ROANOKE, Va. — Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 will not be pulling any mainline excursions in 2018, officials with the Virginia Museum of Transportation announced Saturday. The iconic 4-8-4 is the latest mainline steam locomotive affected by Amtrak’s new policy regarding excursions.
However, officials with the museum and Forward 611 Committee, the group that helps manage operation of the legendary locomotive, say the public will have chances to see No. 611 under steam this year and that they continue to explore options for future public mainline excursions.
“We are very pleased to announce that we are engaged in substantive conversations about exciting potential 2019 excursions and special appearances for 611,” says Trey Davis, chairman of the Forward 611 Committee. “We will continue to seek opportunities for the public to experience a pivotal piece of American history firsthand, under steam.”
In March, Amtrak announced that it would end operation of most special charters and was adding restrictions to private-car moves. Since then the groups that support Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 and Southern Pacific 4-8-4 No. 4449 have canceled previously announced or tentatively planned excursions in 2018.
Davis adds that Amtrak officials have agreed to meet with the No. 611 group later this year to discuss future excursion opportunities.
No. 611 is currently having mechanical work done at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer and it is expected to be back in service later this summer. Officials say they are planning public events with the locomotive that will be announced in the coming months.
“We’re working hard to ensure the public continues to have opportunities to engage with 611 and are planning unique events to provide opportunities to experience 611 under steam in 2018,” says Will Harris, president of the Virginia museum board. “The Virginia Museum of Transportation and NCTM are both planning special events with the locomotive in Roanoke and Spencer, respectively.”
Officials say No. 611 will be in Roanoke on Sept. 29 for the annual Big Lick Train Tug, where teams of six and 12 try to pull the big locomotive by hand.
Officials say they are also focused on raising funds to equip No. 611 with Positive Train Control technology. In the absence of revenue-generating excursions in 2018, the group is asking
supporters to consider a donation via www.fireup611.org.
The Virginia museum also announced on Saturday that significant progress has been made raising the funds needed to build a permanent home for No. 611 in Roanoke. The museum recently obtained a steel building that will form the core of the new 611 Preservation and Education Facility.
“We’re now closer than ever before to providing future generations the opportunity to see steam technology up close, better understand a foundational technology of America’s industrial power, and see firsthand how the railroad helped build our country. Ideally, we would like to break ground before the end of this calendar year,” Harris says
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It’s bad timing that NS decided to no longer host excursions for this year and told VMT last year that they would need to work with Amtrak for 2018 excursions. Well, Amtrak decided to ban most excursions effective April 2018. That means in plain English no public excursions steam or diesel on NS, BNSF, or even CSX. Only exception is the New River Train on CSX which Amtrak has allowed to operate this year due to pressure from WV and others. Hopefully NS and Amtrak will see the value of steam again. With Wick Moorman gone at both railroads there’s no one to support steam excursions any longer. I guess Squires and Anderson see steam as a waste of time and money like Hunter Harrison did. Class 1 railroads which are public corporations and trade on the stock market are under pressure from investors to make a profit and keep costs low. Plus excursions tie up busy freight routes and take employees away from their regular duties. NS employees helped out with the 21st Century steam excursions as well as museum staff. I’m surprised that Moorman was able to convince the NS board in 2010 that bringing back steam was a good idea. For now, support tourist railroads and regional railroads that operate steam. Hopefully a way will be found to get 611 back on NS by next year.
The Western Maryland Scenic Railway needs a steamer this season. Could an arrangement be made? I would pay to ride that!
To my way of thinking a large amount of the tracks are owned by the class 1 railroads right ,well how about they get together and ban all AMTRACK trains from their tracks and then lets see what the higher ups at AMTRACK do with that , Stuff that in you,re pipe and smoke it ! People love their train excursions stop *&^#@ that up AMTRACK big wigs .
I believe the best answer is to engage a “one-off” Railroad that would gladly accept a mutually beneficial situation to allow these “steeds” to run free. Say MRL, IAIS, even BNSF (Raton Pass – Albuquerque) all offer thoroughbred qualities that would allow the myriad of Steam Locomotive fans a chance to see beautiful specimens a place to open up without issues.
Think out-of-the-box!
Norfolk Southern has enough problems keeping their crews and Amtrak crews from running out of service time, without putting more unprofitable excursions on their overtaxed lines. The Crescent has been running with consistant 2 hour delays, up to ten hours late!!!
Virginia Museum of Transportation listed at AmazonSmile.
AMAZONSMILE reaches $89,000,000.
NRHS Fund, Inc. listed.
When you’re pinching pennies to get to a certain OR, the last thing you’ll do is take on added liability insurance cost (even if self-insured) and distract your already-spread-thin front line management from their primary goals.
I understand it, but wonder if being excursion friendly wouldn’t be a net benefit in the long run.
Or perhaps, as Mr. Oltmann said, maybe NS is concentrating on righting the ship ( which I am sure is a bigger concern to the shippers) versus having another steam engine out there to make the railfans happy or for PR fluff. I am sure many will disagree with me, but I believe the biggest PR tool a railroad has is their workforce. Particularly the ones with “boots on the ground” who see and deal with what’s going on in the industry. Far more important than pulling another engine out of a museum, at least to me.
NS and any other railroad can legally run whatever passenger excursions they please on their own, sans Amtrak. With the exception of UP, which has concluded that their steam program and self-sponsored passenger excursions are worth it, all the others, having considered the pros and cons recited in these posts ad nauseum, have concluded that it ain’t worth it, without the Amtrak assumption of liability. Fred Frailey responded some time back to a question I posed to one of his blogs, confirming that BNSF could legally re-institute the Super Chief, in all its glory, tomorrow, if they cared to do so. They just don’t care to do so. NS apparently does not feel the corporate connection to its past, or benefit therefrom, with 611 that UP does with 844, 4014, and 3985.
Dennis- NS was doing that with their 21st Century Steam program. Last year they pulled the plug on it. No more NS sponsored trips. (I doubt NS would allow any trips this year. They are in the ditch operationally with no spare folks to usher excursions around the system.)
So why can’t Norfolk Southern tell Amtrak to stick it where the sun don’t shine and run whatever excursions they want? Do they own their own track? Do they have theor.own insurance? Are not private owner, their own fleet, and museum passenger cars available? Who need Delta Dick and the rest of Amtrash?
Thanks Mr. Pins, high praise indeed coming from yourself!
Mr. Antoniazzi – Amen, brother, to both your comments.
“All dressed up and nowhere to go.” A pity.
Meanwhile, look at all the fun the British are having with heritage steam.