Fire Up N&W 611!

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The Davy Crockett

The Davy Crockett

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Jan 3, 2011
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Maybe it is no real surprise, given the publicity raised by the survey done this spring, but the Virginia Museum of Transportation has announced the results of its feasibility study...

and the green signal has been given to restoring the N&W Class J 611!!! :)

...and she has been invited to participate in Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam Excursion Program in 2014 :excl: :excl: :excl:

And what is no surprise at all is that they need $$$ from folks who want to see her alive and steaming.

More information can be found here at the website Fire Up 611!
 
i am very excited about the possibility of 611 being restored. I never saw her run and she is a true legend. With that said.. 2014 is crazy. The good people at TVRM in Chattanooga have been a few years now on 4501 and she isn't steaming yet. This is a fully equipped shop with true experts working full time on her. How many years did the recent 261 rebuild take? At least 2 years. 2014 is just around the corner! ha.

With that said... I do have a feeling it will happen.. just might take a little longer. Certainly something I never thought I'd get to see!
 
Ah, but the Queen is special!

When her fires were dropped in 1994, they took extra care to prep her for "retirement" No residual moisture in the boiler, and periodic movement to keep the roller bearings limber.

(The VMT has annual "611 pull" contests that pits groups of participants against the mass of the locomotive in a tug of war.) :eek:

I hope that the response is tremendous, because if any Locomotive deserves to live again, it is this one.

FIRE UP 611! :wub:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The Davy Crockett said:
Maybe it is no real surprise, given the publicity raised by the survey done this spring, but the Virginia Museum of Transportation has announced the results of its feasibility study...
and the green signal has been given to restoring the N&W Class J 611!!! :)

...and she has been invited to participate in Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam Excursion Program in 2014 :excl: :excl: :excl:

And what is no surprise at all is that they need $$$ from folks who want to see her alive and steaming.

More information can be found here at the website Fire Up 611!
Click to expand...
I wonder how much they need to restore her? I think that NS should make a tax-deductible contribution, as the resulting publicity and good will upon her returning to service, would, IMHO, give a far better return to them then say, what they get from the "image advertisements" they frequently run during national t-v news programs.....wonder how much one of those costs?

In fact, I am somewhat surprised that NS did not keep at least that locomotive in their possession, similar to what the UPRR has done......
 
Last edited by a moderator:
railiner said:
The Davy Crockett said:
Maybe it is no real surprise, given the publicity raised by the survey done this spring, but the Virginia Museum of Transportation has announced the results of its feasibility study...
and the green signal has been given to restoring the N&W Class J 611!!! :)

...and she has been invited to participate in Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam Excursion Program in 2014 :excl: :excl: :excl:

And what is no surprise at all is that they need $$$ from folks who want to see her alive and steaming.

More information can be found here at the website Fire Up 611!
Click to expand...
I wonder how much they need to restore her? I think that NS should make a tax-deductible contribution, as the resulting publicity and good will upon her returning to service, would, IMHO, give a far better return to them then say, what they get from the "image advertisements" they frequently run during national t-v news programs.....wonder how much one of those costs?

In fact, I am somewhat surprised that NS did not keep at least that locomotive in their possession, similar to what the UPRR has done......
Click to expand...
I hear what you're saying. At least what NS is doing with its 21st Century Sream! program helps keep interest and money going into steam engine preservation.

CSX: Are you listening? :huh:

;)
 
NS has a program.. 21st Century Steam that they have and continue to invest in. My understanding is that NS wants to partner with organizations that already have the infrastructure in place (crew, shop facility, etc.) which is why they partnered with Fort Wayne and TVRM. The general public doesn't know the difference between the 765, the 4501, and the 611. So from a publicity point of view.. a steam locomotive is a steam locomotive (and indeed the 4501 and 765 are pretty famous in their own right).
 
This might not be a shock, but I just got an email today from the VA Museum of Transportation saying it is no longer a matter of if, but a matter of when:

October 25, 2013 - ROANOKE, VIRGINIA - The Virginia Museum of Transportation and the Fire Up 611! Committee announced today that the Fire Up 611! Capital Campaign raised the funds to mechanically restore the Norfolk & Western Class J 611 steam passenger locomotive.
Close to 2000 donations have poured in from across the United Statesand 15 foreign countries, demonstrating worldwide appreciation for the Roanoke-designed and built locomotive. With the current funding in place for restoration of the mechanical components for the steam engine, the campaign will turn its focus toward raising funds to provide the maintenance facility that will keep the locomotive running for decades.
"We have achieved a significant milestone, but there is still much work to be done," explains Beverly T. Fitzpatrick, Jr., Executive Director of the Virginia Museum of Transportation. "Our goal from the beginning has been not only to get the 611 up and running, but to also keep it operational for decades."
The fundraising campaign will continue until additional funds are raised to build a maintenance facility. Until those funds are raised, the Class J 611 will remain at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia.
The Virginia Museum of Transportation launched the Fire Up 611! Campaign on June 28, 2013 with a goal of raising $3.5 million by October 31, 2013, in order to restore the 611 in time for excursions in Spring 2014. "We knew going in that we were operating on a very ambitious timetable to be able to begin excursions in the spring," adds Fitzpatrick. "Good things have happened and are continuing to happen. This is not a matter of 'if' she'll run again; it's a matter of 'when.'"
Click to expand...
 

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