Was browsing thru an Old Hopewell DVD of 611's trips in 1982 and 1983. I was wondering if anyone knows or had a listing of the consist that was behind 611 on the Sep. 1982 trips out of Roanoke. Looks to be a bunch of N&W coaches, couple of SOU coaches, GN diner 1148 (Devils Lake) and a couple of business cars at the end. All I can spot is
UPDATED:
220166 water tender
1407 (tool car)
533
501
Roanoke Chapter coach RNRH(1827)
SOU 843
SOU 845 coach
SOU (CoG 727) Ft. Mitchell
GN 1148 (Devils Lake)
N&W 1069 (missionary ridge)
N&W 539 P3 coach
N&W 536 P3 coach
N&W 531 P3 coach
N&W 540 P3 coach
N&W 451 (Hollins college)
IC 3305 Mardi Gras

After that I can't tell because they cut away after 611 passes in most shots.

Thanks

Have you looked in Steam's Camelot, by Jim Wrinn? I can't remember what consist info was contained in the book. My copy is buried in storage, or I would look. Maybe someone else has a copy handy and could check it. There is a used copy on Amazon for under $10.

Steam Camelot is an excellent resource for Southern/NS steam excursions, but it does not have any consist information. I would expect those early runs to include mostly N&W painted equipment supplemented by a few of the 800 series Southern coaches. Roanoke Chapter owned several pieces of equipment at the time, painted in N&W colors, and those were likely on the train including former IC round end observation car Mardi Gras. Early on, the idea was for 611 & train to stay on home rails while the Southern engines and consist stayed on Southern trackage. For that reason, you didn't see the Southern heavyweight equipment on many of those early 611 excursions.

I did get to ride two pre-Dismal excursions on 611 on the Buffalo-Bellvue segmented runs, when track speed wasn't restricted. The first Erie-Buffalo one was most memorable, was in an open-windowed coach one car back from the 'Man O'War' recording combine, and that was just quite the car, quite the trip, at track speed overtaking Conrail intermodal trains running beside us along Lake Erie. Graham Claytor at the throttle.
'Man O'War is now down at TVRM after another career on Western Maryland, that was my all-time favorite car to search out on the NS excursions. It was literally, QUIET ON THE SET as it was equipped with power and shelves and open baggage doors and scanner feed.... heaven on earth.
I'm not sure when that car was converted or where it ran, but that was the ultimate long-distance high-speed steam fan car, you'd walk up there and get glared at if you even said 'wow...'....
It's been repainted and unless you know you'd never recognize it now.
https://www.facebook.com/tvrail/photos/ ... 33/?type=3

Go to page 59 to see the consist on the Dismal Swamp wreck
https://www.jonroma.net/media/rail/acci ... AR8705.pdf

From Craig Sanders' Akron Railroads blog today, taken by Bob Farkas during the Labor Day 1982 first 611 trips out of Roanoke. Crossing the Tye River bridge near Lynchburg on Labor Day 1982, if you can pick out the cars in the consist from this shot of the entire train. I was with Bob, and Jim Bacon for this, and have virtually the same shot. There were probably almost 50 photographers up to their behinds in Kudzu getting this shot, including Jim Boyd.

Link: https://akronrrclub.wordpress.com/2024/ ... tye-river/

That is the James River Viaduct at Lynchburg, not the Tye River Viaduct several miles to the north at Rockfish. The Tye River viaduct was replaced with a different design by the SR after being destroyed in flooding in 1969.

The Tye River bridge was a popular runby spot for the DC/Potomac NRHS/Chesapeake RRE Joint Trip Committee during NS steam excursion days, by leading riders down the VBR right of way top a cleared spot that could accommodate hundreds.

I managed to get 611 and train returning from the 1989 Asheville NRHS Convention on a Monday at BOTH James River and Tye River, in a stunt of fast driving I could never duplicate today (various gates, trees, and whatnot in the way).

Thanks for the photo link. After finding a video on YT of the train moving by slowly, many of the cars used were shown in the video. Still trying to figure out which N&W coaches were used along with which other SOU 840 coach. I'm guessing many of the N&W P3 coaches that are still around today. But this was before NS had re-done 501 and 532 or 533 into NS 28 & 29.

Thanks to a small article in the Jan. 1983 issue of Trains magazine. I have now found the consist officially. Thanks to J. David Ingles. First post has been updated.