611 THE LAST EXCURSION (of the 20th Century).wmv
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- It was nearly 11 and 1/2 years from the time I first watched 611 pull out of the "weed lot", AKA the site of the former Terminal Station, on her first Birmingham to Chattanooga run. Both days were cloudy and dreary, but it 1983 the clouds parted for a bit as we watched this beautiful machine pulling her train with ease. Today there would be no sun, and there was not a lot of joy, for Norfolk Southern's new president had inaugurated the era of the "No Steam" railway, and murdered this fantastic program. In about a week after these shots, from Birmingham to Attalla, AL, 611 would drop her fires for the last time in the 20th century, and become a static exhibit. There she would wait for a better day, longing to run once more.
I glimpsed her running down the tracks under a full head of steam on the return leg of a test run from Spencer to Greensboro Thursday, 5/21 in preparation for her trip home to Roanoke. Beautiful, just beautiful.
Saturday May 9th! N&W 611 moved under her own power in 20 years!
Jacob Owen A great day indeed! Just wish it had happened a long time ago...and that the restoration had been here, at her second home.
That was a great day indeed, gentlemen.
@@zathras9now I’m glad it happened at the nctm because now I don’t have to drive 6 hours just to see it
Finally got a good view of the "all maroon" water tender they once used. I'm gonna paint one of mine that way.
She looks just as shiny and well kept in these videos as she did while in the museum. Give credit to the guys at the museum and NS personnel for keeping her so well kept both during operation and as a static display. They are the reason she is getting a third chance soon.
One thing to keep in mind is that her flue time was almost up when she was re-retired. And she has sat for almost as long as she sat before. So were talking a boiler ultra sound, new tubes and flues, her engine truck needs work, running gear will need to be inspected and so on.
happy to report that as of today 3/31/2015 N&W 611 had a fire in her belly for the first time in 20 years! :D
Amen and amen.
Thank you and amen!
Never say never. It looks as if this was not 611's last excursion after all.
The N&W 611 will be restored it will be such an honer for those who have never seen her run before such as my self.
That better day will come on 30 May 2015 when she departs Spencer, NC under her own power bound for a hero's welcome in Roanoke. From there, she will pull excursions across the state of Virginia through the month of June and into July, when the NS program will shift to Tennessee and the 4501 and the former Conrail portions of the NS and the 765. But a month of steam out of the 611 is more than we've had in over two decades. This next-generation NS steam program is the pride of the eastern United States. I wish CSX would get their act together as well, as there's plenty of old C&O steamers that would be incredible to see back on home rails.
JBS Transit Not to mention ACL 1504 in Jacksonville, FL that many people want to get under steam. Maybe CSX will come to their senses someday. On the bright side, I never thought I'd see 611 run in my lifetime. Only a little over a month away!
I remember this video, I see it in Brazil, 2014.
And I love the way you ended the video she just faded into history!
Yes you are in for quite a treat!!
zathras9now at 3:05 I love the southern railway horn and also I hope they bring 1218 back #fireup1218
@PereMarquette1223 Oh, wow! A Y class would have been amazing to see!! I dreamed that would happen back then. But, talking to one of the former steam shop guys 1218 was a bear to restore, and required no less than 5 machine shops working full tilt to get her back in service. He told us that it was essentially like restoring 2 steam engines at once. I wonder if they would have done it all over again for an even more complex locomotive. I guess we will just have to continue to dream of that Y...
Ah yes the "J"....chased her so many time back in the day. Nothing like hearing her workin' a good throttle out of Matewan. Maybe some day she will steam again, if not...thanks for the memories.
@HaloCE14 We all hope so as well. No one will miss that last CEO. I know Moorman keeps having 611 pulled out of the museum for special occasions, so I imagine the day will come when we will see her again. I hope so, I miss her a lot.
@shininghappyperson7 True. I suppose it was just a coincidence, but sure seems like it was a way to show that the old NS (No Steam) didn't give a crap about the steam program or the fans.
@dwkcamman611 Amen, Amen...
It would be appropriate if you did a"611 The First Excursion of the 21st Century".
I'd love to do that, but the shops were 611 came back to life last tiem are just a mile or two away, so footage was prettye asy to get. This time it will not be the case. Someone else will have to have that honor.
Those were very true words! Now only if Mr. Mooreman would bring her back.
Mis taking trips on her when I was a boy with my parents in the 80's and 90's, would mean alot to me to get to ride her again for the memories since they have passed. We lived in birmingaham and I can remember my father taking me to irondale for the rebuild a few times.
Yes indeed! Let's make this video title obsolete!
This video was posted on my birthday
@shininghappyperson7 Thanks!
well they dont have too much problems running the 765, highball out of fort wayne to pull excursions all over the midwest, but she takes thousands of hours of work each month from volenters to keep her running. Even used her for promotion last season for the ns employees and the celebration of the socity in fort wayne, actually newhaven indiana, maybe one day someone will fund up the restoration, they are not cheap and its a labor of love.
The VMT has taken very good care to make sure she won't need much. I'd guess around 500k maybe abit more, but whatever she needs she gets. Good to have alot extra funds for whatever might come up and a hard break in run. Anyway can you loan me a million bucks? You got my word.....theres no way I could ever pay you a cent back.
God, I miss 611.
Did you hear about the report, that she passed the Bearing test? YAY!!!
Again I have no idea if this is true but NS won't pay for the rebuild and the operators of 611 would run her the same as the TVRM and NKP 765 but they will give her track to run on. So.....who got a million or so?
Word around the camp fire is that NS will run her but won't foot the bills. The rail fan camp fire is full of BS so who knows. 611 is the best design for excursions bar none, hopefully she can grace NS rails again (if I had the cash she would). steam on.
i wish they would restore O. Winston Links favorite engine N&W 1218 to service if they can pull it off with 611 then surly they can do it again with 1218
Hopefully one time she won't go back to VMT.
OF THE 20TH CENTURY
n&w 611 was restored in 2015
The ns president at that time was a jerk