Steam & Excursion > 611 Working Up the Grade at Shawsville, VA

7/3/2015 N&W 611 puts on a show heading west at Shawsville, Virginia as the J and the crew do an excellent job of controlling the engine without any diesel assistance. A big thank you to Norfolk Southern, the Virginia Museum of Transportation, the North Carolina Transportation Museum, and everyone else that helped bring the 611 to operation. With its 2015 runs now in the books, let's hope the 611 will be able to run again in 2016.

Enjoy and thanks for looking.

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Very nice!  Why were they going so slow at first?

Sure like to hear them slug it out like that.

tomstp Wrote:
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> Sure like to hear them slug it out like that.

Well actually, they really were NOT "slugging it out", as she wasn't even at full throttle. Once the Engineer went to full throttle, note how quickly she began to accelerate. 

Awesome. Just awesome, I was hoping someone would share some video from this spot.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/15 17:13 by PittsburghMike.

Hopefully someone has video of it climbing Blue Ridge earlier in the day, that was great to watch in person. 

I like watching and hearing  610 climb Sand Patch at 27 mph.

tomstp Wrote:
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> I like watching and hearing  610 climb Sand Patch
> at 27 mph.

I wasn't aware that former T&P 610, ne Southern Rwy 610, ever operated on the B&O RR Sand Patch Line.

Oh, a very good one. Did she shake the ground as she blasted by ? Thanks for sharing.

Wait,  what?  No more runs this year?

nice video!

The slow approach is due to a series of 6 and 7 degree reverse curves on the approach and through the location of the former Shawsville Tunnel, just before the final curve which is shown in the video.  It's a nasty stretch of track because the entire train of 21 cars was wrapped around all the curves.  Tremendous drag on 611 at that spot.  Rail condition wasn't that great either.  There had been a light rain/mist/drizzle combination off-and-on earlier.  The engineer was a real pro at controlling 611 through all that.  Love how she walked away with the train once free of the curves.  Power to spare!!

AWESOME video!! Thanks for sharing.

Funny. My video looks exactly the same!  And that's the idiot's van who refused to move it after I asked as nicely as I possibly could. 

Awesome viideo my man!

Excellent vantage points.
...Lorenzo

Thanks for all the positive feedback!