Powhatan Arrow N&W Class J #611 Queen of Stam


Motley

Motley

Active Member
Well unfortunatly I had to sell a few of my passenger steam excursion trains to help with moving costs into my new place.

So now I need another steam excursion train. I've decided to get the N&W J Class 4-8-4 from BLI and N&W passenger cars for the Powhatan Arrow.

The 611 was recently restored and began excurions in June 2015. On my layout, the excursions will reach Colorado & Wyoming, and then returning to VA.

I just ordered a BLI J Class on ebay. And I will get some of the N&W Walthers cars, and some MTH cars as well. Maybe around 6-7 passenger cars.

Info in the 611 here http://fireup611.org/the-nw-class-j-611/

And some Youtube videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JAznsanpZo
 
Uhhh Ohhh, looky what the USPS guy just dropped on my front porch.....

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Nice score! I LOVE my BLI's, two Steamers, a Shark, a "1929" (Gangster!) hi-rail and the Trackmobile and all are fantastic!
 

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Yes I also have two other BLI steamers.

Right now I have 3 Bachmann Spectrum N&W passenger cars. Now I need to get 4 more of the MTH and Walthers cars. So 7-8 cars total for the excursion train.
 
Just got a new Canon DSLR camera. Still trying to figure it out. But I took some photos of my new excursion train. I only have 3 cars for it right now, they are Bachmann Spectrum heavyweights. Going to get about 4 more of the Walthers streamlined cars for it.

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I always liked the looks of that train and have seen numerous videos of it. I really enjoy riding on steam excursion trains when I have the chance and have ridden behind both of the Union Pacific steamers, but Cheyenne isn't too far from me. It would take quite a bit of planning to get to see the N&W beauty running. I have seen many video of 611 and enjoy them a lot.

Keep the photos coming.
 
Motley said:
Just got a new Canon DSLR camera. Still trying to figure it out. But I took some photos of my new excursion train. I only have 3 cars for it right now, they are Bachmann Spectrum heavyweights. Going to get about 4 more of the Walthers streamlined cars for it.
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I think MTH did some Powhatan Arrow cars.

On your camera: for model photography I use a tripod, set the camera to Aperture priority mode, and crank the F-stop down to F22 or so, and use a cable shutter release, or the timer if you don't want to spend the bucks on one of those (they aren't expensive)

This is what I use: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...oCFYcWHwodffsGMg&Q=&ap=y&m=Y&is=REG&A=details

That way your entire picture will be in focus!
 
Motley, You have chosen a lovely example of the finest steam produced before full dieselization. The Class J and the New York Central's Niagara S1b were the only two passenger steam Northern class locomotives produced with roller bearings throughout (some were modified after seeing those two in motion and seeing the figures for cost of operation). Congratulations.

If you wish to begin the process of improving your model images, here are some tips:

Strong lighting, hopefully from one strong source that helps to cast nice clearly defined shadows all aimed the same way in the images.

Play with exposure and focal lengths, especially in M mode (manual) to find how the camera responds to your changes with the lighting unchanged from shot to shot.

Eventually, you can use the freeware CombineZP to do what is called focus stacking. Essentially, you take five or more images of the same scene, returning the camera each time to the same position and attitude, with the focus distance increasing deeper into the scene each successive shot. Later, you do what is called a batch conversion to make each image file exactly the same size. This allows CombineZP to compare each image bit for bit and to discard items that don't match. What will result after a couple of minutes of computing by your processor is a beautifully focused image from must in front of the lens to the backdrop seven or more feet away.

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Thanks everybody. I'm somewhat familar how to change F stops and all that. I just need to get used to the camera. It blows my mind how clear and crisp this camera takes photos, amazing quality. I also got a telephoto lens packaged with it, so this summer I'll do some railfanning around Denver.

Ya this BLI Class J is really sweet looking, and runs like swiss butter. LOL
 
Ok been playing around with the Camera settings. Apature Priority mode, F stop at 21. And had to turn up the image compensation by +1.

Got everything in focus now. Look better?
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There was another Northern class with roller bearings. In the early 30 the Timken company built a northern class and it was numbered 1111, the Timken locomotive, the worlds first roller bearing locomotive. It was purchased by the Northern Pacific in 1933 and renumbered 2626. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timken_1111
The 1111 was a demonstrator when built.

Being an NP fan, I did pick up a brass model of this years ago, but unfortunately, I only run it a couple of times a year to keep it lubricated. It wouldn't have any business running on my dinky little railroad.

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I don't want to down play the beautiful 611. Just a point of information. It was at the cutting edge of steam locomotives. The Niagaras we also workhorses for the NYC and great locomotives. I recently saw a great show on TV about how the Niagaras were such great locomotives. The 611 was without a doubt probably the best looking.

Enjoy that locomotive and I am looking forward to seeing your tourist train. I happen to run one myself on my layout.
 
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The whole class of Northern's have to be the finest looking of any locos anywhere, and I agree the NW Js are on the top of that heap.

montanan said:
There was another Northern class with roller bearings.
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There were many more. All the NP Northern's of the A-4 and A-5 class had roller bearings. Not just on the axles but also on the driving rod. After NP was sold on the idea they went all-in. Their Challenger Z8s had roller bearings on everything.

I'm pretty certain the Santa Fe 2900 class also was all roller bearings. Santa Fe had already upgraded all the older Northerns (3751 class) to them, so I can't imagine they would have ordered new ones without.

Rock Island's R-65A, Canadian Pacific's K1a, UP FEF-3, I would say the Northern Class of locomotive epitomized the use of roller bearings. Seems like even if they had not gotten them from the factory, they were retrofitted.

Sadly this reminds me that not a single example of the Rock Island's Northern class locomotives survived the scrapping torch. How do things like that happen?
 
Yes, their definitely was a high quality plastic HO Powhaton Arrow produced a couple years go; not sure how available they are now or sold out.

The J class N&W steam engine came right to my town (Manassas VA) last year and I didn't go see it - how bad is that! If it comes back I"ll make an effort this time. I'm a little indifferent to anything but western trains and can't afford all the stuff I want for D&RGW 1965-1985 to impulse buy much "off topic" eastern or midwestern stuff. I did fall pray "finally" last year with my wifes blessing and bought a 3rd run Intermountain Loksound Cab Forward, which I could justify beinga long time SP fan having grown up in California.

It is nice we have a real steam engine running around here in Virginia so I'll definitely have to get my hind quarters out the next time it comes to my local!
 
Yikes! It was in your same town and you missed it? Shame on you!

I've seen the UP 844 in action several times when it runs to Cheyenne for Frontier days. Its really incredible how these things rumble by you.
 
Let me repeat myself, perhaps more accurately this time: only two Northern class locomotives were produced WITH roller bearings throughout their production, including 'as delivered'. That is to say, while the Northern Pacific did order, and specify rollers bearings on, their second purchase, the A2's, they didn't have them on their first order of 4-8-4 locomotives. Others were later modified to have them added, including the 800 class UP locomotive that we see today, and including the various ATSF versions. In fact, virtually all Northerns were modified and modernized within about 10 years of their delivery to the roads that used these engines. They would have been shopped for third line repairs/upgrades by that time anyway. The only railroads that received, and specified roller bearings on, their first delivery, and which were designed with roller bearings from the outset, were the New York Central (Niagara), and the Norfolk & Western Railway (Class J).
 
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Selector said:
Let me repeat myself, perhaps more accurately this time: only two Northern class locomotives were produced WITH roller bearings throughout their production, including 'as delivered'. That is to say, while the Northern Pacific did order, and specify rollers bearings on, their second purchase, the A2's, they didn't have them on their first order of 4-8-4 locomotives. Others were later modified to have them added, including the 800 class UP locomotive that we see today, and including the various ATSF versions. In fact, virtually all Northerns were modified and modernized within about 10 years of their delivery to the roads that used these engines. They would have been shopped for third line repairs/upgrades by that time anyway. The only railroads that received, and specified roller bearings on, their first delivery, and which were designed with roller bearings from the outset, were the New York Central (Niagara), and the Norfolk & Western Railway (Class J).
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Ah, now I understand what you mean. Even the Timken Four Aces didn't convince the NP over night that they were a good thing. If I am interpreting the dates correctly looks like they took 1 batch of Northerns in between the 1111 and the A-4 without roller bearings. I am also still puzzled what happened that the 1111 was not saved from the scrapper's torch, both the NP and Timken company apparently wanted to do so. Does anyone know that whole story?
 
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