Bachmann Spectrum 82103 N&W Class "J" 4-8-4 Northern Locomotive #611

"Norfolk and Western 611, also known as the "Spirit of Roanoke" and the "Queen of Steam", is the only surviving example of Norfolk and Western's (N&W) Class "J" 4-8-4 type "Northern" streamlined steam locomotives. Built in May 1950 at N&W's Roanoke (East End) Shops in Roanoke, Virginia, it was one of the last mainline passenger steam locomotives built in the United States and represents one of the pinnacles of American steam locomotive technology. No. 611 hauled N&W's premier passenger trains between Norfolk, Virginia, and Cincinnati, Ohio; and ferried Southern Railway's (SOU) passenger trains between Monroe and Bristol, Virginia, through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Retired from revenue service in 1959, No. 611 was donated to the Virginia Museum of Transportation (VMT), where it became the sole survivor of the 14 class J locomotives.

In 1982, No. 611 was restored to operation by Norfolk Southern (NS), N&W's successor. It became the mainline star of the railroad's steam program, pulling excursion trains as far south as Florida, as far north as New York, and as far west as Illinois and Missouri. In late 1994, when liability insurance costs led NS to end its steam program, the locomotive was again retired and moved back to the VMT.

In 2015, after a year of restoration work at the North Carolina Transportation Museum (NCTM) in Spencer, North Carolina, No. 611 returned to mainline excursion service as part of the NS 21st Century Steam program. That program ended in 2017, and the VMT has since operated No. 611 in excursion service and as a traveling exhibit, where it spent time at the NCTM and Strasburg Rail Road (SRC) in Strasburg, Pennsylvania.

Frequently invoked as an icon of Roanoke and its railroading history, the No. 611 locomotive was declared a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 1984 and was designated the official state steam locomotive of Virginia by the Virginia General Assembly in 2017. It was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) in 2023. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2024." (From: Wikipedia)

FEATURES

• Stunning C-9 Mint Condition with Mint Original Box and Paperwork.
• No evidence of run time..
• MRRHQ Locomotive Works serviced, tested and certified.
• 12 Wheel Long Haul Tender.
• One-piece locomotive and tender bodies of pressure-cast high impact plastic.
• Baker Valve Gear w/steel main and side rods, guides, hand rails and fittings.
• Many additional fine details.
• Powerful can motor w/sealed gearbox.
• Scale 70" Drivers.
• Easy rolling steel needle point truck axles.
• Rear Knuckle Coupler.
• Optional Upgrades Available:
  • SOUNDTRAXX 852004 Standard DCC Decoder Installed.
  • SOUNDTRAXX 852004 Standard DCC Decoder w/810160 Current Keeper II Installed.
  • SOUNDTRAXX TSU1100 DCC/Digital Sound Decoder Installed.
  • SOUNDTRAXX TSU1100 DCC/Digital Sound Decoder w/810160 Current Keeper II Installed
• Production Year 2018.

Dimensions: Locomotive 9" L x 2 1/4" T x 1 1/2" W Tender 6 1/4 x 2 x 1 3/8"