Why the 611?

[NW Mailing List]

Gene

I don't have any reference material with me, nor a copy of the book  
handy, so if I have some dates off, well, check the book. If you  
look, you'll see the first J retired was in, IIRC, August of 1958. By  
July, with the lease of the RF&P and ACL E units to handle all the  
mainline passenger trains, the Js were pushed to secondary service,  
and all were equipped for freight service, with addition of  
connections for auxiliary tenders. As mechanical issues faced the in  
service Js, the immediate need was determined, and if it cost too  
much, or took too much time, they were stored and/or retired. Several  
went in local freight service on the east and west end of the  
railroad, during the holiday rush, Js were used in passenger service,  
especially when the diesels failed.

By late December 1958, the first N&W passenger diesels arrived on the  
property, limiting the use of the Js on passenger trains, with the  
passing of the holiday mail and express rush, there were soon enough  
diesels on the property to handle to regular trains. In addition, the  
N&W was going through a lot of passenger train offs, eliminating a  
lot of local service and mail and express. Many Js were stored, and  
over the next few months retired, particularly as flue dates passed.  
The 611, was the last Class J to have received a major overhaul,  
after the wreck on No. 3 at Cedar, West Virginia on January 23, 1956.  
It had the most recent flues, and major repairs. By the summer of  
1959, it was likely the only J with usable flues. Again, if I recall  
correctly, a number of the other Js were gone from the property in  
Spring 1959, others being retired in June and July.

The reason none were to be saved was simple, it was financial, Stuart  
Saunders and his management team had no sentimentality, no interest  
in the history, only the bottom line. They had presented the Y6a No.  
2156 to the St. Louis Museum, and the E2a No. 578 to the Museum at  
Worthington, Ohio, as well as Class M No. 433 to Abingdon and No. 5  
to Bluefield, No. 6 to Roanoke.

However, short of the Y6, note that all of these locomotives were  
small power, lightweight, those did not have nearly the scrap value  
as bigger power, A, J, etc. I'm certain that saving an S1a like 244  
was not even considered. It was not that old, not interesting. Again,  
if I recall correctly, the 244 was retired sometime in 1958. The  
price of scrap was pretty high at the time, don't give away something  
that the company can return value on. Of which they did. It is noted  
that there were a huge number of steam engines on hand at the end,  
including a bunch of Virginian steam, perfect basis of a  
transportation museum in all cases. However, with the value high, all  
was scrapped, and the VGN stuff was moved in a funeral train very  
late in December 1959 to get it off the property before the end of  
the physical year. There could easily have been more saved, if the  
desire had been there, and the value of scrap been down to nothing,  
things may have stayed on the property longer, awaiting value to  
rise. Perhaps by then, someone may have come along with money or a  
decent plan to save things, but it costs money, then as today.  
However, it was a scorched earth policy that cleaned the property of  
most all those old steam locomotives, as well as a bunch of other  
cost cutting things done in 1959-1962. Why? Very simple, it improved  
the bottom line, increasing stock value, of which executives like  
Presidents of the company own and it makes stockholders happy as  
well, which means they keep the President in his job.

Anyway, by August of 1959, 611 was the last J standing, still in  
operating condition, operated on a special trip for Appalachian  
Power, again, the Clayton connection. It was about that time that  
Graham began to write to Stuart Saunders. Graham Claytor was a lawyer  
at a DC firm, not yet with the Southern, Bob Clayton was in N&W law  
department, and still rising in the company, so had to maintain as  
low a profile as possible. However, the Claytors knew Saunders  
personally, not just another crazy railfan writing a letter saying to  
save this stuff.  Graham was very determined, visiting, writing  
frequently about it. He suggested keeping the 611 in operating  
condition for a potential transportation museum in Roanoke that was  
being talked about, and finally came to pass in 1963. There was even  
an evaluation done by N&W in 1962-63 to put 611 back into operating  
condition, estimated to cost about $5,000 then.

Anyway, that is a round about explanation of why the 611, not because  
it was chosen, but it was the last survivor, then and now.

Ken Miller


On Jun 4, 2010, at 8:43 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:


> Thank you Mr. Miller.

> Back to the original question. Was the 611 saved because of its  

> good condition, or was it just the only "J" available?

> Gene A.

>

>

>

> ----- Original Message ----- From: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing- 

> list at nwhs.org>

> To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

> Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2010 11:01 PM

> Subject: Re: Why the 611?

>

>

>> Link liked to believe he was responsible for saving the 611,  

>> however  he had nothing to do with it.

>>

>> Copies of correspondence I have regarding the saving of 611 lie  

>> solely with W. Graham Clayton, his personal appeal to Stuart  

>> Saunders and repeated efforts resulted in the 611 being saved, not  

>> scrapped.  Graham's letters begin about late August 1959. I is  

>> covered in my book  on the Class J.

>>

>> There is absolutely no mention, ever, of Link's involvement or   

>> inquiry. Behind the scenes also working to save a J was Robert B.   

>> Claytor, then in N&W law department with some additional help of  

>> C.E.  Pond as well.

>>

>> This was covered in my book on the Class J, published in 2000.

>>

>> Ken Miller

>>

>> On Jun 3, 2010, at 7:51 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:

>>

>>> In one of the early videos, I believe "Queen of the fleet",  Mr.   

>>> Link explains that the 611  was in the Yard at Roanoke ready to   

>>> send for scrapping. He called one of the Officials and suggested   

>>> that is should be set aside and saved. The 1218 was being used as  

>>> a  stationary boiler some where up North.

>>> Gene A.

>>> Gloucester, Va.

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