Review | Bachmann - Norfolk & Western "J" Class

Today we'll take a look at a model of a locomotive I've had the pleasure of seeing in person - the incomparable NW 611!

Here's a photo I shot while 611 was at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in 2018.

"J" Class History: After the Great Depression, N&W's passenger hauling business was outgrowing the abilities of the current motive power, the K2a 4-8-2. In response to this, N&W began planning a new class of locomotive, both more powerful as well as with more aesthetic style. They wanted speed, power, and beauty - the result of these specifications was the J. The first J, 600, rolled out of N&W's Roanoke Shops on October 20, 1941, complete with black and tuscan paint, gold lettering, bullet nose, and retractable front coupler. The J was a member of N&W's so-called "Big Three" steam locomotives, which also included the Class A 2-6-6-4 and the Y6 2-8-8-2, all of which were considered the pinnacle of modern steam locomotive design, with the J being the most powerful class of 4-8-4 built. The J was originally built as a passenger engine, to pull N&W's top trains, such as the Powhatan Arrow, Pocahontas, and Cavalier, as well as others.

With their 5,100hp and a top recorded speed of 110mph, they proved extremely successful at their tasks, but as with all steam locomotives, their time in the limelight would fade. N&W began ordering their replacements, EMD GP9 diesels, in 1958. As these diesels, and others leased from other railroads, such as E6A and E7A from ACL, and E8A from RFP, began taking over passenger duties, the J would be moved to freight operations. Again, N&W's design would prove successful, as they handled freight as successfully as they had passengers, but even this service would eventually be modernized with diesel power, and the Js would all be retired by 1958. 14 Js would be built from 1941 to 1950, with 605-610 being built in 1943 without the streamlining due to wartime restrictions and being termed J1, until eventually receiving the streamlining and being reclassified as J. Out of these, a single example was preserved, NW 611. There is a lot more information available on the J class, but I'll just stick with these highlights.

NW 611 History: The "Queen of Steam" has an interesting history. It originally rolled out of N&W's Roanoke Shops on May 29, 1950, which was in the waning days of steam locomotive production - N&W would build and run steam longer than many roads, as they hauled a huge amount of coal, and had maintenance down to a science, so it made sense for them to run what they could easily fuel and maintain for as long as possible. 611 would go into service pulling various passenger trains around the N&W system. On September 24, 1952, 611 and sister 613 would haul the Eisenhower Special, which was Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidential campaign train, with the former General himself aboard.

611 would not be immune to trouble however, and on January 23, 1956 611 would derail near Cedar, WV, while pulling the Pocahontas. The train was late and hit a curve at excessive speed, and 611 would roll onto its side and slide down an embankment. This resulted in the death of the engineer and 60 injured passengers. 611 would be repaired and returned to service the next month. Among several other incidents, mostly minor, on May 14, 1952 it would hit a truck in South Point, Ohio - the truck was hauling ice cream, which coated 611, but it continued pulling the Pocahontas on to Cincinnati.

In January 1959, 611 was taken out of service and stored with several other Js in Bluefield, WV, in line to be scrapped.

Due to the efforts of the railfan community, N&W was convinced to reactivate 611 for a couple excursions, including their Farewell to Steam trip in October of 1959. After this stint of service, N&W stored 611 in Roanoke as a standby stationary boiler for their Shops. In 1961 N&W would donate 611 to the Roanoke City Council, who would have the locomotive cosmetically restored and put on display at the Roanoke Transportation Museum. For most steam locomotives this would typically be about the sum total of their existence - sitting cold in a museum; this would very much not be true for 611. In October 1981 611 would be removed from display and moved to Southern's Norris Yard steam shop in Irondale, Alabama, where it would undergo an extensive restoration to operation. On July 5, 1982 611 was steamed up for the first time in 23 years. Also during this time, N&W and SOU would formally merge into Norfolk Southern. Interestingly, 611 would range farther in excursion service than it ever did in regular service, including Florida, Missouri, and Pennsylvania.

After an extensive career as an excursion star, 611 would again be retired, this time on December 7, 1994.

It would be stored at its original construction location of the Roanoke Shops until October 1995, when it was moved to the Virginia Museum of Transportation for display. Due to its strong association with Roanoke, 611 would also be called the "Spirit of Roanoke".

In 2011, NS rolled out the so-called 21st Century Steam Program, and the Fire Up 611 committee was formed on February 22, 2013 to assess the feasibility of putting 611 back in action. This turned out to be doable, and 611 was steamed up again on May 9, 2015 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, where the restoration had taken place.

It has since ran several excursions, and spent time operating on the Strasburg Railroad.

Currently (March 2024) 611 is at its home of the VMT, and has been added to the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.

Wow, I told you 611 had an interesting history!

But here's the review, starting with the box info...

During the J's freight careers, a cupola, or doghouse, was mounted on this area of the tender deck for crew.

A bit of a problem with the packaging, with the tape actually being on the tender.

Which left this streaky glob of sticky.

I eventually got it off, for the most part.

Good: As with most Bachmann offering, it's fine overall. Not fantastic in any particular area, but equitable with the price. The paint and lettering is very nice, with a really sharp gloss to it. The details, while not as extensive as some models, are nevertheless of good quality and nice looking, including the metal handrails that look particularly snazzy.

It also has plenty of power and speed, enough to be able to spin the drivers from a loaded standstill. It handles trackwork fine overall, as well. The sounds are okay, and the lights and DCC all work as they should. Weight is a decent 1LB 9.7oz for locomotive and tender.

Bad: The aforementioned tape. The tender is all plastic, and feels a little flimsy - when you grip it to pick it up it noticeably flexes. The sounds are a little harsh and tinny sounding; not too bad, but going from, say, the Broadway Limited Y6 in the video to 611, the difference is noticeable. The slow speed performance is a little unsteady and not particularly smooth, but not awful. The mechanism/chassis/running gear is also a little on the noisy side, with the occasional rattle, clank, click, and squeak. I also had it randomly stop once - it had actually bottomed out; the pilot is so low, and the lack of suspension together caused the drivers to lift off the track in a minor dip. No other loco has done this.

Overall: It's about what I expect from Bachmann; good, but not fantastic. It runs fine, sounds fine, and looks fine - not spectacular in any aspect, but decent enough to be fully acceptable. You'll note I compared it with the BLI Y6 in the video - this isn't exactly apples to apples, as BLI steam and Bachmann steam are at considerably different prices - Bachmann being cheaper. This makes sense; BLI has better performance and detail, but they're also somewhat fragile and temperamental, whereas Bachmann's may be a little less detailed and fine tuned, but seem more robust.

Anyway, it's a fine model, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

That's all for this extra long-winded review - thanks for looking!