Steam & Excursion > N&W 611 Great Dismal Swamp derailment

Does anyone out there know the date and cause of the Norfolk Southern accident in Great Dismal Swamp area of Va. The N&W 611 was pulling the train. If I remember correctly a worn flange on one of the cars picked a switch. I would appreciate any details. Also, was this the incident that caused NS to limit the speed of steam excursions to 40 m.p.h.?

It was just a day or two before steam expo opened in Canada, which would be late May or June 1986. I was driving up there when it occured.

Here is a brief from the ICC
"Derailment of Steam Excursion Train Norfolk and Western Railway Company Train Extra 611 West, Suffolk, Virginia, May 18, 1986
Cause: The failure of the Norfolk and Western Railway Company (N&W) to train its Maintenance of Way Department employees adequately in the inspection and repair of continuous welded rail, and the failure of the Maintenance-of-Way Department management to monitor the implementation of the N&W’s maintenance-of-way practices by its employees. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the N&W’s decision to use equipment without tightlock couplers and passenger cars with modified interiors having severe injury-producing mechanisms."

This accident was the cause of NS dropping the speed to 40 on the steam specials. It's also why NS retired all the old Southern heavyweight coaches as they did not have tightlock couplers.

Also, this accident took place during an employee special.

Chairman of the Board Robert Claytor (W. Graham Claytor's brother) was at the throttle when this happened. I understand that he was very shaken up by the experience...though I don't think this was the last time he took the throttle of a steamer. But...he passed away not too long after that (I think, but am not certain...that he died in office...not in retirement).

I believe Mr. Claytor put in a lot of additional throttle time after this accident, on both 611 and 1218. IIRC, there were quite a few injuries, but no deaths in this incident. The engine itself was not at fault in any way.

Red Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Chairman of the Board Robert Claytor (W. Graham
> Claytor's brother) was at the throttle when this
> happened. I understand that he was very shaken up
> by the experience...though I don't think this was
> the last time he took the throttle of a steamer.
> But...he passed away not too long after that (I
> think, but am not certain...that he died in
> office...not in retirement).


Mr. Claytor was at the throttle but he maintained his composure. He died in retirement in 1993, many years after the accident.

Bob

bnsfbob Wrote:

> Mr. Claytor was at the throttle but he maintained
> his composure. He died in retirement in 1993, many
> years after the accident.
>
> Bob

Fortunately, Chairman Claytor had a long and heavy train so he only had the speed up to 63 mph, IIRC. He was known for getting 611's speed up to 15 or 20 mph above the speed limit when he was tempted by long straight away's. It is well known that he got the 4449 above 80 mph on his brother's railroad. I hate to think how wide the door to the corporate treasury would have been swung open, if the Chairman had wrecked while greatly exceeding the speed limit.

I have read over the years that it was standard N&W practice back in The Day to open 'em up through the Dismal Swamp, esp. when running late. Speeds of 100-or-so were said to be quite commonplace with the J's in eastern Viginia. I recall a review of the road's pass. service in TRAINS back in the '50's which said something to the effect that in eastern VA "your train will run at speeds such as you have never before moved on rails." Engine 610 is known to have hit 110 mph while testing on the PRR Ft. Wayne Div., so the speed stories from the Swamp are not hard to believe.