21st Century Steam
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The 21st Century Steam program was conducted by the
Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...
from 2011 to 2015, featuring four classic steam locomotives pulling passenger excursions along Norfolk Southern rails in the eastern United States. The last train was to be Southern 4501's Piedmont Limited excursion trip from Atlanta, Georgia, to
Toccoa, Georgia Toccoa is a city in far Northeast Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia near the border with South Carolina. It is the county seat of Stephens County, Georgia, Stephens County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, located about from Athens, Geo ...
(which had been scheduled for October 3 & 4, 2015), but cancelled on October 1 due to Hurricane Joaquin.


Background

In 1966, the Southern Railway, under the leadership of
W. Graham Claytor, Jr. William Graham Claytor Jr. (March 14, 1912 – May 14, 1994) was an American attorney, United States Navy officer, and railroad, transportation and defense administrator for the United States government, working under the administrations of three ...
, operated a popular steam excursion program. The Southern Railway operated some Southern veterans, such as
Southern Railway 630 Southern Railway 630 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive built in February 1904 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Richmond, Virginia for the Southern Railway as a member of the Ks-1 class. It is currently owned and operat ...
,
Southern Railway 722 Southern Railway 722 is a class "Ks-1" 2-8-0 " Consolidation" type steam locomotive built in September 1904 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Southern Railway (SOU).. History Revenue service The No. 722 locomotive was assigned to work on th ...
,
Southern Railway 4501 Southern Railway 4501 is a preserved Ms class 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built in October 1911 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the first of its wheel arrangement type for the Southern Railway (SOU). In 19 ...
, Savannah & Atlanta 750 as well as leased some locomotives which had served on non-Southern Railway tracks, such as Canadian Pacific 2839,
Chesapeake and Ohio 2716 The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway No. 2716 is a class "K-4" 2-8-4 "Kanawha" (Berkshire) type steam locomotive built in 1943 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O). While most railroads referred to these ...
and
Texas and Pacific 610 Texas and Pacific 610 is a class "I-1a" 2-10-4 "Texas" type steam locomotive that was originally operated by the Texas and Pacific Railway (T&P). It served the T&P from 1927 to 1951 before being donated to the city of Fort Worth. It was briefly ...
. In 1982, the Southern Railway merged with the Norfolk & Western Railway to become Norfolk Southern, which had as its chairman and CEO,
Robert B. Claytor Robert Buckner Claytor (February 27, 1922 – April 9, 1993) was an American railroad administrator. He became President of the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1981 and was instrumental in the merger of the Southern Railway and the Norfolk & West ...
, brother of the former Southern Railway president Graham Claytor. He retained the program. Following the merger, the Norfolk Southern steam program acquired two new locomotives for its fleet: Norfolk & Western 611, which debuted in 1982, and
Norfolk & Western 1218 Norfolk and Western 1218 is a preserved four-cylinder simple articulated 2-6-6-4 steam locomotive, built in June 1943 by the Norfolk and Western's (N&W) East End Shops in Roanoke, Virginia as part of the N&W's class "A" fleet of fast freight loco ...
, which debuted in 1987. However, in 1994, Norfolk Southern announced that they will end their steam program because of serious safety concerns, rising insurance costs, the expense of maintaining steam locomotives, and decreasing rail network availability due to a surge in freight traffic.. At the time, N&W 1218 was being overhauled in Birmingham, Alabama, so she was cosmetically restored and eventually was sent back to Roanoke, Virginia. Meanwhile, N&W 611 pulled her final excursion from Birmingham to Chattanooga, Tennessee, on December 3 and arrived back in Roanoke four days later. In the end, both N&W 611 & 1218 would wind up on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. However, in May 2014, the 611 was removed from display and towed to the
North Carolina Transportation Museum The North Carolina Transportation Museum is a museum in Spencer, North Carolina. It is a collection of automobiles, aircraft, and railway vehicles. The museum is located at the former Southern Railway's 1896-era Spencer Shops and devotes much ...
in
Spencer, North Carolina Spencer is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States, incorporated in 1905. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,267. History The town was named for Samuel Spencer, first president of the Southern Railway, who is credi ...
, to be restored to operating condition once again on March 31, 2015.


Origins

In 2005, Norfolk Southern acquired a new CEO, Charles "Wick" Moorman. Two years later, Moorman traveled to Chattanooga to speak at a gathering of the National Railway Historical Society. Two other members of Norfolk Southern had already been in favor of bringing steam back and while there, Moorman toured the facilities of the
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a railroad museum and heritage railroad in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was founded as a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in 1960 by Paul H. Merriman an ...
(TVRM) and also traveled on one of their excursions. He also met with Tim Andrews, TVRM's president. Andrews recalled later: “I told oormanthat we would be happy to do whatever we could to help Norfolk Southern with anything they needed…. It was an open-ended conversation, and talk about reintroducing steam developed from there.” In June 2010, Norfolk Southern announced that it was in negotiations with the TVRM to operate a “limited number” of excursions, noting that the program would “highlight milestones in rail history and provide an opportunity for audiences to learn about today's safe and service-oriented freight railroads.” As CEO Wick Moorman also explained: "This is the right time for steam to ride the Norfolk Southern rails...We have a fascinating history, and we have a compelling message about how today's railroads support jobs, competition, and the economy. It is a forward-looking message that resonates with people everywhere."


Excursion Seasons


2011

In March 2011, the restoration of Southern 630 was complete. Over Labor Day weekend, the 630 rolled onto the main line to participate the 21st Century Steam program, pulling two trains daily on September 3 and 4 from the TVRM to one of the train yards in Chattanooga and returning, an event coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Museum. Two months later, 630 ran an excursion from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Chattanooga.


2012

In 2012, the 21st Century Steam excursion program was dominated by relatively short employee appreciation excursions in order to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Norfolk Southern Railway. Norfolk Southern leased the
Nickel Plate 765 Nickel Plate Road 765 is a class "S-2" 2-8-4 " Berkshire" type steam locomotive built for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road". No. 765 continues to operate in mainline excursion service an ...
, operated by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society to help, as well as operating Southern 630. In June 2012, Southern 630 ran employee excursions in the areas around Atlanta, Georgia,
Spencer, North Carolina Spencer is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States, incorporated in 1905. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,267. History The town was named for Samuel Spencer, first president of the Southern Railway, who is credi ...
and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Roanoke, and Knoxville. Public one-way excursion trips included Winston-Salem to Roanoke, Roanoke to
Bristol, Virginia Bristol is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,219. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State S ...
, and Bristol to Knoxville in July. During TVRM's 2012 "Railfest" on September 1 and 2, Southern 630 pulled excursions from Chattanooga to
Cleveland, Tennessee Cleveland is the county seat of and largest city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee (consisting of Bradley and neigh ...
, and at the end of the month excursions in the Birmingham area. To finish out the season, on November 10, there was an excursion from Chattanooga to Attalla, Alabama, and on the 11th, an excursion from Chattanooga to Harriman, Tennessee. Meanwhile, as Southern 630 traveled throughout the South, Nickel Plate Road 765, along with NS 8100 (the
Nickel Plate Road The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", the railroad served parts of the states of New York (state), Ne ...
heritage unit), pulled employee excursions in the areas around Toledo, Ohio, Bellevue, Ohio, Williamson, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...
. The locomotive also made a ferry run over the famed Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, Pennsylvania. In September, NKP 765 was back on the rails with NS 1070 (the Wabash Railroad heritage unit) and NS 1072 (the Illinois Terminal Railroad heritage unit) to pull excursions in the St. Louis area.


2013

Southern 630's 2013 excursion season began early, with the locomotive pulling a 13 car public excursion (with the help of two diesel locomotives) from Chattanooga to Attalla on March 2. Other excursions in March were seen in the areas surrounding Bristol, Virginia (Bristol to Radford, Virginia, on March 9 and Bristol to Bulls Gap, Tennessee, on March 10), Roanoke (Roanoke to Walton Furnace, Virginia, on March 16 and Roanoke to
Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...
, on March 16–17), and Norfolk, Virginia ( Norfolk to Petersburg, Virginia, on March 23). In April, the locomotive traveled to North Carolina for excursions in Spencer, North Carolina (Spencer to Barber Junction, North Carolina on April 13) and Asheville, North Carolina (Asheville to Old Fort, North Carolina, on April 20–21). On May 11, Nickel Plate Road 765 went on the rails with NS 8102 (the
Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
heritage unit) for an employee excursion from
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, to
Lorain, Ohio Lorain () is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 65 ...
, and the “Nickel Plate Limited,” a public excursion from
Rocky River, Ohio Rocky River is a city in western Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. A suburb of Cleveland, it is located along the shore of Lake Erie approximately west of downtown Cleveland. The city is named for the Rocky River that forms its eastern bo ...
, to Bellevue, Ohio, the next day. She then did a ferry run to Pennsylvania in order to pull employee excursions from Altoona to Gallitzin, Pennsylvania, on May 18–19 and over Memorial Day Weekend (May 25–27), went with 765, along with NS 8102 and 8098 (the
Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...
heritage unit), to pull the “Horseshoe Curve Special,” a public excursion over Horseshoe Curve between Lewistown, Pennsylvania and Gallitzin. In the first weekend in September 2013, Southern 630 pulled excursion trains between Chattanooga and Cleveland for TVRM's Railfest, along with excursions from Birmingham to the cities of
Parrish Parrish may refer to: Places in the United States * Parrish, Alabama * Parrish, Florida * Parrish, Illinois, a town destroyed in 1925 by the infamous Tri-State Tornado * Parrish, Wisconsin, a town * Parrish (community), Wisconsin, an unincorp ...
and
Wilton, Alabama Wilton, also known by the previous names of Birmingham Junction, Bismark, and Catoosa, is a town in Shelby County, Alabama, Shelby County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1918. This town is part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman C ...
later in the month. On August 16, 2013, the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society announced plans to operate a late October excursion with Nickel Plate Road 765 between Fort Wayne, Indiana and West Lafayette, Indiana along tracks once owned by the Wabash Railroad and used by their ''Cannon Ball'' service (named after the famed song), which ran between Detroit and St. Louis between 1949 and 1971. This round-trip excursion is the first excursion with 765 out of Fort Wayne since 1993. In November, Southern 630 pulled from Chattanooga to Harriman and Attalla, as well as an excursion between Chattanooga and Asheville, North Carolina.


2014

On April 5, SOU 630 ran the "Radford Rambler" excursion round-trip between
Bristol, Virginia Bristol is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,219. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State S ...
, and Radford, Virginia, and the "Lonesome Pine Special" excursion round-trip from Bristol to Bulls Gap, Tennessee, on April 6. After that, the locomotive would operate the "Tri-County Mountaineer" from
Grundy, VA Grundy is a town in Buchanan County, Virginia, United States, an area located within the Appalachian Mountains region. It is the county seat of Buchanan County. The town is home to the Appalachian School of Law. The population was 875 as of th ...
to Devon, WV on April 12, 13, and 19. On May 3 and 4, NKP 765 pulled the "Commodore Vanderbilt" employee special excursion between Elkhart, Indiana and
Bryan, Ohio Bryan is a city in, and the county seat of, Williams County, Ohio, United States. It is located in the state's northwestern corner, southwest of Toledo. The population was 8,729 at the 2020 census. History Bryan was platted in 1840 by John ...
. Then, the locomotive would run another employee special excursion called the " Nickel Plate Limited" from Chicago, Illinois, to
Argos, Indiana Argos is a town in Green and Walnut townships, Marshall County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,777 at the 2020 census. Geography Argos is located at (41.237732, -86.245976). According to the 2010 census, Argos has a total area of ...
, on May 10 and 11. On May 17 and 18, SOU 630 ran the "New Royal Palm" excursion from Cincinnati, Ohio, to
Danville, Kentucky Danville is a home rule-class city in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 Census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes ...
. The 630 ran the "Lexington Limited" excursion from
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
, to Oneida, Tennessee, on May 31 and June 1 along with the Steam Anniversary Special from Chattanooga to Oneida on June 7. On July 5 and 6, NKP 765 ran Norfolk Southern's employee special called the "Mercury Express" from Detroit, Michigan to Toledo, Ohio, and the "Detroit Arrow" public excursion from Detroit to Fort Wayne, Indiana.


2015

The N&W 611 (which had been restored in 2015 to join the program) ran several excursions during the summer such as "The American" from Manassas, Virginia, to Front Royal, Virginia, on June 6 and 7, "The Cavalier" from
Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...
, to Petersburg, Virginia, on June 13 and 14, "The Powhatan Arrow" from Roanoke to Lynchburg and "The Pelican" from Roanoke to Radford, Virginia, on July 3, 4, and 5. On June 26, the Southern 4501 ran the "Radford Rambler" excursion from
Bristol, Virginia Bristol is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,219. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State S ...
, to Radford, Virginia. On June 27, the locomotive pulled the "Lonesome Pine Special" excursion from Bristol, Tennessee, to Bulls Gap, Tennessee, and ran the "Radford Rambler" excursion again on June 28. On July 18 and 19,
Nickel Plate Road 765 Nickel Plate Road 765 is a class "S-2" 2-8-4 "Berkshire locomotive, Berkshire" type steam locomotive built for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, Nickel Plate Road". No ...
made her first 2015 excursion run from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Lafayette, Indiana, on the route of the famous
Wabash Cannonball "The Great Rock Island Route", popularized as "Wabash Cannonball" and various other titles, is a 19th century American folk song that describes the scenic beauty and predicaments of a fictional train, the ''Wabash Cannonball Express'', as it tra ...
. On July 25 and 26, the locomotive made runs from Youngstown, Ohio, to Ashtabula, Ohio, and returned to Buffalo, New York, for the first time in almost 40 years when she made runs on August 1 and 2 between Buffalo and Corning, New York. On August 22 and 23, NKP 765 ran the "Lehigh Gorge Special" excursion round-trip from
Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...
, to Pittston, Pennsylvania, and back. On August 24, the locomotive took a visit to the
Steamtown National Historic Site Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The museum is buil ...
and operated their round-trip excursion from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Portland, Pennsylvania, on September 5 and 7 during Steamtown's 2015 "Railfest". On September 12 & 13, 4501 ran an excursion from Chattanooga to Cleveland during TVRM's 2015 "Railfest". On September 26 & 27, the locomotive pulled the "Nancy Hanks Special" excursion from
Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...
, to
Tennille, Georgia Tennille is a city in Washington County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,539 at the 2010 census. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Tennille in 1875. The community was named after Francis Tennille, an early settler. G ...
.


"Fire Up 611!"

On February 22, 2013, the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke began looking at the feasibility of restoring No. 611, leading to speculations if the locomotive would join the program. On June 28, 2013, museum officials said that they would restore 611 if they could raise enough money from people all over the world. The needed work includes repairing the engine truck, preparing a tool car and an auxiliary water tender, applying new safety appliances such as in-cab signals and an event recorder, installing new flues, boiler work, and hydro and fire testing, as well as test runs, inspection, and repairs of the tender, running gears, and air brakes. NS officials said that if the money could be obtained by October 31, 2013, 611 would join their 21st Century Steam program. A Norfolk Southern spokesman said, “If her supporters bring No. 611 back to life, NS will be eager and excited to this incredible part of rail history to join the 21st Century Steam Program....The return of 611 would represent a great opportunity to celebrate our heritage while educating a new generation about the critical role railroads play in today’s economy." As of late October 2013, the Fire UP 611! committee had enough money to restore the locomotive but fell short of their October 31 goal of $3 million needed to also build a facility where the restoration could take place. Rather than call the restoration off, the Committee decided to keep working to raise the remaining funds needed for the restoration. On April 16, 2015, Norfolk Southern officially announced that 611 would be used to power several excursion trains during the 2015 season.


References


Bibliography

* {{Citation , last=Wrinn , first=Jim , year=2000 , title=Steam's Camelot: Southern and Norfolk Southern Excursions in Color , edition=1st , publisher=TLC Publishing , isbn=1-883089-56-5 Norfolk Southern Railway Steam locomotives