Passenger speed on most tracks is differant for freight, all being passenger is faster, normal authorized speed for freight is 45+ passengers usually upwards of 70+ however I'd imagine she's doing at least 50, big stuff doesn't look as fast as what it's going and 50 is fast for a train
I remember when the fire up 611 campaign first started a couple years ago. I was a little nervous because they never said it WOULD be restored, they just said it might be able to be restored and if not the donations would go to the museum to keep her on display. But boy am I glad it worked because not only is 611 my favorite standard gauge locomotive, but I also donated quite a bit of money to the museum too lol
Welcome back 611! We've missed you very much! And thank you Castle Graphics for sharing these amazing videos! This is one of the best videos of 611's test run I've seen so far!
Beautiful set of shots there. The weather looks like it was perfect for a heavy plume and it really made for making her first trip out have attitude. Great framing and editing. Definitely one of the best videos I've een of the trip so far. Thanks for sharing!
50 Yrs old...just now getting into the history of trains. Seeing a pic of one in a book, on the web, the way it catches your eye and makes ya want to dig a little deeper, checking out the history of it and all... then suddenly coming across something like this along the journey... truly wonderful. Thanks for the video Castle Graphics. It really is a gorgeous engine.
Jeremy C. Schultz It sounds like 4449 and 844 because it's the same thing. They all use Hancock Longbell 3 chimes. They ran with a few different configurations during the last steam program. If you watch videos from the early 80s vs the ones from 93 and 94 you can tell a big difference in sound, and if you look closely the whistle plume was in different places on the jacket. Moving it around or even turning it around makes it sound completely different. If you listen to the Link recordings, the different Js had different sounds even in revenue service. Why is anybody's guess.
Jeremy C. Schultz Sure thing. Just another part of what makes steam interesting. Truth be told I prefer the 93/94 configuration too. But hey, 611 is running again. That's the important part.
+Max Medaglia The 611s whistle left with Preston Claytor when he departed from the 611 group. The whistle you hear here is Fireman Sherri George's UP FEF 3 Chime whistle.
That is soo beautiful..! I'd never hoped to see anything like it in my life. Big steam thumbs up and congratulations to you, USA, for a fine restoration..
Thanks for sharing this great video. I have to ask, did it seem like her whistle was a little different? Because it sounded like this whistle that "The Whistle Shop" made ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QIEiT2jCgKE.html I hope they put her original whistle back on, it sounds so much better.
Dustin Lehman I totally agree. This new Hancock three chime still sounds terrible. 611's old whistle should have never been removed . It sounded perfect when she was last in excursion service in the early 1990s. For the sake of everyone's sanity, they should fix that tuning ASAP, from the garbled, sick sound it is now to the cheerful, yet authoritative acoustics of 611's TRUE signature voice! Preston Claytor probably won't give the old whistle back unless he feels super gracious.
Americans used to build some truly incredible things....and this is one of them. Not sure where we got lost but we just don't build stuff like this anymore.
Fantastic cinematography! Only one nit to pick... Unless the camera taking the still images is an actual SLR, could that person please turn off the clicking sound? It's a bit distracting after the first dozen or so.
One of the last in a long line of thoroughbreds when she was produced in 1951 in Roanoke. Built with power and speed in mind this was the state of the art of steam technology at that point in time with Timken roller bearings at all critical points, automatic lubrication, a steam fed stoker and no doubt a host of other innovations that I'm not aware of. Just a joy to watch.
no sweat, I would have camera clicked fast with video Great show, Thanks ya'll for the video. I have a G scale Norfolk & Southern CW44-9 engine Charlie Forte
I've seen some good footage from today, but this one is the best yet. Well done! Thanks for posting this so the rest of us who were not there today could catch a glimpse.
20 years later in 2015, N&W 611 is back up and running. I wonder why Norfolk Southern ended its steam excursions in 1995 but hey Norfolk Southern is a evil company.
+Nema CystX (NCX) It's not the original whistle. Preston Claytor removed the whistle due to Disagreements with a few changes to the engine. The whistle they are using is a Union Pacific handcock 3 chime whistle.
This is not 611's original whistle. She is currently using a Union Pacific Hancock 3-chime, as her original whistle is privately owned and the owner won't allow the whistle to be used for some reason. I don't know the entire story, but I think this whistle suits her just fine.
