Steam & Excursion > T&P 610 - stopped - on the N&W

Sept 1977
An excursion from Roanoke to Cedar Bluff behind 610 was certainly interesting.
The fire in 610 blew out in a tunnel, wheels slipped on the grades and here stopped for an unknown reason - but - made it to Bluefield where the 610 was cut off and the N&W Bicentennial unit was used continuing to Cedar Bluff.

Gary

 

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Probably to check for hot bearings in the pilot truck. 610 had a tendency to develop those, and the NRHS convention in Roanoke was no exception. The crew did what repairs they could in Bluefield during the layover, then 610 "doubleheaded" with N&W 1776 back to Roanoke that evening. The next day, 610 went into the N&W shops for a few days of running gear repairs, missing the outbound convention special to Alexandria.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/25 15:45 by DRGWMark.

Smoke doesn't have that sick tan/green color, looks like the fire is burning. If not, couldn't they re-light it?
Most likely the pilot truck as was mentioned. I know all  about pilot trucks.

> never heard a steam locomotive going out, unless
> the boiler exploded........... interesting....

Mike6640-2 Wrote:
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> > never heard a steam locomotive going out,
> unless
> > the boiler exploded........... interesting....

A major slip could put the fire out, but would immediately be relit by the hot brickwork if the firman was on his game. My guess is 610's ferocious exhaust ricocheted back down the stack, through the tubes, and blew the fire out.

610 is an oil burner, and the fire blew out in the Montgomery tunnels while climbing Christiansburg grade.  It was quickly relighted.  The locomotive and first few cars were covered with oil/soot, which you can see in the second picture.

Going into Bluefield, as the grade stiffened, 610 slipped badly from the rail greasers, especially on curves.

Jim

Working a steam locomotive hard through a tunnel blasts years of diesel snot from the roof and it's awful stuff to clean up. Oily black crap and takes about 3 good showers to clean up.  Ask me how I know.
Look at 3751 video from her train full of nice clean ATSF and nice shiny diesel after the engineer insisted on blasting  through tunnel instead of using the diesel. That's how we did it in the old days.
I can't imagine what that took to clean the equipment up after that folly.

Frisco1522 Wrote:
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> Working a steam locomotive hard through a tunnel
> blasts years of diesel snot from the roof and it's
> awful stuff to clean up. Oily black crap and takes
> about 3 good showers to clean up.  Ask me how I
> know.

How do you know??  ;-)   Sounds like it could be an interesting story!!

During its rebuild in Ft Worth, 610's trailing truck was shimmed.  Apparently the re-builders thought removing the trailing truck booster made it necessary.  Turned out it wasn't.  When Southern weighed the engine axle by axle it was discovered to much weight was on the pony truck and corrections were made.  No more pony truck problems.

Its easy to criticize those who rebuilt it.  But, it was done out doors in the winter, mostly by people who only knew to do what they were told to do. And, do it in a hurry.  It made its demand date by only 2 days for use on the Centennial train.  Making only a few hundred miles during and after completion pretty much tired the workers and little extra work was done until it went to the Southern. Thank goodness it went to a great steam shop..

Txhighballer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mike6640-2 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > > never heard a steam locomotive going out,
> > unless
> > > the boiler exploded...........
> interesting....
>
> A major slip could put the fire out, but would
> immediately be relit by the hot brickwork if the
> firman was on his game. My guess is 610's
> ferocious exhaust ricocheted back down the stack,
> through the tubes, and blew the fire out.
>
> thank you and jimbo for the answer, much appreciated.
>