Norfolk and Western 611



Norfolk and Western No. 611 pulled The American excursion in Linden, Virginia, on June 5, 2016

Power type: Steam
Designer: H.W. Reynolds and Franklin C. Noel
Builder: Roanoke Shops (East End Shops)
Serial number: 388
Build date: May 29, 1950
Rebuild date: 1981–1982; 2014–2015
Specifications
Retired: October 27, 1959 (revenue service); December 7, 1994 (1st excursion service)
Restored: July 5, 1982 (1st restoration); March 31, 2015 (2nd restoration)
Current owner: Virginia Museum of Transportation
Disposition: Operational

Norfolk and Western 611, also known as the "Spirit of Roanoke" and the "Queen of Steam", is a Norfolk and Western (N&W) class J 4-8-4 "Northern" streamlined steam locomotive built in May 1950 by the N&W's East End Shops in Roanoke, Virginia. It was one of the last mainline passenger steam locomotives built in the United States and represents the pinnacle of steam locomotive technology.

No. 611 was assigned to haul the N&W's premier passenger trains between Norfolk, Virginia, and Cincinnati, Ohio; and to ferry the Southern Railway's (SOU) passenger trains between Lynchburg, Virginia, and Bristol, Tennessee. In early 1956, it was involved in an accident and was subsequently repaired until its retirement from revenue service in 1959. Due to its excellent condition, the No. 611 locomotive was donated to the Virginia Museum of Transportation (VMT), where it sat on display as the sole survivor of the class J locomotives.

In 1982, No. 611 was restored to operation by the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), N&W's successor. It became the main line star of the NS steam program, pulling excursion trains throughout the eastern United States. Former N&W president and NS chairman Robert B. Claytor, who was responsible for the restoration of No. 611, signifies the locomotive as Roanoke Born, Roanoke Bred, and Roanoke Proud. In 1984, No. 611 was dedicated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). It was often invoked as an icon of Roanoke and its railroading history. In late 1994, when liability insurance costs led NS to end its steam program, the locomotive was again retired and moved back to the VMT.

In early 2013, VMT helped raise $3.5 million from 3,000 donors to restore No. 611 to operating condition again. After a year of restoration work at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina, the locomotive returned to excursion service in mid-2015. In 2017, the Virginia General Assembly designated the 611 as the official state steam locomotive of Virginia. In 2019, 2021, and 2022, No. 611 visited the Strasburg Rail Road (SRC) in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, running short tourist excursion trains in the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside. Around late May 2023, the No. 611 locomotive would pull its last excursion trains on the SRC, before returning to the VMT.

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History

Design origins, revenue service, and first retirement

Main article: Norfolk and Western Railway class J (1941) § Design and construction

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No. 611, the twelfth J class locomotive, was the first of the final batch of three. Completed at a cost of $251,544, it was put into revenue service on May 29, 1950. No. 611 and the other class Js were assigned to haul N&W's Powhatan Arrow, Pocahontas, and Cavalier passenger trains between Norfolk, Virginia, and Cincinnati, Ohio; and to ferry the Southern Railway's (SOU) Birmingham Special, Pelican and Tennessean between Lynchburg, Virginia, and Bristol, Tennessee. On September 24, 1952, No. 611 and sister locomotive No. 613 hauled the special train from Columbus, Ohio, to Kenova, West Virginia, for the presidential campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower, who eventually won the election as president of the United States.

Under the management of N&W's new president Stuart T. Saunders in the late 1950s, the railroad began to dieselize, experimenting with first-generation diesel locomotives to understand their fuel and maintenance costs. They leased some EMD E6, E7, and E8 units from the Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) and Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac (RF&P) railroads, then ordered EMD GP9s to replace their class Js in passenger service.

The class Js continued in freight service until all except No. 611 were retired and scrapped between 1958 and 1959. In that latter year, No. 611 was selected to haul two Farewell To Steam round trip excursions: one from Petersburg, Virginia, to Norfolk on October 18 and the other from Roanoke to Williamson, West Virginia, on October 24. Three days later, No. 611 was retired from revenue service and served as a steam generator at the East End Shops, the same place where it was built, until its boiler flue ticket certificate expired in 1962. Because of the locomotive's excellent condition after being repaired from its 1956 accident, SOU board member W. Graham Claytor Jr. and N&W railroad photographer O. Winston Link convinced Saunders to donate No. 611 to the Roanoke Transportation Museum in Roanoke, where it sat on static display at the Wasena Park.

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Norfolk and Western Thunder On The Blue Ridge

Backshop Rail Productions
11.2K subscribers

60,044 views Apr 8, 2018 #norfolkandwestern611
This vintage Norfolk and Western film represents the 3 main class of steam locomotives used in operation on the N&W. The A-Class 2-6-6-4, J-Class 4-8-4, and Y-Class 2-8-8-2 If you enjoyed this video please hit that LIKE and SUBSCRIBE button. I really appreciate & value all of the LIKES and SUBSCRIBERS to my Videos & Channel!! #norfolkandwestern611

611 at Strasburg - The Farewell Tour, from Strasburg to Paradise PA 052023

Robert Jordan
12.7K subscribers

461 views May 20, 2023
611 at Strasburg - The Farewell Tour, from Strasburg to Paradise PA 052023

A few video snippets strung together to give you a quick impression at what the 611 was doing on this particular Saturday.