Built at the tail end of the coal-fired steam-powered era, just one Norfolk & Western Class J locomotive remains, and it’s right here in Roanoke at the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Train lovers came by to look and mingle last Saturday at the 60th birthday bash held at the VMT.
Advance Auto sponsored the event, which meant admission was free — the place was packed, inside and out. Visitors marveled at the Class J Number 611 “bullet train” in the rail yard; meanwhile two scale models of the Class J locomotive also attracted a crowd.
Don Guill, who owns his own private railroad tourist line near Cincinnati, was there with a 35’ long quarter-scale model of the 61l, which used to pull passenger cars at high speed between Roanoke and Cincinnati. “When I was little I used to watch the Norfolk & Western 611 run up to the Cincinnati Union Terminal,” Guill recalled. “It was always my favorite.”
When he started building trains for a living, Guill added the 611 to his list, “trying to live [my] childhood dream.” Guill said the 611, built for about 25 years in the mid 20th century, signaled the beginning of the art deco era, with a streamlined look and faster service, upgrades implemented in an effort to attract more riders.
The steam era ended by 1959; the VMT locomotive was out of service for about two years after an accident in 1956 and was put on line again “with pretty much a brand new engine.” Those new parts are the main reason N&W did not scrap it, according to Guill, like it had the other 13 Class J locomotives. It was used mainly for light duty in the Roanoke area since diesel had taken over.
Guill has brought his 611 to various shows and Trainfests around the country. “But it’s really exciting to be here in Roanoke with Mama J,” he said last weekend. Guill likes the concept of a Transportation Museum like the one in downtown Roanoke, saying “It’s a great asset to the community.” “It is also important,” said Guill, “that younger generations appreciate various modes of transportation and the technological advances that the Class J series once represented. [Otherwise] the legendary 611 is going to die.”
Having all those people inside the typically quiet museum was “fabulous,” said Executive Director Bev Fitzpatrick. More than 500 had made their way through the doors just one hour into the all-day free admission event. Fitzpatrick figured quite a few had never been there before. “That’s very significant – it exposes us to some other people.”
As for the 611, Fitzpatrick, whose grandfather Frank was a NS train engineer, called it “the most powerful locomotive of its class ever made. Period. And the neat part is it was designed and built by Roanokers [at the NS shops]. They took [the design] to a level that no other railroad had gotten to, as far as efficiency.” The 611 was competitive with diesel engines, “except for the labor costs,” which may have helped doom the powerful steam technology.
“To have it in your collection … is exceptional,” said Fitzpatrick – noting that 60 percent of VMT visitors come from out of state, to see the 611 and the Class A 1218 engine. “They come to see those two engines.”
By Gene Marrano [email protected]