| Norfolk & Western Steam Locomotive No. 611 - Left Side View ...
Norfolk & Western Steam Locomotive No. 611, Norris Yards, East of Ruffner Road, Irondale, Jefferson, AL Exterior view of the left side of the locomotive with tender and auxiliary tender.
Norfolk and Western 611 is a 4-8-4 steam locomotive built by the Norfolk and Western Railway's East End Shops in Roanoke, Virginia, in May 1950 for the Norfolk and Western Railway.
611 is one of 14 class J locomotives built by the Roanoke shops. The first batch, numbered 600 to 604, were built in 1941–42 and were delivered streamlined. In 1943, 605–610 were delivered without shrouding and lightweight side rods, due to the limitations on the use of certain materials during the war; due to these distinctions, they were classified J1. But, when N&W showed the War Production Board the reduced availability numbers because of this, the Board allowed the J1s to be re-fitted as Js with the lightweight rods and shrouding in 1944.
The last batch, 611–613, were built in 1950, all streamlined. The Js were built and designed completely by N&W employees, something that was uncommon on American railroads. The total cost for building 611 was $251,544 in 1950.
The 611 entered service on May 29, 1950 and could pull 15 cars at 110 mph. The J class engines were used daily to pull such passenger trains as the Powhatan Arrow, the Pocohantas, and the Cavalier between Cincinnati, OH and Norfolk, VA. Between Monroe, NC and Bristol, TN the J's pulled the Tenesseean, the Pelican and the Birmingham Special.
The class averaged 15,000 miles per month and someof the locomotives traveled nearly 3 million miles before retirement.
J CLASS SPECIFICATIONS:
* Length (engine + tender ): 109 ft 2 in
* Height: 16 ft
* Width:
* Weight: 494,000 lbs
* Wheel configuration: 4-8-4
* Tractive effort: 80,000 lbs
* Driver wheel size: 70 in
* Tender coal capacity: 35 tons
* Tender water capacity: 22,000 gal
* Tender weight-loaded: 378,000 lbs
* Boiler pressure: 300 psi
* Grate area: 107.7 sq ft
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