Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 may be a better known steam locomotive, but it had a running mate during the halcyon days of the Norfolk Southern steam program.
N&W 2-6-6-4 No. 1218 pulled several excursions and even teamed up with the 611 for some photo opportunities during National Railway Historical Society Conventions.
The excursion career of No. 1218 was relatively short. After moving under its own power in 1985 following restoration and then entering excursion service, the Class A steamer was removed from service at the end of the 1991 season and sent to a shop in Alabama for an overhaul.
The plan was to have the 1218 back on the road for the 1996 excursion season, but NS canceled its steam program at the end of the 1994 season.
No. 1218 was sent to Roanoke, Virginia, where it remains on static display at the Virginia Transportation Museum.
In the photo above, No. 1218 is westbound west of Bellevue on Aug. 15, 1987.
Photograph by Robert Farkas
Tags: 2-6-6-4 steam locomotives, N&W 1218, N&W steam locomotives, Norfolk & Western 1218, Norfolk & Western steam locomotives, Robert Farkas photography, steam excursions, steam locomotives
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April 16, 2022 at 7:13 pm |
One of these days, 1218 is gonna be under steam again like they did with 611 recently