611 Today and Beyond

Sun Jun 14 18:10:24 EDT 2015

Gentlemen, I was so glad to see Ed King's response to the 611 emails! I hardly ever respond to the remarks made back and forth on the nw-mailing-list. After weeks of folks voicing their opinions about what and what should not have been done during the 611's restoration I have something to say. My wife and I had the once in a lifetime {for us} opportunity to ride behind the 611 on her "Homecoming Excursion" from Lynchburg to Roanoke, Va. on Saturday May 30, 2015. It was an awesome experience that I never thought would be available to either of us or to this generation. My father was a signal maintainer for the N&W. I grew up in Roanoke in the late 50's when steam was still king. As a matter of fact I remember as very young child having to stand on a chair in the kitchen to see out the door glass to watch steam on the "Punkin' Vine". Needless to say, I have fond memories of N&W steam! I chased the 611 the last two days during her Lynchburg to Petersburg trips. My grandchildren got to experience the site of her in action yesterday for the first time! Let's say that they were impressed or maybe even startled! Ha! My son is a car host on the excursion from Lynchburg to Petersburg today. Thousands of little kids and even people in their 20's have never seen a main line steam locomotive in action! The estimate was that the 611 would be transporting nearly one thousand people per trip during this weekend's excursions! That's unheard of! If I was on that train I know that I would rather have a dual beam headlight than one! Ha! Come on fellow members, nobody at the VMT, the government of Roanoke, NCTM or NS betrayed you or butchered up the "Queen of Steam". We all should be thanking them for what they've accomplished along with many members of our own N&WHS, the Roanoke Chapter, NRHS and the Blue Ridge Chapter, NRHS out of Lynchburg. I'm sure that I've missed thanking others but not intentionally. We were never promised that she would be restored to her original 1950 appearance or features. It takes money to operate any train and it will continue to take money for her upkeep. If an engine shed is not built for her then the money that has been spent on her so far will be wasted. Merchandising and product recognition was the name of the game 60 years ago and still is today. If naming the 611 "The Spirit of Roanoke" will help guarantee her preservation then I don't see anything wrong with that. We all are very lucky to have her running on the high iron again! Regards, Norris DeyerleLynchburg, Va.     

Subject: Re: 611
Date: Sat, 13 Jun 2015 11:41:03 -0400
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org

Amen Ed King................
Ed Painter - born in Bluefield,WV in1951, from Giles County, VA, retired and living in North Georgia.

On Jun 12, 2015, at 11:43 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

For those of you not old enough to remember, in 1964
(folks born that year could have grandkids by now) Paul Merriman’s Mikado 4501
came out of the contract shop in Chattanooga where it had been restored for main
line service.  It was painted in Southern’s passenger green and gold colors
(which nothing but passenger engines had ever carried), was lettered
“Chattanooga” under the number on the cab where division markings had been
carried even though there was never a Chattanooga Division on the Southern, and
the name Walter C. Dove below that (he was the retired General Road Foreman of
Engines who ran the engine on its first trips).  

Nobody cared whether the livery was “appropriate” or
not.  It was sanctioned by Southern’s top management represented by Graham
Claytor and that was good enough for everybody else.  Steam was running
again on the Southern and that was what mattered.

This was the locomotive that started our modern-day
excursion movement.  If it hadn’t been for 4501 we’d likely not have had a
611, or anything else, running around under its own steam.  And they went
so far as to put a Ks-1 Consolidation, the 722 (even less of a passenger engine
than 4501), out in green and gold.

So as far as I’m concerned, some little yellow letters
under the cab window are not worth mentioning.  Be happy that they are
running around on such a magnificent machine.

The J proved that it could go on other folks’ railroads
and do what their 4-8-4s could do, but nobody’s 4-8-4 (or 4-4-4-4) could come on
the N&W and do what the J could, and did, do.

So appreciate what you have.  Picking nits is a
waste of time.

EdKing

From: NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List

Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2015 4:04 PM
To: NW Mailing List 
Cc: NW Mailing List 
Subject: Re: Fwd: Fw: 611

I second Roger  ----- 
Ron

On Thursday, June 11, 2015 9:52 AM, NW
Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
wrote:

I don't understand
all the furor over the "Spirit Of Roanoke" lettering on the cab. I find the dual
seal beam headlight and the removal of the TIMKEN covers on the trailing truck
and tender truck journals more offensive than that. I think all the J's, and
especially the 611, represent the Spirit Of Roanoke.

My 2¢,
Roger Huber
Deer Creek
Locomotive Works

From: NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List
<nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org Cc: NW Mailing List
<nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2015 3:02 PMSubject: Fwd: Fw:
611

I wrote the VMT and stated
my concerns about the words "Spirit of Roanoke on 611 and here is the response I
got in return. Alan Cox

  Mr. Cox, 

  Thank you for your
  feedback. We know that putting the "Spirit of Roanoke" in small letters under
  the cab window has upset a lot of 611 fans. 

  The Roanoke City Council
  designated the Class J 611 as the "Spirit of Roanoke" and the Class A 1218 as
  the "Pride of Roanoke" a long time ago. This decision had the support of 
  railroaders, community and business leaders and the railroad.  Both of these locomotives were owned by the City of
  Roanoke from the early 1960s to 2012, when ownership was transferred to the
  Virginia Museum of Transportation. 

  In and around Roanoke, the locomotives represent the pride, ingenuity and
  craftsmanship of the people who built these giants of steam. The Spirit of
  Roanoke honors the laborers who engineered, designed, built and maintained
  these superior locomotives in Roanoke's East End Shops. 

  The decision to add the Spirit of Roanoke under the cab window was made
  by the City Council and the Board of Directors at the VMT. City, community and
  business leaders wanted to honor the thousands of railroaders who were the
  heart and soul of the Norfolk & Western operation. 

  Peg 
  McGuire
  Director of
  Communications
  Virginia Museum of
  Transportation
  303 Norfolk Avenue
  SW
  Roanoke VA 24016

  pmcguire at vmt.org
  cell:
  540.339.2753

  fireup611.org  |  vmt.org

  From:
  ABCOX99 at aol.com [mailto:ABCOX99 at aol.com] Sent: Tuesday,
  June 09, 2015 3:42 PMTo: VMT InfoSubject: 611

  I am very disappointed to see that the VMT has decided
  to put a name on the side of 611. No Norfolk & Western engine in the "J"
  class ever had a name to my knowledge. I have heard numerous complaints about
  this and have to agree that it doesn't belong. I consider it graffiti and has
  no place on such a beautiful locomotive. No matter what is said, the VMT will
  do what it wants and that is a shame. 

  Sincerely, Alan
  Cox________________________________________NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.orgTo change your subscription go tohttp://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-listBrowse the NW-Mailing-List archives athttp://list.nwhs.org/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/

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