N&W Class J 611 is ON THE MOVE!

Thank you for the heads-up. I'm going to try to be there. Maybe we can have an impromptu OGR get-together.

Gilly

This is not a April fool joke either!! Can't wait to see my old friend next month!!

Yessir...this is the REAL DEAL, not an April Fools joke.

I spoke with one of the principals in this project yesterday and he confirmed this move. There has also been an official press release from Mark Brown at Norfolk Southern about this, too.

Very good news!!!!

Will it be traveling under its own power ?  I'd love to see it.

It is going to NC to be restored back to operation.  It is currently not operable

Oh yeah...I'm going to try to be there also.  As I have said before....my world makes sense again.....

For me, this is one of the most exciting things that's happened in the last twenty years. My love for 611 runs almost as deep if not deeper than it does for O gauge trains. I'm already looking at heading down to watch break in runs or the first trip next year. It has been a long time coming, and I'm happy I'm around to see it.

GREAT NEWS!! Looks like I can cross this one off of my bucket list! As a FireUp 611 volunteer I was pretty confident that it was going to happen, just didn't know when. If any of you can make it to Spencer on the 29th we could try to arrange an OGR get-together.

Friends,

As long as Scrapiron Scher is not allowed behind the throttle, the N & W 611 should run okay and not derail like he did with the NKP 765. If you see Scrapiron anywhere near the 611, please call the railway police.

Thank you in advance for your assistance. Happy April Fools day.  

Erol Gurcan 

Here is also a link to the article in The Roanoke Times.

ONCE AGAIN...that derailment of the 765 had NOTHING TO DO WITH WHO WAS AT THE THROTTLE! It was caused by track conditions, pure and simple.

No matter who had been at the throttle at that moment, the 765 would have still derailed.

Exciting stuff...woot!

I can't wait for a ride!

I have already bought the tickets for Spencer on Saturday, and booked a room in Salisbury Saturday night. I am taking my youngest son he is 12. Streamliner weekend should be great, 611 makes it even better!

If there is an Ogr Forum get together please let me know.

I really don't care for this pamphlet! However, if this is the real deal, I'll buy a copy. Otherwise, you got me to bite on an April fools....

Gilly

Yes, it appears you got taken by an April Fool prank.  I doubt it is a legitimate cover of anything.

anyone hear what the timetable on the #611 restoration is projected to be?  These kinds of projects are not easy reqardless of the monies set aside for the job.  I'm wondering if they're still shooting for steam up in 2015.

Paul Fischer

Yes...

This is great news. Thanks for the heads up. Another bucket list item I can soon cross off the list. 

Whenever I see a live event or a video of a once-great Steam Locomotive pulling a train on a Fan Trip, it's always a letdown to see 2 or 3 Diesels pushing behind, as if to say "sorry, old man, but you shouldn't be trying this by yourself".

BAD ORDER

I'd love to see the 611 in Alexandria, VA, again someday but that's not likely to happen.

Bob,

Make no mistake, I love what you did. I just don't care for Time magazine! Great job with this...

Gilly

I believe the hope is to have 611 steaming back to Roanoke by late November, early December barring any major surprises. There is a possibility of running one or two Christmas excursions out of Roanoke if everything goes well. The goal is definitely to have her ready for the Steam Program in 2015.

Personally, I am more excited about the 611 restoration than I am about the Big Boy project, since this is a Southern regional loco (N&W). Chased her on her first test run out of the Birmingham, AL steam shop in 1982 with Bill Purdy at the throttle. Helped "babysit" her one Summer night in 1984 in Chattanooga, TN and got to throw a few scoops onto her banked fire and work her injector. What a thrill!

The 611 is a THOROUGHBRED in every respect! I have ridden behind her and chased her on many occasions, and I cannot wait to ride behind her again!

I know Big Jim must be thrilled!!

In the link to the Fireup611 website I posted it states in there that it will take approx. 9 months and is set to begin shortly after the closure of the event in Spencer, which will put us into early June.  If it all goes as planned the restoration should be completed by March 2015...ish.

While I am excited about the 4014, the 611 and the N&W is where my heart lies.  I can't count all the times I was fortunate enough to ride behind her and chase her.  To see her alive again is a dream come true....she deserves it!  I am glad that so many of the folks who are apart of this were there the first time around and know her so well.  She is in good hands.

Same here. Its been so long I forgot the year but I remember well the trip from Detroit to Fort Wayne behind the J.  Richard Kughn had his private car along for the ride.

It's my favorite engine with a great whistle and I'm happy to see it return to railfan service.

Joe 

Video taken in the dark is bad but it captures that Lionel #611 J sound perfect..  

TO ALL:

I don't know anything about your 611.

Is it an articulated, like the Big Boy or Challenger, or other?  What's the wheel arrangement?

Thanks,

BAD ORDER, vintage 1936

Hal,

Google is your friend.

HEY HOT WATER,

Yes, I know.  I've been using Google ever since it became a Search Engine.  I get ALL my information from Google!

It's just that sometimes I like to get information directly from the Members.

It's interesting to see from their responses how varied their communicating styles can be. 

The 611's styling reminds me of that PRR S-1 Art Deco locomotive designed by Raymond Leowy.

 That's all..

 BAD ORDER 

She's a 4-8-4 and is not articulated.

its cool that a private group is doing the deal. Hopefully they be able to keep it running for decades like SP4449. I would like to see them eventually bring back 1218 to! Fact is they should have done that one first IMO but its good at least 1 of them will be back soon!

It's a curiosity to me, that the museum and not Norfolk Southern is restoring the 611, which has its antecedents in that railroad, which will earn good will, an asset, after the 611 is rolling. In other words, wouldn't it be nice if they made a contribution?

OK I stand corrected. I was reacting to the link with the Roanke Times.

Maybe I can shed some light on this. It was decided at the outset, with the blessing of NS, that VMT would retain ownership and handle the restoration of 611. Hopefully this protects the program from the whim of a "steam-unfriendly" future NS CEO (remember 1994?). Also, the previous NS steam program was not so much a "for profit" operation and this time around it will be, to ensure and perpetuate the program. NS will still be involved and will be operating company and client excursions from time to time. They did in fact donate $1.5M, as Hot Water noted.

Also, 611 was chosen over 1218 due to the estimated cost of restoration, $750K versus at least $1.5M. Remember that 611 was not too far out from a rebuild and only about halfway through it's boiler certification when pulled off the rails while 1218 was in the middle of a rebuild.

I sure don't understand how ANYONE could think that ANY "main line" steam operation could EVER be "for profit"! Remembering my good friend Steve Lee's comment about "Steam locomotives don't burn coal or oil,,,,,they BURN MONEY!", certainly bares that out.

The Norfolk Southern 21st Century Steam Program is a public relations program, and a very effective one indeed. It most definitely does NOT make a profit! It was never designed to make a profit and in fact it would be impossible for it to make a profit, at least in the financial sense.

Having said that, has NS "profited" from this program? Certainly, and in many ways, but none of them are financial.