Chasing Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 Steam Train In The Shenandoah Valley (October 2023)

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Welcome to another one of my steam locomotive chase movies! This time, we will be following an age old classic; Norfolk & Western's Class J No. 611, The Queen of Steam. The VMT, in partnership w/ the Buckingham Branch Railroad & The Virginia Scenic Railway were able to bring the famed steam locomotive back into main line service in its home state of Virginia, w/ a series of weekend fall foliage excursions on the former C&O Railway's Mountain Subdivision. All footage was shot between 6 individual trips over the course of 3 days (October 13th to 15th) & arranged in locational order. Sit back, relax & enjoy the action!

Trip Info:
The trips are run out of the newly built Victoria Station, located on the Goshen Industrial track. From there, 611 backs its train out to the main line @ Goshen (MP 253), where it then proceeds some 32 miles to Staunton (MP 220.8), through the Shenandoah Valley & some of the more challenging trackage for main line steam ops, w/ rolling hills & adverse grades up to 1.57% (uncompensated for track curvature). Once in Staunton, a pair of BB GP40s are added to the rear of the train for the return to Goshen.

Departing Goshen, 611 has a relatively easy time, facing an average, broken grade of about 1% for the first 8 miles to Craigsville, during which she is able to bring her 13-car, 1,250 ton train up to about 35-40 mph in some spots. At MP 245.2, the train encounters a 1.44% downgrade into the town Craigsville. Here, brakes are applied for a 10 mph clearance-related speed restriction over Bridge 2431, (Lehigh Road) @ MP 243.1 in Fordwick. Just past this bridge is the start of the long 9-mile sustained grade up to North Mountain, with an average gradient of 1.4%, reaching 1.55% between Augusta Springs (MP 239.2) & Ferrol (MP 238) and between Chapin (MP 235.3) & North Mountain (MP 234.3). On dry rail, 611 makes easy work of this grade with this train, as only ~60k lbs of her available 80k lbs of tractive effort is required to start a train of this size on the steepest portion of the grade (20.8% adhesion), & she ascends the hill @ a brisk 20-25 mph. However, much of the ROW along the grade is enclosed by forest; on the AM trips, the morning dew on the rail head hasn't yet evaporated, thereby lowering the rail adhesion considerably (the same effect if raining, or w/ heavy leaf-fall). The result is quite dramatic, w/ train speed dropping down to 3-to-5 mph; 611 slips much of the way, especially on the curves. The diesel engines are kept on call, in case they are required to rescue 611 from a dead stall, but as of 10/15, this has yet to happen.

Once over the top of the grade @ North Mountain, the brakes are set for the 6-mile descent at 1.52% to Swoope (MP 228). Train speed for the rest of the run to Staunton does not exceed 30 mph. Between Swoope & La Grange (MP 224.55) the line traverses rolling hills about a mile each in length w/ grades between 1-&-1.5%, culminating in the mile-long 1.04% adverse grade in Snyder (MP 225.5) which is the last climb 611 faces before Staunton. Following the siding @ La Grange, the line takes the final 4 mile, 1.46% dive down into Staunton.

On the return run, though the diesels are in charge of the train, 611 does put in some work in order to keep the train slack managed. Once back on the siding in Goshen, the diesels are either broken off the train (AM trip) and run back towards North Mountain, or are left on the train (PM trip) for the overnight layover. In the morning, they proceed ahead of the excursion to pre-sand the North Mountain grade.

Table of Contents (Location & Gradient w/ respect to direction of travel):
0:00 - Victoria Station
11:20 - High Ball Goshen (MP 253), 0.4% up
15:39 - Pacing out of Goshen (MP 252.6 to 250.4), 0.55% up
19:58 - Bells Valley (MP 249.3 & 247.3), 1% up
21:46 - Craigsville Approach, Railroad Avenue (MP 246.2 & 245.8), 1% up
24:05 - Craigsville (MP 243.7), 0.54% down
24:35 - Fordwick (MP 242.8), 0.52% up, private crossing
25:13 - Augusta Springs, distant shot from highway 42 (MP 240), 1.22% up
25:55 - Augusta Springs, Estaline Valley Road (MP 239.6), 1.22% up
30:24 - Ferrol, Jackson Trail (MP 237.7), 1.435% up
31:08 - Chapin, Shillings Trail (MP 235.3), 1.55% up
32:55 - North Mountain (MP 234.4), 1.55% up
40:02 - Hewitt Road Crossing (MP 229.7), 1.52% down
40:43 - Snyder (MP 225.5 & 224.9), 1.04% up
42:46 - La Grange (MP 224.4), 1.46% down
44:04 - Pacing, Stuart St, Staunton (MP 221.8 to 221.5), 1.46% down
45:20 - Staunton Station (MP 220.9)
47:04 - Snyder (MP 224.9)
48:10 - Swoope (MP 228.5), 1.52% up
49:40 - Pacing to Christian (MP 229.7 to 230.6), 1.52% up
52:43 - North Mountain (MP 233.7), 1.52% up
54:21 - Craigsville (MP 243.7)
55:32 - Craigsville (MP 244.25), 1.44% up
57:03 - Ramsey Draft (MP 246.9), 0.92% down
58:03 - Bells Valley (MP 248.5), level track
59:03 - Snead Hollow (MP 251.3), 0.78% down
1:00:12 - Goshen (MP 253)
1:01:48 - Victoria Station

Links:
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