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Norfolk & Western No. 611 roars back onto the main line, but wye is a problem
I guess they meant to say it returned to Spencer facing north, not south since they didn’t wye it…
I can’t believe it made it around the wye @ Pomona, but not @ Salisbury. Previously, the A&Y wye @ Greensboro was used instead of Pomona for 4501.
Patrick - It ran north to Greensboro, was wyed to face south, ran back to Spencer/Salisbury, could not be wyed, backed to Spencer still facing south. That’s what the article says, and my rudimentary knowledge of the area supports that.
That is correct David. She is still facing south. It was a great day for all railfanners as 611 really put on a show. I met a lot of folks today that knew nothing about 611. They were just curious about what people were watching for. I told a lot of em about Trains Mag. and the web-site. Jim, your crew done a great job today streaming 611. I got behind you when you left the depot in Thomasville and now I know how you stayed ahead of it. (ha ha ) Thanks for a good day!
I’m glad it was a successful trip! Is it possible that NS will re-allign
Oops typo…is it possible that NS will make adjustments to the wye?
What the gentlemen at Spencer were able to accomplish in the overhaul of 611 is truly outstanding! Hats off to the rebuilders!
Looks like it did quite a few miles at 50 mph. Now, I gotta figure out how to get up and see it run!
Jim: An Excellent bit of photography for both symmetry and composition!
I’m not so sure anymore the NS still has steam restricted to 40mph, because boy did some of that look faster than 40. Certainly not as fast as the Daylight did on the Burlington Racetrack in 2009, but I’d say 50mph, maybe 55mph. And with a full tuscan red consist behind her, the train could’ve easily been the Powhatan Arrow of old. I’m wondering, though, what happened to the N&W obs car the Roanoke NRHS used to have behind 611 on excursions in the 90s. From videos I’ve seen, it was certainly in the consist on the historic trip up Saluda grade in 1992.
John if i remember correctly Iowa Pacific now owns the obs car.
This is a great test of the maximum degree of curve the J #611 can handle… Someone should go with two friends to the location the #611 did not like on the wye curvature and mark the rail every 31 feet with chalk. Then using his two friends to hold each end of a 62 foot long chord, measure the offset in the center of the chord. Each inch of offset corresponds to each degree of curvature. The entire wye should be measured and staked and a string-line made up showing the kinks and realign the track. Just running a lining machine through the curve will record it and using its computer, it can realign the track. We no longer have to do it the old way that I used in years past, working up the chart and measuring the throw distance from each stake set aside the track at 31 foot placement.
In the future, all wye tracks should be measured with a 62 foot long chord and check the degree of the track in advance, and not exceed the finding made on the Greensboro wye track.
And when you use a sharply curved wye track, always use the long spout oil can and just place oil on the inside edge of the head of the outer rail, to prevent flange ride up. Keep the oil off the head of the rail needed for traction. Manually placed sand may be used on the head of the outer rail but not on the inner rail as wheel slide needs to occur with the wheels on the inner rail head.
I remeber a trip from Buffalo, NY to Erie, PA. We had an issue with a wye and was pulled back to Buffalo with a diesel. Don’t rember if it was 611, 765 or the NW A unit