Steam & Excursion > N&W 1407 tool car acquired by VMT for use with 611 again

Roanoke, VA (9/4/25) – The Virginia Museum of Transportation, Inc. (VMT) is proud to announce that, through a significant partnership with the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS), the historic Norfolk & Western Tool Car No. 1407 is being reunited with the iconic Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611.Car 1407’s story is inseparably tied to the 611.

Originally built in 1927 as a Mail Storage car, it traveled behind the locomotive thousands of times during her years in regular revenue service. When 611 was first restored to operation in 1982, the 1407 was customized as her dedicated tool car, serving the locomotive(and occasionally Class A 1218) until the end of Norfolk Southern’s steam program in 1994.Following the program’s conclusion, the Roanoke Chapter purchased and preserved the 1407. The car returned to active service during Norfolk Southern’s 21st Century Steam Program, logging many miles behind Southern 630 and the 611 until 2018.

Now, through this new partnership, ownership of 1407 will officially transfer to the Virginia Museum of Transportation Inc., ensuring that it will remain permanently paired with the 611. This historic reunion not only preserves authenticity but also provides a rolling shop and mobile home base for the 611’s dedicated crew while out on the road.

Mendy Flynn, Executive Director of VMT, said:“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome the 1407 to be reunited with the 611. Its history is deeply connected to the locomotiveand bringing them back together allows us to tell a more complete and authentic story of Norfolk & Western’s steamlegacy. This car will continue to play a vital role supporting the crew and helping us share this incredible history with the public.”

Tim Witt, President of the Roanoke Chapter NRHS, added:“The Roanoke Chapter is pleased to form this partnership with the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Together we can highlight the historic role of the 611 and 1407, from the 1950s through today, ensuring both artifacts continue to be together as they were intended.”The Virginia Museum of Transportation Inc. and the 611 crew extend heartfelt thanks to the Roanoke Chapter NRHS for preserving and maintaining the 1407 from 1995 until now. With this transfer, the 1407 is coming home to be with the 611 forever, supporting operations and preserving history for generations to come.  

About the Virginia Museum of Transportation, Inc.: Located in Roanoke, Virginia, the Virginia Museum of Transportation is the Commonwealth’s official transportation museum, home to one of the nation’s premier rail preservation collections. Its crown jewels are the Norfolk & Western Class J 611 and Class A 1218, both icons of American engineering. The museum is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the Commonwealth’s rich transportation history across rail, road, and air. For more information, visit www.vmt.org. 

About the Roanoke Chapter of the NRHS: The Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society is one of the oldest and most active NRHS chapters in the country. Dedicated to preserving and interpreting the rich history of railroading in Virginia, the Chapter has played a critical role in safeguarding and restoring historic equipmentwhile supporting public education about the region’s railroad heritage. For more information, visit [color=#0000ff]https://www.roanokenrhs.org[/color]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/25 05:15 by NW611.

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Funny how things come full circle.

If I'm remembering my history right, the 1407 was the first dedicated tool car in the original NS steam program; previously, tools were just haphazardly carried on the back of the steam engine's tenders like a pickup truck. The car went out of service for about a year after the Great Dismal Swamp accident in 1986 to be retrofitted with tightlock couplers (thus, becoming one of the few heavyweight cars still in use after that point), and the NS bought former Canadian National/VIA Rail baggage car 9647 to supplement. That car was sold to VMT in 1995 following the end of the program and is also still in use today behind 611.

As noted in the release, the 1407 in recent years had seen use by Southern 630 and we used it with the 611 from 2015-2018.

That is great news!  A terrific looking car.

Did this car originally have the yellow pinstripes on top and bottom? Or was that just on the Powhatan coaches, etc? I see it is now just a solid tuscan red since it's repaint a few years back.

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