Your favorite. Stories welcomed.

[JCagle]

I was just curious as to the favorite NS predicessor unit that you have visited in a museum and the story behind it.

[JCagle]

My favorite visit to a retired lady was going to TVRM this April and visiting 4501. First off the museum is a top of the line and the best I've been to. After talking to some of the crew at the museum we were given permission to board 4501 in the shed and we climbed aboard.  It was nice to be somewhere where they dont treat the big iron ladies as something to be looked at from  a distance.  I got to sit in the engineer's seat and grab the throttle and have a few quiet moments just to take it all in. It's definately better than getting in the cab of the J with the plexiglass over the rear of the cab. It was just one of those up close and personal moments.

[Tweetsiefireman]

My favorite story relates to the Southern Railway in a few ways. The engine was rebuilt in the Southern shops in Hickory in 1956-57 and its original RR had dealings with the Southern in steam power. My favorite story is of the summer of 2003. I got the lucky job of working with Tim Smith, Randall, and Rick firing the two locomotives at Tweetsie Railroad. Learned alot about steam power, the history behind the locomotives and all kinds of other things. It was great interacting with other railfans and finally getting to be the man in the cab. Hard as hell labor but I'd give anything in the world to grab that shovel and toss some black diamonds back into a Baldwin firebox.

[Enginecrew]

My favorite predecessor unit would be an N&W steamer, namely Class J #611. Reason for this isn?t because I think 611 is the best out there, though she was well balanced for the terrain she had to traverse, but because I saw so mush of her and her sisters when I was growing up. We lived near Lamberts Point Terminal and so I was privy to watching all the old steam locomotives N&W had at the time. Also, when I was 14 yrs of age my father was able to get us a ride in the cab of the Class J (#604) pulling train #25 (Powhatan Arrow) from Norfolk to Crewe, VA (It was only luck that we caught a Class J as the K2a?s also pulled many of N&W?s passenger trains). It was something few young boys got to do and 7 years later, as fate would have it,  I hire on with N&W. So, 611 brings back memories an earlier times.

[JCagle]

And 611 is beautifully preserved as well. I wish she wasn't stuffed and mounted but that's what our lawyer friends get us!

[Enginecrew]

And 611 is beautifully preserved as well. I wish she wasn't stuffed and mounted but that's what our lawyer friends get us!

That's true enough but if someone was to ever put her back in service it'd be a site easier than returning 1218 to the rails.  1218, if I have my facts right, would need a complete overall including new flues (as would 611) as her boiler is gutted; and remember, N&W's engines being home build had "odd size" flues for the most part. This means you've gotta make 'em up which is costly, not to mention the $1.5 mil, or whatever, to get 1218 back on the road.  And to top it all off NS sold off most, if not all the tools with which to work on theses engines. Good grief, it's mind boggling! I doubt I?ll live to see either engine back in steam but the thought of seeing 'em again is nice.

[Enginecrew]

Speaking of N&W's 611 and her sisters; as I understood it from my days working for N&W the City of Norfolk, VA was offered a Class J (don't know which one) to have as a static display. The engine would have been set in what was called Blueberry Park close to Lamberts Point Terminal. Temporary track would have been laid to shove the engine to its display area (fenced in) and then the track was to be taken up behind it. The city told N&W they'd accept the engine only if the railroad would assume responsible for it; keeping it painted and maintained as necessary.  The railroad said "no", if we give the engine to you it's yours and your responsibility, etc.  To make a long story short, the city declined the offer and so there's only one Class J left whereas there could have been two.  Nice...

[E.M. Bell]

What enginecrew is talking about happend here in KY as well.  The L&N offered to donate a "Big Emma" to the Kentucky railway museum when they where scrapping the last of those Berks.  KRM refused the donation, saying they already had a L&N steamer (the 152) and didnt need another one. Talk about being short sighted..Not a single Emma was saved.

[nscnotp1]

Speaking of 152, she took us on a journey from New Haven to Boston, KY and back a few years ago when Bekah was only a few years old. Another train I took part of was back in 1999 when my wife took me to the ---can't come up with the name---Scenic Railway in Stearns and took a train ride down to Blue Heron. Even seen a few Rathole trains too while I was there.

[Enginecrew]

Speaking of 152, she took us on a journey from New Haven to Boston, KY and back a few years ago when Bekah was only a few years old. Another train I took part of was back in 1999 when my wife took me to the ---can't come up with the name---Scenic Railway in Stearns and took a train ride down to Blue Heron. Even seen a few Rathole trains too while I was there.

Would that be the Big South Fork Scenic Railway?

[nscnotp1]

Would that be the Big South Fork Scenic Railway?
[/quote]

That's what the name of it, is. 

[JCagle]

And 611 is beautifully preserved as well. I wish she wasn't stuffed and mounted but that's what our lawyer friends get us!

That's true enough but if someone was to ever put her back in service it'd be a site easier than returning 1218 to the rails.  1218, if I have my facts right, would need a complete overall including new flues (as would 611) as her boiler is gutted; and remember, N&W's engines being home build had "odd size" flues for the most part.

Somewhere on here I have a picture of the firebox of 1218 that I can't seem to find at the moment. It was sad to see the grates in the tender and the stoker screws removed. I had heard that 611's flues were going to expire something like the day after the last excursion she ran and that the new ones were waiting in the shop to be installed. After the announcement of the demise of the steam program the flue tubes (which I beleive were brought in from China) were sold as scrap in their effort to dump anything associated with steam or excursion service.
Part of me wonders if we'll see excursion service return again behind F units since Moorman seems to be more interested in P.R. and that sort of thing than the past presidents were, but since all of the rolling stock was dumped as well  I find it doubtfull.

[edstrains]

Only thing I have seen Stuffed and Mounted in real life is a CNR Steam engine in front of Kingston's City Hall in Kingston Ontario Canada.

I used to play on it when I was a kid about 20 years ago now it's filled and boarded up cause the kids used to throw the garbage in the furnace and ripped off all the little things all the guages are all screwed now all broken glass etc.

But it almost takes a nice picture or rather it used too.

[Bellevue Kid]

the 611, because it's the only one I've seen

I rode a train pulled by it from Bellevue to Fostoria when I was about 6 or 7

[JCagle]

The J is nicely preserved and is nice to visit, but the position she is in makes it hard to get many good pictures. Did anyone else notice what Corman decided to make his ricer look like?

[etalcos]

The J is nicely preserved and is nice to visit, but the position she is in makes it hard to get many good pictures. Did anyone else notice what Corman decided to make his ricer look like?

Looks like something that came out of a TYCO box.  All it needs is a little chrome plated caboose with the streamlined coupola to tag along.

[JCagle]

It does look a little toyish. He made an attempt to try to make it look like the J imo. All I am left wondering is where he puts the batteries in and how it runs on that cheap plastic track.

[blacksheep]

The 630 and 722 need to be remembered but the one that has my heart is the 4501. When it first came back to Chattanooga  my Dad baby sit it that first night. He said someone said it would be alright sitting alone but it had so many water leaks that it would have cooked itself that first night. Years later, when he was working at John Sevier, the 4501 was in the round house getting new fire bricks. He called me and I went and spent some time with him going over and under it. That was some good father-son time.  Back in those days no one knew about paceing  so I was able to pace those trains, alone, for miles. Also, it pulled the last steam train he and I road on. It looks good "back in black" but while it was in passenger service it showed off the S.R. green good.

[JCagle]

That's the kind of thing I love to hear. Everyone has some reason or the other for their favorite, and they all seem to have pretty good stories. Keep em coming guys!

[Backyard]

  My dog Duchess, and I visited the TVRM, several times(including on Sunday, whilst no one was around), and sit the cab on this locomotive...I had a scanner, and Duch, thought we were actually gonna go for a ride...!



The locomotive, now rests at SARM, and I so hope it will "come back to life" one day...