This is cool footage. It's a shame we don't get to see 611 and other mainline excursion locomotives move like this anymore. The few American mainline runs we see nowadays are slow, basically all diesel-assisted, and tightly-regulated by comparison. Times have changed.
She must have been a sight to behold thundering down the mainline on the hundreds of excursions she ran between 1982 and 1994. I look forward to seeing more.
Great video of one of the queens of steam very superb starting from a standstill with no wheel slip, not common nowadays lol, great work from a skilled engineer to maximize tractive effort.
Perfectly balanced running gear! All roller bearings main and side rods. Truly, she is the Queen of modern steam locomotives!! Modern being the last years of steam!!
Wonderful footage of 611. The pacing scenes are very good. Frank Collins has her hooked up just right clean stack just a singin’ along. 👍👍 This is just my opinion but nobody runs the 611 as good as Frank Collins did. Compare the footage of him running her to the recent trips in 2015 to 2017 era.
It’s upsetting how mainline steam excursion operations aren’t like this anymore. Wish they will just come back to the mainline in the future! Who agrees with me?
Steve, I particularly liked the footage paralleling with the road & tracks. Mind telling what the speeds were? One section looked about 45, but the later footage seemed maybe up to 55 mph. I rode 611 out of Spencer, in 2013 [I think] & Insurance only allowed 45 mph, max.
Great video and killer pacing!! 👏👏
This is cool footage. It's a shame we don't get to see 611 and other mainline excursion locomotives move like this anymore. The few American mainline runs we see nowadays are slow, basically all diesel-assisted, and tightly-regulated by comparison. Times have changed.
She must have been a sight to behold thundering down the mainline on the hundreds of excursions she ran between 1982 and 1994. I look forward to seeing more.
Let's hope so and pray that Amtrak or the government doesn't screw it up
Great video of one of the queens of steam very superb starting from a standstill with no wheel slip, not common nowadays lol, great work from a skilled engineer to maximize tractive effort.
611 hauling 25 pass cars at high speed, thats power!!!
At 18:45 speed appears to be 45 plus
And at 21 minutes its definitely above 55
Hard to believe this was only less than a month before the dismal swamp accident. I still love seeing 611 run like she was born to do!
Perfectly balanced running gear! All roller bearings main and side rods.
Truly, she is the Queen of modern steam locomotives!! Modern being the last years of steam!!
My uncle got to see 611 back in 1986
Great pacing footage!
Awesome film Steve! Excellent!
@22:35 easily doing 60mph ! Looks smooth as ever
Wonderful footage of 611. The pacing scenes are very good. Frank Collins has her hooked up just right clean stack just a singin’ along. 👍👍 This is just my opinion but nobody runs the 611 as good as Frank Collins did. Compare the footage of him running her to the recent trips in 2015 to 2017 era.
This must have been just BEFORE the swamp wreck that demolished the Queen & Crescent Club and the Missionary Ridge plus one SRR heavyweight
It’s upsetting how mainline steam excursion operations aren’t like this anymore. Wish they will just come back to the mainline in the future! Who agrees with me?
Shes still beautifull today
Just did the math with a metronome and calculator for the rough speed, about 65mph at around 22:30
Steve, I particularly liked the footage paralleling with the road & tracks. Mind telling what the speeds were? One section looked about 45, but the later footage seemed maybe up to 55 mph. I rode 611 out of Spencer, in 2013 [I think] & Insurance only allowed 45 mph, max.
611 didn't return to steam in the 21st century til 2015
Awesome!!!
that baby appers to be humming....... we should be doing more for these old gals.....get'em up and running....
nice
Thats 92 mph