A photo of the smokebox front/door from the 611 facebook page:
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One item that all of us should desire is the work of disassembly. Each removal of every bolt, screw, part, and sub part should be documented catalogued & numbered. This should be in the order of removal to be used for reassembly and future repairs. This will take the effort of several volunteers full time..
There is equipment available that will allow each part to be scanned and produce a CAD drawing.
Thanks for that video, S. Conner, though it cost me a couple of tears.
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"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Thank you, S. Connor, for that video. Seeing it brought back memories of that which ended 31 December 1957, when the N&W began operating the Southern's diesels through on the trains that ran through Bristol.
I had only two rides behind a J, both in 1956, when I rode #17 from Radford to Bristol, and #46 from Bristol to Wytheville.
However, I often went into Bristol after supper to stand by the ready track and look at the engine that was take #42 to Roanoke and perhaps to Monroe. At one time or another, I may have seen every J, as once in a while I was in town when #45 came in (during school, I could not get back to the college in time for supper had I been in town for that train), and I watched #17 come in when I was going down to Chattanooga.
Had I not moved to Utah in 1974, I would probably have ridden behind 611 when it was pulling excursions out of Birmingham--but that was not to be.
Thank you again.
Johnny
I found a video on YouTube, showing the rebuild of 611 back in the 80's. At the 5:23 mark, you can see the bullet nose casing come off, revealing a normal smoke box door underneath. If you wish to view this very interesting video, here is the ULR:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeuPEE-Meso&index=8&list=WL
BigJim is correct on this. Streamlined steam locomotives are just regular steam designs with sheet metal added for the visual effect. You can add it or take it off as you please. For example, the B&O P7 Class had streamlining similar to the J that was removed in the end to make servicing easier. The C&O 614 was originally designed to be streamlined, but the C&O never applied it.
Unfortunately, the 611 is set up to operate only as streamlined, due to the design of the smokebox door, sand box and other details.
I really have to wonder why in the wide wide world of sports you would even think that the sand box had any thing to do with it? Being the Class J aficionado that you claim to be, haven't you even looked at the plans of the Class J? Or, better yet the Class K1? If you had, you would have seen that the sand box (on both) is as designed and that it had its own sheetmetal covering to, shall I say, smooth out the appearance.
What other details? The streamlining has nothing to do with appliances that are needed for the operation of the locomotive. Also, remember that near the end, they were removing the very top of the skyline casing for easier maintenance of the appliances on top of the boiler.
As I said before, it would be neat to see it run unstreamlined, at least for a short time. However, that was just a thought. Having to remove the skyline framework would be required, then new sheathing for the upper (but more likely the entire length of) boiler and a headlight and bracket. Yes, the costs would be prohibitive, but, it is not as far fetched as you want to make it.
Remember, the wartime J's were probably some of the cleanest cut locomotives out there even without all of the streamlining. There really wasn't much there to hide. Back then, it wasn't that big of a project to add the streamlining near the end of the war when the government let them have the steel to do it.
friend611Unfortunately, the 611 is set up to operate only as streamlined, due to the design of the smokebox door, sand box and other details. If one of the group 605-610 had been saved along with 611, then that might be a possibility. lois
Agreed.
The streamlined J looks elegant, but those wartime unstreamlined J's looked brutal!
Just one man's opinion.
If it was originally made by man, it can be remade by man - for a price.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Oh well, we can always dream on...
They'll probably steam her up for testing that way, so they have access to any leaking pipes or lines. Will they run her like that? Probably not. Most people like the class J's because of the stream lining. It would be to much of a hassle to take it and the frame underneath for it off.
Although it would be interesting to run it "Wartime-Style" It would be to hard to convert it, and I doubt it would attract anywhere near as many people to buy tickets.
What I think would be neat is to run the 611 without the streamlining, ala, the war babies 605-610.
OK, thanks for the explanation, guys!
It's just steel and condensation. Same problem as the slow accumulation of water in the gas tank of a vehicle that sits for too long.
Is that rust on the front end of the boiler? How? She's been covered in jacketing and lagging and a roof for 20 years, how could it get there? Unless I'm wrong and it's weathering, or something else....
They must be moving fast, I wouldn't have guessed that they are that far along already!
Here's what the old 'gal looks like now:
She sure looks naked without her bullet nose.
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