Norfolk & Western 611
Norfolk and Western #611 on the turntable at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina on May 23, 2015.
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| Type and origin | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Builder | Roanoke Shops |
| Serial number | 388 |
| Build date | May 1950 |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Configuration | 4-8-4 |
| UIC class | 2′D2′ h2 |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Driver dia. | 70 in (1,778 mm) |
| Length | 109 ft 2 in (33.27 m) |
| Height | 16 ft 2 in (4.93 m) |
| Axle load | 72,000 lb (32,658.7 kilograms; 32.7 tonnes) for drivers |
| Adhesive weight | 288,000 lb (130,634.6 kilograms; 130.6 tonnes) |
| Loco weight | 494,000 lb (224,074.6 kilograms; 224.1 tonnes) |
| Tender weight | 395,250 lb (179,282.4 kilograms; 179.3 tonnes) |
| Total weight | 889,250 lb (403,357.0 kilograms; 403.4 tonnes) |
| Fuel type | Coal |
| Fuel capacity | 70,000 lb (31,751.5 kilograms; 31.8 tonnes) |
| Water cap | 20,000 US gal (76,000 l; 17,000 imp gal) 25,000 US gal (95,000 l; 21,000 imp gal) in auxiliary tender |
| Firebox: • Firegrate area |
107.7 sq ft (10.01 m2) |
| Boiler pressure | 300 lbf/in2 (2.07 MPa) |
| Heating surface: • Tubes and flues |
4,693 sq ft (436.0 m2) |
| • Firebox | 578 sq ft (53.7 m2) |
| Superheater: |
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| • Heating area | 2,177 sq ft (202.2 m2) |
| Cylinders | Two |
| Cylinder size | 27 in × 32 in (686 mm × 813 mm) |
| Valve gear | Baker |
| Valve type | Piston valves |
| Performance figures | |
|---|---|
| Maximum speed | 110 mph (177 km/h) |
| Power output | 5,100 hp (3,800 kW) |
| Tractive effort | 84,981 lbf (378.01 kN) |
| Factor of adh. | 3.39 |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Operators | Norfolk and Western Railway |
| Class | J |
| Number in class | 12 of 14 |
| Numbers | 611 |
| Retired | 1959 (revenue) 1994 (first excursion) |
| Restored | 1981–1982 (1st restoration) 2014–2015 (2nd restoration) |
| Current owner | Virginia Museum of Transportation |
| Disposition | Operational |
The Norfolk and Western Railway's J class steam locomotives are a class of 4-8-4 locomotives built by the railway's East End Shops located in Roanoke, Virginia between 1941 and 1950. The first batch, numbered 600 to 604, were built in 1941–42 and were delivered streamlined. The 1942 unit had a booster engine on the trailing truck and the 1943 unit 605–610 were delivered without shrouding and lightweight side rods, due to the limitations on the use of certain materials during the war; they were classified J1. When N&W showed the War Production Board the reduced availability numbers because of this, the Board allowed the J1s to be re-fitted as Js with the lightweight rods and shrouding in 1944. The last batch, 611–613, were built in 1950, all streamlined.
The first J's had 275 psi boilers, 70-inch (1,778 mm) driving wheels, and roller bearings on all wheels and rods; after about 1945 boiler pressure was raised to 300 psi (2,100 kPa). Calculated tractive effort was 80,000 pounds (36,000 kg) – the most powerful 4-8-4 without a booster. The 70-inch drivers were small for a locomotive that was to pull trains at over 100 mph (160 km/h). To overcome this, the wheelbase was made extremely rigid, lightweight rods were used, and the counterbalancing was precise.
As delivered, the Js had a duplex (two) connecting rods between the primary (second) and third drivers, but in the 1950s Norfolk and Western's engineers deemed these unnecessary. The 611 and all of her other Class were rebuilt with a single connecting rod. The negative effect of the J's highly engineered powertrain was that it made the locomotives sensitive to substandard track. While on loan, #610 hauled a 1,050-short-ton (950 t; 940-long-ton) passenger train with 15 cars at speeds in excess of 110 mph (180 km/h) over Pennsylvania Railroad's "racetrack", the Fort Wayne Division (a section of flat, straight track).
The class Js pulled the network's prominent passenger trains, such as The Powhatan Arrow, The Pocahontas, and The Cavalier between Cincinnati, Ohio and Norfolk, Virginia, as well as ferrying Southern Railway's Tennessean, Birmingham Special and The Pelican between Lynchburg, Virginia and Bristol, Virginia. Despite their power and speed, the class Js were among the most reliable engines, running as many as 15,000 miles (24,000 km) per month, even on the mountainous and relatively short route of the N&W.
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Wikipedia