Norfolk & Western’s J-611 Bellows Smoke and Steam

Rail Line: Norfolk and Western
Train Name: J-611
Power type: 4-8-4 Steam Locomotive
Builder: Norfolk and Western Roanoke Shops
Train type: Passenger only
Fuel: Coal

Published Jun 8, 2015 By Robert Blue

Norfolk & Western J-611 is back on the rails after an extensive restoration!

Under her own power for the first time in 20 years, this clip captures her shakedown run from Spencer to Greensboro, North Carolina, in May of 2015.

Meticulously restored, cleaned, and polished, she is a beauty! The rail paparazzi are all over this one as she makes her way through the countryside.

The Norfolk and Western “J-611” is a huge locomotive weighing in at 494,000 lbs with combined tender weight of over 872,600 lbs.!

Along with her distinctive maroon and black markings which reflect the art deco style of passenger locomotives of her day, at 50 mph she was rated the most powerful locomotive ever built in terms of actual drawbar horsepower.

The “J” (as she known) can propel a 15-car, 1015 ton passenger train at 110 MPH on level track. She also has the largest combustion chamber and firebox of any 4-8-4 ever built. The “J” used high quality coal in her firebox.

The Norfolk and Western initially built 14 of these Locomotives in the “J” series starting with locomotive number 600. Unfortunately, the “J-611” is the only one of these engines left.