It was an ordinary day. Standing alongside one of the most impressive train engines I have ever seen. It is the 71-year-old Norfolk & Western Class J611 locomotive engine which can reach speeds of over 100 mies per hour. The beautiful engine and tender, or coal car, are currently at the Strasburg Railroad which is located about 7 miles from the town of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I have written before about the Strasburg Railroad and the collection of old engines and cars they use to transport riders through Lancaster County's beautiful Amish farmland. Well, the Norfolk & Western locomotive is making a visit for a few weeks to impress all who visit and ride the Strasburg passenger cars that are being pulled by the locomotive.
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| The Norfolk & Western locomotive and tender. |
I arrived about a half-hour before departure and had a great time taking photos of the engine as well as the railcars from Strasburg. Oh yeah, I was also asked numerous times to take family photos when they saw I was there with my professional-looking camera. They really didn't want me to take photos with my camera, but to use their phones to document their families in front of the J611 locomotive.  |
Another view of the engine and tender.
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The locomotive is powered by coal which is carried in the tender, or coal car, that is pulled directly behind the engine. I had a chance to talk with a few of the train's crew who travel with it all summer from one location to another to showcase the beautiful engine. The cars that it pulls, or pushes, are all part of the Strasburg line, but the engine and cars look as if they belong together as they traveled down the tracks. Scott Lindsey, the chief mechanical officer talked with me and told me about the travels of the crew from railroad to railroad to showcase the J611. He said he has been a part of the engine's crew from right after it was built in 1950. He told me that everyone thinks their iPhone is pretty neat, but this train is much more impressive. I had to agree with him. |
A check is being made to make sure there is enough of steam to
power the engine before it begins it's trip to Leaman Place. |
He went on to tell me that steam engines built this country, then along came diesel and put steam out of business. The J611 is the second beautiful engine to grace the tracks at Strasburg. The steam locomotive 475 is owned by Strasburg Rail Road and was built in 1906. It too is used for carrying passengers on 45 minute trips between Strasburg and Leaman Place. The J611 is powerful enough to scale the Blue Ridge Mountains with ease.  |
| Engineers are prepared for the trip. |
In its first nine years running the rails it notched 1 million miles of travel. This was a real train engine, not like today's that travel so many miles and then you discard them and buy a new one. The components on the J611 never wear out and can run forever with the proper care. But, the J611, after being replaced by a Diesel engine, went to a public park where it could be admired.  |
Off they go. The engine is pulling the cars backward since there is
no place at the other end of the trip to turn the engine around. It will
shift to another track, pull past the cars, re-attatch, and pull the cars back to Strasburg. |
From 1963 to 1981 it sat in a park in Roanoke, Virginia. It was then sent to Birmingham, Alabama for restoration and was then used as a public relations tool, traveling everywhere from Florida to New York carrying passengers along for the ride. The J611 is just as beautiful as it probably was when it was first built. The shiny paint and polished chrome shone in the sunlight as I took photo after photo of it. Mr. Lindsey has been with the engine at each stop since 1982. He's hoping to create a new generation of fans to ride behind it. I had hoped to find my way to the engine compartment, but that never happened, since you needed a special, pre-purchased ticket. Wasn't long before the engine was ready to roll and I admired it as it passed by me on it's way to Leaman Place. The engine will remain in Strasburg until October 3 and then travel to it's next location to wow it's viewers. If the engine every comes to a location near you, make sure you don't miss it. It is a beautiful sight to see. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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| This shows the massive coupling to hold the cars to the engine. |
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| Neat view of the engine. |
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| Interior of the Strasburg RR cars before they are filled with passengers. |
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| One of Strasburg Railroad passenger cars. |
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| The front headlamp on the J611. |
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| This tells the history of the engine as to when and where it was built. |
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| Just a beautiful piece of equipment. |
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| Preparing to leave. |
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| Saying Good-bye as it rolls out of the Strasburg station! |
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