Steam & Excursion > N & W 611 How close to running is she?

I just wonder how close the 611 is to moving under its own power. Anyone take the tour recently and take pictures ( I would but Spencer is far away from home and I would rather save my leave time for the first excursions).

They received a gondola of coal last week for the steam test fire, if that tells you anything.

  The work is going well. She successfully passed her static hydro test several weeks ago and will soon under go her static steam test. I had the privilege of spending several days last month volunteering on the work crew and was very impressed with the quality of the work being done and the deep professionalism represented by the senior full time men on the crew. Between the leader Scott Lindsay and his able assistant Cheri George plus the 4 senior boiler workers there is over 200 years of combined, successful mainline steam restorations represented. 

  If you want to keep up with the major milestones achieved visit   www.fireup611.org  from time to time to be kept up to speed. Also, when you're on the site please consider making a donation to the cause as more funds are needed to complete the building fund for her new home in Roanoke.

  As for steam excursions running on NS this year I would counsel you to be very conservative in your expectations as the railroad is doing its best to handle the surge in traffic represented by the improving economy and needs all available crews and track space to do that.

  She will certainly be a beautiful thing to watch when she returns to life!!

  Ross Rowland

If NS would relax the rules about other trains being stopped when an excursion passes it might be easier to get a trip together. Don't get me wrong, it is great that NS has allowed steam a place on the mainline at all. Just that it would be hard to justify an excision on any mainline when you almost have to shut down other traffic to do so. Short of another major recession (nobody wants that) traffic congestion isn't going away.
NKP 765 had a kind of slow start getting back on the road after the latest rebuild and how around 2/3 of its boiler time has expired. The timing really sucks when you have a steam friendly railroad and then at almost the same time traffic balloons so much that a group can't get time on the tracks.
I would hate to see 611 all dressed up and no where to go. It is hard to make money for the next rebuild if the locomotive isn't able to get out and sell tickets.

Posted from iPhone

We definitely need to cut NS some slack. They are a business first, and if they disappoint their stockholders, steam goes away forever. They donated generously to both the 611 and the 4501 restorations, so I think we will eventually see both engines on the mainline. If they don't run this spring, then maybe later. Call me an optimist, but I always believed 611 would return to steam, and now we're a month or two away. One thing is for sure, things could be and have been worse for big steam in the east. Thanks to NS for changing that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/15 12:52 by steam290.

Haul freight with it, that should make the ops guys happy! Be great to see some mixed
trains again.

Out

howeld Wrote:
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> If NS would relax the rules about making money

I fixed the beginning of your post for you.

Freights stop for the OCS as well.

I vote to run steam trains like the OCS.

Posted from iPhone

NS made $2 billion in net income last year. As far as shareholder value is concerned they could probably resume the old school steam program and barely scratch that.

Having her FRA boiler inspection Friday.

Emmo213 Wrote:
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> howeld Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > If NS would relax the rules about making money
>
> I fixed the beginning of your post for you.

Well, not really.  Stopping freights is not making money.  The OP is proposing not requiring freights to stop - quite the opposite. 

We all understand the point of the rule for stopping opposing traffic. There would never be another excursion anywhere if a freight derailed into a passing excursion regardless of cause. It is about risk management.

Perhaps restricted speed while the excursion is in the same signal block would be a reasonable compromise?

NS should be commended for even entertaining the idea of public excursions. It is far too easy to just say no.

That is overkill.

Neither UP nor BNSF require such disruptions.

Do they stop freights for Amtrak, too?

Realist Wrote:
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> That is overkill.
>
> Neither UP nor BNSF require such disruptions.
>
> Do they stop freights for Amtrak, too?

Not to mention the 40MPH speed restriction for steam. Still don't understand why someone on NS doesn't negotiate that out of the insurance contract. A much more reasonable speed of 55 or 60MPH maximum would sure make things easier on the steam crews, assuming the individual locomotives was capable of such speeds on the main lines.

Neither of those railroads require that, nor did NS at first. I think it's just all about lawyers and insurance. We put up with what we must to see steam in the east. Right now, I'll just be happy to see a 2015 schedule, regardless of the speed or other restrictions.

That being said, I agree that they are over cautious. It's too bad the 21st century has bread this sort of thing, but we're stuck with it, (in the US).

Posted from iPhone

steam290 Wrote:
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> That being said, I agree that they are over
> cautious. It's too bad the 21st century has bread
> this sort of thing, but we're stuck with it, (in
> the US).

Well, we certainly are not "stuck with it" on BNSF! Plus, until the current manager took over on the UP in 2011, it was not uncommon for 3985 to make 70MPH and 844 better than 80MPH.

Realist Wrote:
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> That is overkill.
>
>
> Do they stop freights for Amtrak, too?

Yes. NS rules require freights meeting or passing any passenger trains to be stopped or the passenger train may be stopped.

There is an exception to the rule on the Chicago line.

Posted from iPhone

HotWater Wrote:
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> steam290 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
>
> > That being said, I agree that they are over
> > cautious. It's too bad the 21st century has
> bread
> > this sort of thing, but we're stuck with it,
> (in
> > the US).
>
> Well, we certainly are not "stuck with it" on
> BNSF! Plus, until the current manager took over on
> the UP in 2011, it was not uncommon for 3985 to
> make 70MPH and 844 better than 80MPH.

And open vestibules for the win!

Off-pending Wrote:
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> Realist Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That is overkill.
> >
> >
> > Do they stop freights for Amtrak, too?
>
> Yes. NS rules require freights meeting or passing
> any passenger trains to be stopped or the
> passenger train may be stopped.
>
> There is an exception to the rule on the Chicago
> line.
>
> Posted from iPhone

I find that hard to believe? NS does not stop its trains to meet a Amtrak passenger train if it is on a double track mainline with proper signal indications.

Why yes they do, with the exception of the Chicago district