Norfolk and Western J Class (1941)

The Norfolk and Western J class was a class of fourteen 4-8-4 "Northern" streamlined steam locomotives built by the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) at its Roanoke Shops in Roanoke, Virginia, between 1941 and 1950. They were the most powerful 4-8-4 steam locomotives ever produced. The class Js, along with class A and Y6 freight locomotives were the N&W's "Big Three" representing the pinnacles of steam technology.

Norfolk and Western J class
Norfolk and Western 611 running on the Buckingham Branch Railroad in October 2023
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerH.W. Reynolds
G.P. McGavock
C.H. Faris
Franklin C. Noel
BuilderRoanoke Shops
Build date1941–1950
Total produced14
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-8-4
 • UIC2′D2′ h2
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Leading dia.36 in (914 mm)
Driver dia.70 in (1,778 mm)
Trailing dia.42 in (1,067 mm)
Length109 ft 2 in (33.27 m)
Width11 ft 2 in (3.40 m)
Height16 ft 0 in (4.88 m)
Axle load72,000 lb (32,658.7 kilograms; 32.7 tonnes) for drivers
Adhesive weight288,000 lb (130.6 tonnes)
Loco weight494,000 lb (224.1 tonnes)
Tender weight378,600 lb (171.7 tonnes)
Total weight872,600 lb (395.8 tonnes)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity35 short tons (70,000 lb), originally 26 short tons (52,000 lb) (Nos. 600-610)
Water cap.20,000 US gal (76,000 L; 17,000 imp gal), originally 22,000 US gal (83,000 L; 18,000 imp gal) (Nos. 600-610)
Fuel consumption6.5 short tons (5.9 t) of coal per hour
11,975 US gal (45,330 L; 9,971 imp gal) of water per hour
Firebox:​
 • Grate area107.7 sq ft (10.01 m2)
Boiler92 in (2,337 mm) (front)
102 in (2,591 mm) (back)
Boiler pressure300 psi (2.07 MPa), originally 275 psi (1.90 MPa) (Nos. 600-610)
Feedwater heaterWorthington Type 6-SA
12,000 gal/hr capacity
Heating surface5,271 sq ft (489.7 m2) ​
 • Tubes2.25 in (57 mm)
 • Flues3.5 in (89 mm)
 • Tubes and flues4,693 sq ft (436.0 m2)
 • Firebox578 sq ft (53.7 m2)
Superheater:
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 • TypeElesco Type E
 • Heating area2,177 sq ft (202.2 m2)
CylindersTwo
Cylinder size27 in × 32 in (686 mm × 813 mm)
Valve gearBaker
Valve typePiston valves 14-inch (356 mm), 8.5-inch (216 mm) travel
Performance figures
Maximum speed110 mph (177 km/h)
Power output5,100 hp (3,800 kW) @ tender drawbar
Tractive effort80,000 lbf (355.86 kN)
Factor of adh.3.6
Career
OperatorsNorfolk and Western Railway
ClassJ (3rd)
Number in class14
Numbers600–613
Retired1958–1959
DispositionOne preserved, remainder scrapped
References:

They were built to pull the Powhatan Arrow, the Pocahontas, and the Cavalier passenger trains on the N&W main line between Norfolk, Virginia, and Cincinnati, Ohio; they also ferried the Southern Railway's Birmingham Special, Pelican, and Tennessean between Monroe and Bristol, Virginia, until these trains were taken over by diesel locomotives in the summer of 1958.

The class J locomotives were subsequently reassigned to haul local freight trains; all save one were retired and scrapped by the end of October 1959.

The lone exception was No. 611, which was donated to the Virginia Museum of Transportation (VMT) in 1962. It has been restored twice: once as part of the Norfolk Southern Railway's steam program in 1982, and again as part of the VMT's Fire up 611! campaign in 2015.

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