There is nothing like a steam engine... The sound, the smell, even the creaks at idle, if any mechanical device ever seemed alive- Steam engines are it. 😃👍
I was on that excursion in the last car (the Silver Solarium dome car) and while it was an amazing trip, we did receive quite a jolt and drinks spilled, each time it "slipped." The car host almost lost an entire tray of food he was carrying, but did an excellent job of holding on. It was a trip of a lifetime, and the situation on the wye just added to the uniqueness of the experience.
@@viktordubowskii695 The last car is jolted the most, as the slack comes out of each car as the train accelerates, each car receiving a slightly higher jolt that the one in front of it.
@@viktordubowskii695 like said in the other comment, the reason slack action happens is due to the space between couplers and the drawbar spring. As the locomotive starts to move, one car at a time takes up the slack. If it is a long train, the locomotive could be doing at least 15-20 by the time the last car finally starts to move. Going from 0 to 15 in less than a second is a violent experience. Men riding in the caboose on freight trains had to prepare for it and make sure no loose objects were around.
@@Island_Line_Rail_Productions I can confirm that the last car, The Guard's Van in my case, was often snapped like a whip-cracker when the engine driver had to accelerate from standing. As the auto-couplers took over from screw coupling between wagons it became less dangerous but on one memorable occasion I was 'snapped' five feet through the air and hit the glass window of my van's door. Yeah, I got a four inch chuck of glass embedded into the right shoulder blade which I could not pull out left handed. I dumped the air brakes and even when the fireman tried he was unable to remove the offending article. " You have ruined your uniform shirt, Stevo", he remarked. Sooo, Control had to send a taxi a hundred miles to return me to the nearest aid post. " Don't bleed all over my seats," advised the compassionate taxi driver when he arrived. We had a couple of cold beers from his emergency kit on the way back to town. At the bush hospital, a lovely young nurse laid me face down on a gurney, jumped onto my back and put her knee into m, ma, muh, my spine so as to better gain the advantage. Something popped besides my eyeballs. A few sutures later and we all laughed about the size of the shard. All good. The other nurse on duty had called my wife to come to the hospital . All bewildered, The Good Wife appeared then was right confused when she took possession of my body. " They told me that you had been mauled in the groin by a huge wild dog, a dingo, " she said. Note, she also worked at this bush hospital and her workmates were a wild bunch.
Technology used to be that way because there was a lot of pride in a product back then. Today, technology is as bland, cheap looking, and thrown together as possible. Look at how ugly cars are today as compared to the past. It is no wonder there is a push to make autonomous cars. Modern cars inspire falling asleep behind the wheel.
When they did this in a daily basis, they would use the cylinder draincocks to reduce power immediately when the wheels began to slip. The main control would remain in its optimum setting during this.
Stumbled into this video and watched, my grandfather was a locomotive mechanic for Chicago Northwest Railroad. Just wanted to say after reading comments what thoughtful and polite comments are posted by your community. I am 55 and am a musclecar buff and guitar collector, and nearly every video on youtube in these subjects is filled with criticism, name-calling, and so on. Interesting to see the maturity level contrasted!
I was amazed at how big this engine is. When I saw these “little men” climb down from the cab and stand next to the steps it blew my mind. Not knowing too much about steam engines I thought at first it didn’t have the power to pull the train and then the wheel slip showed me the real story. Great video and a learning experience for me. Would a modern diesel have wheel slip as well?
Diesels tend to spread the tractive effort out over more wheels, on this steamer only the 8 drive wheels are applying power, on the 3 or 4 multiple units that would be required to lug the same train using diesel all the wheels would be driven so the horsepower per wheel is less and tractive effort is higher. Not to say diesels don't slip it's just much less likely
@@user-tv7bm4qn3d Diesels also have a traction motor for each axle, and they are not coupled together. So when one slips it doesn't cause all the others to slip. Diesels had immensely higher starting tractive effort than steam locos did even early on. It took a steam engine like 611 to get to speed before they could realize their horsepower. Which then showed they were unbeatable until the diesels started getting higher horsepower across the band.
They do slip especially on wet, snowy, icy, or black rail, black rail being when the leaves fall on the track and make it almost impossible to find braking or power traction
A majestic machine and beautiful sight.... It's almost like a living breathing being.. I watched this very engine pulling passenger cars along the N&W Railroad in southern West Virginia during in the 1950's. We called them stream-liners.
2019, I am 73 and grew up in Rockford Illinois. In the early 1950's, there were still many steam trains on the Rock Island Iine. It was something to see. Rockford was a rail hub and most of my family worked on or for one line or another.
Wonderful video. Brings back fond memories of riding a steam powered train back in the 50's as a very young boy, with my Grandmother, on the B&O railroad in South Western Ohio. I'll never forget the sights, smells and sounds of that train.
My grandfather, A J Harless, was a conductor on the Powhatan Arrow for many, many years. The J engine you see here was one of the steam engines which pulled that passenger train from Norfolk to Cincinnati. As a small child, I would ride this train from my home in Kenova, WV to Portsmouth, Ohio where my grandparents lived. I remember these engines well and when they switched from steam to diesel, an era ended.
Reminds me of when I was a kid and we would go to the train station to take a trip and the lingering smells in the air would be a mixture of steam, diesel, grease and scorched steel. Loved that smell.😍👍
As a young boy my father started taking me to rail museums and for steam train rides, I have been fascinated by 'living machinery', anything powered by steam ever since. At 78 years, I organised a ride along for him,in the driver's cab, via a few contacts. Half an hour later he exited the cab, with his hands shaking, saying it was the highlight of his life! Nice to know that the day I was born runs second place to a steam train ride. 👍
@@ecoRfan yeah how dare he try and say those tenders were cars! What was he thinking?! Btw I counted 48 tenders and 3 firms. Clearly you need corrective lenses
WOW now this engineer knows what he's doing he didn't just let the wheels slip like alot of engineers do it's nice to see that this engineer knew how to control the locomotive!!!!
@@misfit4373 But it is by far the longest string of a modern excursion train pulled by a steam engine unassisted that I've ever seen. So many excursion trains have very few cars, and even then have a diesel helping.
@@Wingnut353 100 mph was more common than you might think. The Milwaukee Road diamonds at the crossing of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern at Rondout, IL had a speed restriction- “Slow to 100 mph”
@@HeavyTanker-vx4oq If you are referring to the modern era i guarantee they never pulled anything this long and 100% unassisted by a diesel locomotive like this one
One of the most beautiful trains I've ever seen, from the locomotive to the end coach. Nicely put together, seemingly using coaches and livery from bygone years in one sufficiently long train. The steam locomotive was a gracious sight too, with every steam and smoke spout spewing from top and sides like steam locos are want to do
Yah, 18 heavy steel passenger cars is just overwhelmingly incredible. 12 would be hard to pull. I was expecting a diesel assistance as a pusher at the back but none!
I remember seeing these same steam engines in West Virginia when I was 7 years old! So glad to have seen these fine old trains still in actual use, because it wasn't long after that that most engines had been converted over to Diesel.
Awe inspiring! I was on the edge of my seat willing that engine along. Reminded me of the "I know I can!" train. Also, great to see so many panoramic view carriages, especially the Zephyr one at the end. Kudos from the UK!
Now that is driving by the seat of your pants. Wheel spin is inevitable with solid axles on this kind of radius, but the Engineer held it back just right.
In this corner we have one of the grand passenger locomotives the NS 958 alongside its partner in crime, the Engineer. And in the other corner we have the Norfolk Southern double header with its partner, the CEO of Norfolk himself! Let's put these giants to the test! *3 hours later* And the winner for all 10 sections iiiiiiiiiiiissssssssss................... THE NS 958!!!!!!!!! Anyone surprised? Well you shouldn't be. (A monster of an engine + an amazing driver = unbeatable RAW POWER! >:D)
I've seen this train several times, as it used to stop across from my shop to pick up passengers while doing excursions for the Ohio state fair years ago. It is a beast, and it is beautiful. It also has a true steam engine horn that you will never forget. Much better than the Mallard, which sounds like a duck being strangled.
I suspect that the 'Dislikes' for this video are from people who genuinely don't understand what's happening. I don't mean that as an insult; it's just that steam engines are a completely alien form of life (sic) to most people today. Back when these gorgeous beasts were state-of-the-art, everybody understood what it took to be an engine driver. In today's fly-by-wire, autonomous-driving world, if your vehicle requires any kind of skilled input, people probably conclude that there's something wrong with it! Coping with a 'living' machine is beyond the experience of most RU-vid viewers; I think that's why this great video has some 'Dislikes'. Ignore 'em. Full-steam ahead!
If you have never been close to one, heard one go by, or ridden on one, GET THERE !!!!!!!!!! My Grand dad was a conductor on the Wellsville, Addison, & Galeton Line in north central PA ( original part of the B & S railroad) to which he spent most of his life). When I was small in the early fifties we used to walk to the train yard and he would let us climb aboard, visit the roundtable and throw coal into the boiler's . I remember him cursing the first Diesel they had gotten. They are still all around this country ( north ,south, east ,west or central). Get on one!!!!!!! Go for a ride. Nothing will impress you more!
I used to catch a steam train to school in 1960. We had to run down a hill avoiding red ants by the thousand and the odd red bellied black snake (think of a power cable with the wires exposed and the power on). It was a daily adventure in steam!
When I was a youngster(in the 1950’s we would go watch the trains at Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, Pennsylvania! It is was and still is a great place to watch trains. I live in Olathe, KS now, and there are lots of trains that go through this town. In fact, as I write this I can hear a train whistle
I opened the caption & said “wow”. My husband asked what I was looking at. Showed him this beautiful beautiful monster. His reaction! (& he’s not as crazy about trains as I am) - wow! I’d love to see her but Covid’s putting a stop to travel. Your wonderful video is tremendously appreciated.
Steam is a fantastic old beast and that is a tremendous load it is pulling from a standing start. You can't beat the sights and sounds especially the whistles.
My uncle had the misfortune to have been at the throttle of the 611 through the Great Dismal Swamp when ballast gave way and she lost the track. At least that's the way he told it. It was sad regardless of the circumstances; 611 is a work of art and an engineering marvel.
I highly doubt you are related to Robert Claytor. The ballast had nothing to do with this accident. The wheels on passenger from passenger cars 8 through 21 of the 23 car consist picked the points on the switch at the east end of Juniper. If you read the PDF of the accident report, page 35/61 states the results of the test on the switch stand - the switch stand would not lock, it had significant amounts of foreign material and rust with no evidence of lubrication. This may have been due to the prototype ballast cleaner ( page 21/61 ) damaging the switch during operation. Pages 53/61 to 55/61 list all the major findings for this incident. You can find this PDF by searching NTSB RAR8705.pdf
Ive said this before elsewhere. This is an incredibly "modern" looking steam loco. It looks like something that was built in the 21st century. Fabulous.
Did I count 21 vehicles behind the second (water?) tender? That was extremely impressive. And a remarkably clean start. An observer told his mate that it had stalled. That’s bollox. It simply stopped on a dead-centre. It can happen. It’s something that drivers have to be wary of. The train was on a curve, and the locomotive shifted it incredibly well. Actually, I’d give the crew 10/10! Another thing; sometimes locomotive boilers are de-rated as to their maximum permitted (blow-off) pressures, and working pressures. The safety valves are set to “pop” at lower pressures. This reduces the starting tractive efforts. From the tiny slips, I’d guess that the loco was working at its maximum adhesion weight. Also, I loved the Baker Valve Gear! We never used it in any of the British Railways. We did use Stephenson’s link motion, but it requires more maintenance and was used more in other parts of Europe. A pity, because it imparts Variable Lead, and can be set up to be stronger at starting and on banks. Sadly, poppet valves were never widely used in UK.
Amazing! What a great show from the N&W 611! This is one of the best steam train videos that I've seen on RU-vid! I bet the SP 4449 or the SP&S 700 could do this. The sound of the 611 is pure music!
HEY IDIOT!!!!! I have been involved with excursions since way back in Graham Claytor days and as a kid spent many hours in the cabs of 722, 630, and 4501. One thing I know about Southern RR/NS steam program is.... IT KEEPS IT ALL NS. Even that Berk from C&O aka CSX suddenly became SR, so dont go tryin to push my buttons or you might just come off looking like a dumbass. MEANTIME, over the past 20 years its amazing how many classic trains from the streamliner era have been resotered and THAT IS WHERE MY REMARK WAS HEADING. Dont let my channel fool you. That is just one of several registered and trademarked channels I have and did not realize that was the one I commented from.
That is more correct than you may suppose at the moment. Consider as we speak the following things are in full blown development: 1) a C&O mallet (1309) is being restored into operation 2) A BigBoy is half way restored into operation 3) The T-1 Trust has obtained the only extended distance Pennsy tender in existence and is a perfect match for the T1 class. This is a million dollar + savings and move ahead towards that project end as well as them being in posession of Baldwin drawings for that class for construction. 4) Over in Nashville, former NC&StL 576 is almost out of that perpetual cemetary as a major park revamping is planned and that engine is in their way + the restoration group is also the group that operates the Nashville commuter rail so shops and all are now available. This engine may be moved out of park as early as next easter. OMG, a legendary STRIPE aka "glidder" may live and breath fire once again!!!! 5) NS has had so much positive feedback from its steam program that it has realized DUHH> this is not about profit, its all PUBLIC RELATIONS. They are examining several of their former locomotive shops to determine which one gives them the best and cheapest answer for a steam locomotive facility similar to UP Wyomming. Shops in consideration are Atlanta (In old Pittsburg area south of downtown). Chattanooga (which gives them the added bonus of Tennessee Valley Railroad Society access, help, and facilities. There may be others, but Southern and NW were always frugal in that they could maximize effect for every dollar invested. NS also has enough retired facilities around to reopen and dedicate to steam with little cost towards this end.I am hopeful it will be Atlanta and then I can basically camp out there. After all, on cold nights, the fire will keep me warm.
The size of this engine is pretty difficult to appreciate, we can only look at the men in their bright yellow vests to get a sense of have massive this puppy really is. The colors remind me of many of the vintage steamers I've seen in films made in the U.K. The black or very dark green colors of those British and Scottish engines really look beautiful. Doesn't the train engine in Harry Potter films look much like the one in this video? I'm pleased that so many of the beautiful art deco cars have been preserved.
If I'm not mistaken, the engine in Harry Potter is also a real locomotive, "Castle Hall" is its name. Every so often it gets redressed into its harry potter paint and pulls the hogwarts express for real as an excursion train. I've stood beside N&W 611 and had pictures taken. The drive wheels alone are taller than me, and I'm 6 feet tall.
I thought about the size while watching the vid! At 1:27 there's one man standing on the ground, then a height from the top of his head to where the feet of the guy in the cab, then a couple feet more above his head. So I looked it up, height 16'2", roughly the 2nd floor ceiling level of a 2 story house. Monster massive, almost a million # with the tender, water, fuel. There's an FB group I follow, Machinist Museum, that has pics of lathes that cut WWII naval gun barrels. A man standing on the bed of the machine is absolutely dwarfed. Love that old monster machinery! :)
thank you for that video i was a train spotter in UK in the 1950s and loved steam all my life i was gripping the chair arms hoping the engineer would make it ( engine driver in English) the second and third time i watched it i could admire the skill of the crew and the beautiful locomotive Greetings America from a Brit in Bulgaria
When I was a kid in the 1950s in Joplin, MO, we'd take our bicycles down to the tracks to watch the MKT roll by. I could see about two miles down a straight stretch of track. I NEVER tired of hearing that train. The horrible longing in it's diesel horn, way down the line, was more than I can stand to this day! Great video.
You are to be highly commended! Aside from the spectacularly restored, brutishly mighty loco, all the restored vista-domes from many different famous lines across the nation. The mail car was exquisite. The 'cherry on top' of this delicious concoction was the observation car bringing up the rear! Too young to remember steam, but rode in the Vista-Domes on the Empire Builder weekly from Central to Western Washington in the '70s. Sitting up stairs with a drink from the bar-car, I listened to music on headphones and watched the unmolested beauty of the lofty Washington Cascade mountains on often sunny afternoons! This brought it all back. Thank you!
Yes one poorly skilled engineer, a good engineer wouldn't have stalled on the incline to begin with. But there are virtually none left that have a good skill set with steam. You want a good steam engineer you need to go to the coal mines of china.
If any NS "brass" are listening---here in Atlanta GA when I was young, the "Special" was run EVERY year, in Spring and Fall. They called it the "Dogwood" Special in Spring (I think) and the "Autumn Leaves" Special in the fall, and it was a steam engine with a few passenger cars (don't remember how many) that picked up passengers in Atlanta, GA, and took them up to Chattanooga, TN, and then back, for a one-day "sightseeing" tour. First they stopped doing the Spring run, then a few years later they stopped the Fall as well. I had thought that NS simply didn't do this at all anymore--but then found that this is now an exclusive delight ONLY for the NS leadership, CEO's, etc., and their families. I would just like to ask you to PLEASE consider Mr. and Mrs. John Q Public again, and make these wonderful one-of-a-kind rides available again! I had always planned to do this "someday", but by the time I was out on my own and had the money to pay the ticket price--you had stopped doing this. I ask you to PLEASE consider at least bringing back the "Autumn Leaves Special" again!
That old 611 carried me in my childhood many a time from Norfolk to Roanoke for summers with my Blue Ridge family. God, how I loved those train rides back and forth every year !
Yes, in due time, it's all torn apart currently. I'm a huge BB fan, but yes, this is more beautiful. The BB is all about pulling power, not speed or beauty - although watching the articulation work around a corner has it's own sort of engineering beauty.
A matter of taste, I guess. I don't like the front end of 4449 - it reminds me of a dalek or of R2D2. To me 611 looks far more elegant and coherent in its design.
