611 Under Steam

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Ypsi
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Re: 611 Under Steam

Unread post by Ypsi »

It. Is. An. Object. :twisted: :wink:

Your opinions are fine, that's just mine :)
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Saturnalia
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Re: 611 Under Steam

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YpsiAmtrakBoy wrote:It. Is. An. Object. :twisted: :wink:

Your opinions are fine, that's just mine :)
You're welcome to you misguided opinion. Just be aware that it is wrong. :P :lol:
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Re: 611 Under Steam

Unread post by CSX_CO »

MQT3001 wrote:
YpsiAmtrakBoy wrote:It. Is. An. Object. :twisted: :wink:

Your opinions are fine, that's just mine :)
You're welcome to you misguided opinion. Just be aware that it is wrong. :P :lol:
Should have scrapped it and made something actually useful to society out of it.

How many tea kettles do we need?

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SD80MAC
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Re: 611 Under Steam

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^Obviois troll is obvious.
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Re: 611 Under Steam

Unread post by CSX_CO »

SD80MAC wrote:^Obviois troll is obvious.
So because I have a dissenting opinion, I'm a troll.

Seriously...how many steam engines do you need? When NS pulls the rug, then what are you going to do with it?

Money would be better spent securing railroad to run the toys on, rather than fixing something up that may be stranded with no place to run at any given time. At least they are making progress. Anyone remember that group building a T-1 from the ballast up?

At least IRM was smart and bought up a ton of land and built a railroad to run on. That way their toys can move without outside interference.

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Re: 611 Under Steam

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SD80MAC wrote:^Obviois troll is obvious.
He has that CSX mentality.
CSX_CO wrote:
MQT3001 wrote:
YpsiAmtrakBoy wrote:It. Is. An. Object. :twisted: :wink:

Should have scrapped it and made something actually useful to society out of it.

How many tea kettles do we need?
It should not be scrapped. It has always been useful to society. Once it was someone's job to build it, operate it and maintain it. It along with its older steam-breathing relatives built the railroads we have today and the ones that we don't have today. Even though N&W is not a part of CSX heritage (thank god) without it the competing railroads that CSX has in its history might've not had something to try and beat, which was 611. And tried as they might they would never beat the most powerful 4-8-4 ever built without a booster, or the looks this grand Lady has to offer :D . Its use to society now is educating the public about what it took to keep the railroads moving back then and sharing the experience of traveling the rails the old fashioned way. You cannot get the same feel riding an Amtrak commuter train as you can riding behind a steam locomotive. Time slows down, you get to interact with the people around you and watch the magnificent US of A glide past you.

So I think the 611 and her fellow preserved steam locomotives are still as I quote a famous fictional railroad character, "Really Usefull Engines".

Its the type of thinking that you use that keeps railroads like CSX from never embracing their heritage and using steam as a huge PR tool. Imagine how different it would've been had C&O 1309 rolled to Cumberland instead of being loaded on a flat car...
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Re: 611 Under Steam

Unread post by CSX_CO »

With a finite amount of donation dollars out there, the more pet projects out there, the more the dollars are going to be spread around. Pretty soon the coffers are bare everywhere.

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Saturnalia
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Re: 611 Under Steam

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CSX_CO wrote:With a finite amount of donation dollars out there, the more pet projects out there, the more the dollars are going to be spread around. Pretty soon the coffers are bare everywhere.
This statement is most certainly true.

The save everything, run everything mentality fails to consider Russ' point.

Yes, I just agreed with CSX_CO
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Re: 611 Under Steam

Unread post by j32885 »

IT'S ALIVE!! :!: :shock: :D

Just another step in completing N&W 611 recent restoration. Hoping to make it the trip South for those 1st steam runs.

If anyone here still want's to donate to the VMT/Fire Up 611! Fund here's the more official looking links:

Fire Up 611/Donate
http://fireup611.org/the-campaign/donate/
http://fireup611.org/wp-content/uploads ... cument.png

Enjoy! 8)

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Re: 611 Under Steam

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YpsiAmtrakBoy wrote:It. Is. An. Object.
Come work on locomotives and tell me they aren't alive in some way. Especially steam power. All locomotives can be cantankerous and have attitudes, and I've seen more than one that have an annoying habit of breaking the minute you say something bad about it.

To Russ's point, some times you are drawing from the same old source, but sometimes a particular project attracts donors that do not normally donate to railroad preservation. In the case of the 611's future, the endowment that they want to raise to go with her restoration will keep her in good shape for years to come.
Apparently I work on GEs now...

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Re: 611 Under Steam

Unread post by MQT1223 »

Bulby wrote:
YpsiAmtrakBoy wrote:It. Is. An. Object.
Come work on locomotives and tell me they aren't alive in some way. Especially steam power. All locomotives can be cantankerous and have attitudes, and I've seen more than one that have an annoying habit of breaking the minute you say something bad about it.

To Russ's point, some times you are drawing from the same old source, but sometimes a particular project attracts donors that do not normally donate to railroad preservation. In the case of the 611's future, the endowment that they want to raise to go with her restoration will keep her in good shape for years to come.
It is true. How many people call steam locomotives a unit? Its not like a diesel they breathe.
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Saturnalia
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Re: 611 Under Steam

Unread post by Saturnalia »

Haha...I was about to use "unit" for my 1225 narration. Might still if I don't change it during my edit before I record it all. Now I'll be conscious about it.
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Re: 611 Under Steam

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MQT3001 wrote:Haha...I was about to use "unit" for my 1225 narration. Might still if I don't change it during my edit before I record it all. Now I'll be conscious about it.
It was made pretty clear to me when I first got into steam engines, that they are never to be called units. :D
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DT&I
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Re: 611 Under Steam

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If it has a pair of boobs and a cooter it's a she.
I'm just here to put in time claims and complain

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SousaKerry
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Re: 611 Under Steam

Unread post by SousaKerry »

DT&I wrote:If it has a pair of boobs and a cooter it's a she.
Well she does have two pistons and a firebox... :oops:


When contemplating the usefulness or value to society of a historical piece of equipment one should consider the PR element. CSX and NS both advertize heavily on news networks and other places. Most of these commercials are not aimed directly at customers but are intended to keep good relations with the public. CSX's commercials tout the virtues of fuel efficiency do the shippers care about this, No. But the public cares and is made aware that because they may be may be inconvenienced by waiting on a train at a crossing occasionally it is for the greater good of reducing trucks on the highways.

NS has chosen to sponsor such things as the 611 to promote good relations by word of mouth and the free publicity the engine generates in the local media every time the train rolls through a town.

In the end what has more positive return for the railroad? Spend millions on advertising and commercial production? Or spend a million to help restore a historic piece of equipment and pay nothing for free advertising.
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railohio
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Re: 611 Under Steam

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SousaKerry wrote:CSX and NS both advertize heavily on news networks and other places. Most of these commercials are not aimed directly at customers but are intended to keep good relations with investors.
Fixed that for you.
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Ypsi
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Re: 611 Under Steam

Unread post by Ypsi »

SousaKerry wrote:CSX's commercials tout the virtues of fuel efficiency do the shippers care about this, No.
Yes shippers do care if you are fuel efficient. Efficiency means lower cost for CSX, and lower cost for CSX keeps shopping cost down. So even if you don't directly see it from a company or customer, yes efficacy matters to the shipper and customer.
NS has chosen to sponsor such things as the 611 to promote good relations by word of mouth and the free publicity the engine generates in the local media every time the train rolls through a town.
I don't need to pull any numbers to tell you the publicity is not free. NS pays insurance, crews, police, ect durning these excursions. Sure you generate a lot of interest and publicity but by no means is it free. Even after you sell excursion tickets you have still spent money to make money. I can't tell you if the excursions make money or not (I assume they do), but steam is expensive. I am also not sure if NS actually profits from the excursions or not (as in does some ticket sale money go to NS?). Of course if you are not profiting a tax write off is a a possibility I guess.

Or spend a million to help restore a historic piece of equipment and pay nothing for free advertising.
I am pretty sure NS donated quite a bit to the project so not free. But you have to admit the ability to get what over 2 million dollars from public donors? Helped a lot. And again none of this is free, insurance, crews, ect.. Spend money to make money, spend money to advertise, it's all basically the same.

I'm not convinced that a customer cares if you run a steam engine or not. Sure it's pretty and historic, but how does it help me as a customer? It doesn't really do much. I'm more inclined to think something and have a positive business opinion about fuel efficency than I am of a steamer as a rail served customer. I have read that customers did like having heritage units make pulls out of their businesses via TRAINS, but the 611 won't be doing any of that.

DT&I wrote:If it has a pair of boobs and a cooter it's a she.
:lol: :lol:
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Re: 611 Under Steam

Unread post by CSX_CO »

YpsiAmtrakBoy wrote: I'm not convinced that a customer cares if you run a steam engine or not. Sure it's pretty and historic, but how does it help me as a customer? It doesn't really do much. I'm more inclined to think something and have a positive business opinion about fuel efficency than I am of a steamer as a rail served customer. I have read that customers did like having heritage units make pulls out of their businesses via TRAINS, but the 611 won't be doing any of that.
Customers did notice that their cars weren't moving, but NS was out there playing tea kettle and gathering heritage units at Spencer. Then the pretty piss poor attitude NS was showing said customers REALLY got noticed. Throw in the clusterflux of car routing with Bellevue open and customers are REALLY taking notice. Any wonder why NS quietly shelved the company sponsored steam program for the employees? Sure, they're helping the other societies out there, but they aren't going as balls out as they were two summers ago.

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NS announcement at 6:11 AM tomorrow...

Unread post by MQT1223 »

All eyes on NS and FireUp611! tomorrow as both are reporting an announcement tomorrow at 6:11 AM. I wonder what that could be... :D
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Re: 611 Under Steam

Unread post by MQT1223 »

The NS steam schedule is out!!! 611's first run is out!!!
1223 OUT! President and Founder of the Buck Creek Central, the Rolling River Route! (2012-2017) President and Founder of the Lamberton Valley Railroad, The Tin Plate Road! Proudly railfanning with Asperger's since 1996. :)

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