I have to ask if the crews have had any chance to move the engine around on SRR trackage. If they have, did they notice anything or find they had to do anything different, because of size and power?

Wouldn't it stand to reason that something that large and heavy, they'd want to keep a close eye on what it might due to the rails/switches? Sure, heavier stuff has been in and out of there to get to the RR Museum of PA, but I don't think a 4-8-4 has steamed on that line before (at least not anytime in the last few years)?

From a number of posts I think some folks are misjudging Strasburg's physical plant based upon its short mileage??

They have a physical plant that is in excellent condition and track that has zero problems handling the 611's size/weight.

I can testify based upon some of the track we've taken the 614 over ( she is very close to the same size/axel loadings of 611) that the 611 will have no problems there whatsoever.

Ross Rowland

I have read that the Strasburg does indeed have excellent track; let's recall that the line got a lot of rebuilding, including replacing its lone bridge, to be able to handle the modern freight cars it also gets.

If I were concerned about anything, it might be the switches, primarily at the Strasburg end. Not that they couldn't handle the weight, but their curvature.

Among other things, the J class is famous for being a good deal stiffer than most locomotives in the lateral motion of its leading and trailing trucks. This was a way to counteract nosing while keeping overbalance to a minimum with relatively small 70 inch drivers.

This stiffness could cause problems when the engines were used in limited freight service near the end of their lives. The N&W found out that spurs that would take a Mallet or a 4-8-2 had problems with a J.

Of course, I could be full of hooey; hopefully in this case I am, and Kelly or someone else will put me straight.

Not hooey, of course, but the stiff lateral on leading and trailing trucks is a function of the lateral-compliance arrangements on the locomotive, which can be changed remarkably easily with a minimum of parts exchange; my suspicion is that Scott et al. did this, or confirmed it had been done, in the most recent restoration (using the 'hard restriction' 40mph excursion speed restriction plus some nominal factor of safety for higher speed) leaving perfectly good compliance against hunting. I'd have implemented this as part of the response to the cross-level problem when first reported (which I think was well before the Dismal Swamp incident)

SRC was wheel watching while diverging through the turnouts and did not seem to find a problem. Then they moved it around looking for tight clearances not on the diagrams.

I think a live J is the heaviest steam engine to visit Strasburg.

Phil Mulligan

MANY years ago in a monthly NRHS meeting, someone from the Strasburg RR was speaking. The only thing I remember was him mentioning that the roadbed was "overmaintained" for the speeds run on the line. Don't know how much the ex_NKP Berkshire weighs that was recently relocated to Ohio, but it probably was a close second. A GG1 also made the trip over this railroad for emergency repairs back when they were still active.

GG1 weighs 468,400 lbs (4800 475,000 lbs); E44 384,260 lbs; E44a (4465) 376,000 lbs.

M1a 4-8-2 (PRR 6755 is an M1b) weighs 344,000 lbs empty, 390,000 lbs working order.

NKP 765 weighs 440,800 lbs in working order; don't have empty weight. 757 was empty when at Strasburg.

N&W J weighs 494,000 lbs in working order.

For a class that has never been to Strasburg (but which has been almost everywhere else and has turned on the RRMPA turntable when it was at Bridgeport) a Reading T-1 weighs 441,300 lbs in working order.

I'm not sure how current these weights are and they're engine only, but they do give a good estimate.

Phil Mulligan

We did what any clearance department would have done in the pre-trip planning: N&W has all this specified out. We read the numbers along with VMT and made a determination. Empirical verification after the fact is just employee curiosity.

Amtrak did their due diligence for the run between Dillerville Yard (West of Lancaster Station) and Leaman Place behind NS power. 611 is a big engine but they had a route.

Phil Mulligan

Just thought about how GREAT it would be if 1218 was operable! We could have THREE N&W steamers running at once!! One can dream... maybe one day.

I just wanted to thank the Strasburg Railroad for adding more 611 trips. When it was originally announced, I didn't have the school/sports activity schedules for our kids yet (yeah, that hectic time of parenting life), and the tickets sold out.

But, with them just adding additional trips, I was able to grab some open air coach seats for this Sunday at 5:30pm, so my son and I are going.

I never managed to ride behind the 611 or even see it before. I was on a teenager on a motorcycle trip with my dad around Roanoke the weekend it was first run in the 1980s, and remember hearing about it on the local news at the campground, but I never saw it. During the late 80's early 90's when I was in college, I kept saying I'd see it next year. Well, we know how that played out.

I'll probably never get to see the 1218 in steam, but hopefully this weekend I will finally see the 611.

475 and 611 have been running around Strasburg today, they've both been seen on the real-time railcams at each end of the line... I haven't seen anything on them running together yet, though.

611 and 475 ran double-headed with passenger train this evening to Lehman Place and back.

I tip my hat to Kelly and his crew for getting them both through the shop and back on the road.

Phil Mulligan