No. 611 is the only surviving Norfolk and Western class J steam locomotive.
Norfolk and Western built 14 streamlined class J 4-8-4 “Northern” locomotives at its Roanoke Shops between 1941 and 1950. They hauled prestigious passenger trains such as the Powhatan Arrow and Pocahontas over the railroad’s mountainous main line.
No. 611 was completed in May 1950 as the twelfth class J. After a serious 1956 derailment, it received extensive repairs that left it in unusually good condition. That helped save it when the other Js were retired and scrapped in 1958–59.
The locomotive was donated for preservation in 1962 and later restored for excursion service twice. It is now associated with the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. A common mix-up is No. 1218, another famous preserved Norfolk and Western locomotive; it is a Y6a articulated compound freight engine, not a class J.