutes they were back up at 32 and accelerating slowly (still going up this hill mind you) Satisfied with the performance of the coal, 765's engineer radioed to the diesels informing them they would be backing off now. The response he got was: "It's a good thing you let me know. I'll start notching up again. You guys have had the whole train all by yourselves for the last 3 miles." 765 pulled a 60 car freight train BY HERSELF up Gulf Summit Grade at 32 mph, and three diesels couldn't match her power.

@@e-train765 They were great locos, operated by a company that understood steam and what it could achieve.

Great work indeed, but I feel sorry for anyone following through the tunnel . . . and diesels going through a tunnel are already bad enough.

Thanks!

I believe there was some fiasco involving the original engineer and HIS whistle from her last excursion service back then. The one she has now is either a repop or the closest they could get. Its still amazing, and to hear it echo through danville va as she was coming through, sent chills up my spine and tears in my eyes. Its the most sorrowful, lonely sounding noise Ive ever heard. But with her in view, its kinda cheerful in a way.

Would love to ride on her.

diesles can start up a train, high power low end torque, but a steamer works better when it has a good speed on it or worked hard makes the fire burn hotter and the steam expands more taking less of it to push the piston and once gets going the steam admission valve can be cut shorter saving steam, and that is where it makes its most power when its running hard the boiler does its job the best. that is where with the more modern steamers built late in the era like 611 make their peak hp at speed.

Actually, early diesels weren't good on slopes, the Santa Fe actually had steam engines on standby in certain areas as helpers for that reason.

They still aren't as good they can also overheat the motors on a hard hill as it were like the problem with ashbula hill that 765 climbed unaided last year on the way over though ohio about this time she needed everything she had and they thought she would slip but she made it , also, just listen to the hill story by Rich Melvin when he ran up attica hill, during the conrail years a yard foreman doubted that any train could make the hill since the diesles needed help, but then got a shock when Mr Melvin had 775 accellerating up the hill, the thing is the harder you work the pressure on the pistons as it goes up the stack the harder the draw on the fire like puffing a cigar when you smoke or a set of bellows in a blacksmith shop the the harder you draw the more it glows and more heat it gives off, the hotter the fire the more the steam expands and takes up more volume with less gas to push the piston in the cylinder, also the more easy it makes steam in the boiler.

That yard foreman must have had the shock of his life as he witnessed 765 climb Ashbula Hill by itself. Amazing information on how a steam locomotive seems to become more efficient and powerful the harder the engineer works her; just the opposite for a diesel. You just can't beat a steam locomotive for sheer power and torque.

And you can't beat a steam locomotive for sheer beauty.

And by the time the end of the train finally exited, the smoke was STILL trailing out of the tunnel!!! 😺💕🐾

I heard either 611 or one of her sister engines had gotten up to 110 when the PRR had her pulling the Broadway Limited once. That would really be a sight to see.

611? that was a differant railroad that had that the Broadway was a PRR train, unless this was in the excursion days post steam when N&S had her, but speedwise yea 100 would be pushing her, but I know she is known to do 100 mph, but there were faster locos of course, though some would say she is the most technological advanced loco left from the steam era due to her fine craftsmanship, and balanceing as well as her roller bearings, and being one of the last locomotives built in the united states at a point where many were already bringing on diesles. I hope the t1 does get done and cant wait for that day that we can get some miles on her and find out once and for all what one can do the people building her or rather the crew that is spearheading the effort like gary bensman and wayne york come from the Fort Wayne Historical Railroad, so they know what steamers can do and how to put them togather, they have been at it for a very long time, Fort Wayne was the first all volunteer and non profit know in the world to be the first to get an engine back to running order in steam took them a few years but they were the first recorded to do it, others did as rail companies and so forth but Fort Wayne was all volunteer, I do hope the use some better metal though for the poppits that were one of the mechanical downfalls of the metal at the time, when they ran them as hard as they did on the crestline to chicago division via fort wayne the Altoona of the PRR West lol though they look like they are trying to make her as much as they could in the origional fashion so far.

+Jamie Stearns ;))

It was 610.

manga12 I think PRR had a controlling interest in NW at the time.

The tender attached to the locomotive holds both coal and water. The second tender is usually referred to as an auxiliary tender or canteen and holds just water. Canteens weren't very common in the days of steam because trains could just stop at water towers on their route, but these days they are a necessity for any mainline steam operation.

611 almost never runs with any kind of diesel, it can handle the excursions on its own.

@@SmokyMtnSteam So what is the car right behind the coal bunker for?

@@SantaFe19484 It's a canteen for extra water capacity.

@@SantaFe19484 Also just as a FYI, the second car after the canteen car, the one with the smoke stack at 14:33 , was the generator car providing power for the consist.

Everything moving part on that loco was mounted on roller or needle bearings. Two men could pull it with a rope. The trouble with coal power is the amount of carbon dioxide it puts into to the air (far less efficient than diesel so more CO2) and the contaminants in the firebox ("cliinkers") that are poisonous. Plus they use coal from mines that destroy the environment (mountain topping, pouring coal wash water into local streams, etc.) Diesels are far more reliable, too.

No they do not.

Thank you! Actually at the time this was filmed I was using the Sony ECM-XYST1M stereo mic. I now use the Azden SMX-30 which can be switched between shotgun and stereo as the situation requires.

Just to let you know, the 611 was speed restricted to 45 MPH for the july 2015 trips. During the production of the locomotive, while pulling 15 cars was able to get up to 110 MPH or 177 Km/h. The engineer started to get nervous with vibrations to push it any faster, therefor the true power and speed of that locomotive is not known.

No, I got there at the same time the train did so I didn't have time to set up my tripod. The wobble is the camera trying to compensate for the unsteadiness of my hands.