31:
577:, who convinced the N&W that No. 611 was in excellent condition after its accident. In 1981–1982, N&W's successor, Norfolk Southern (NS) restored the locomotive to operating condition for use in pulling excursion trains on their steam program until it returned to the VMT in 1995. In 2013–2015, VMT restored No. 611 to operation again with $ 3.5 million donated from nearly 3,000 donors all over the United States and 18 foreign countries. The dents on the locomotive's tender were also removed during its restoration. The VMT now operated No. 611 as a
51:
76:
169:
717:
544:
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404:
and the first six cars. The tender turned upside down. The first car, baggage car No. 123 was disconnected from the tender, slid down onto its left side, and buckled. The second car, RPO No. 94 ended up almost parallel on the track with its front end near the rear end of the baggage car. The third
514:
shoved the track back into place, and the westbound track reopened on
January 24 at 11:25 a.m. The eastbound track, where the train derailed, was severely damaged and got pushed down the embankment for 340 ft (103.63 m), from about 55 ft (16.76 m) east of the point of the
534:
The estimated damage cost to the six cars was $ 6,000 to the express baggage car, $ 7,500 to the RPO car, $ 12,000 to coach No. 539, and $ 9,000 to coach No. 1727. The damages to coaches Nos. 1729 and 1734 were estimated at $ 2,000 and $ 1,000 respectively. The damaged tracks were estimated at $
409:
next to the track with the front end near the rear of the third car and the edge of the river. The fifth and sixth cars, Pm coach Nos. 1729 and 1734 were scattered with minor damage, but remained in line with the track. The last five cars remained on the rails, undamaged. This was the last major
522:
to get rerailed. The MOW crew had to disconnect the locomotive from its tender and rerail it one set of wheels at a time. On the afternoon of
January 26, No. 611 was finally back on the rails and towed to Williamson for inspection. The locomotive's skirting panels,
648:
engineer W.O. Hylton said that No. 611 traveled at 57.60 mph (93 km/h) from the speed board to the point of the accident. One N&W official said that
Willard had been a "careful" engineer with 30 years of experience on the Pocahontas Division. The
535:
5,240. Other expenses such as the wages of the wreck car forces, section men, and train crews totaled another $ 23,866.21. The damage to No. 611 and its tender was estimated at $ 75,000. The total damage cost of the accident was around $ 141,606.21.
313:, which received extensive repairs after the accident and was returned to revenue service. These repairs left No. 611 in excellent condition when it was retired just three years later, which helped lead to its restoration to operating condition for
482:, and Bluefield at 3:15, 5:00, and 11:00 a.m., respectively. 25 injured people were taken to the nearby Williamson Memorial Hospital in Williamson. Because the accident damaged the rails in Cedar, the N&W trains took a
515:
accident. The MOW crew quickly repaired the eastbound track and it reopened that same day at 1:30 p.m. About 10:10 p.m., they began to rerail the six damaged cars and towed all of them to
Williamson for inspection.
399:
At 12:51 a.m. on
January 23, No. 611 was running near Cedar, West Virginia. It flew off the curved tracks and slid down the embankment of the Tug River, where it toppled onto its left side along with its
501:
40 uninjured passengers took refuge in the three sleeping cars along with the dining car and tavern-lounge car, which were all towed back to Iaeger, where the sleeping cars were picked up by the westbound
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396:
was 20–30 mph (32–48 km/h), but engineer Walter B. Willard was desperately trying to make up the lost time and had the train running more than 50 mph (80 km/h).
405:
car, P3 coach No. 539 toppled onto its left side, near the end of the RPO with its rear end at the edge of the river. The fourth car, Pm coach No. 1727 was upright but at a
510:
train. The westbound track at Cedar was minorly damaged with a kinked rail and the track was shifted over from the force of the wreck. After replacing the kinked rail, a
1565:
592:. The second car, RPO No. 94, was scrapped in Roanoke around 1968. The third car, P3 class coach No. 539, was retired from N&W passenger service in 1971 and used in
1452:
999:
636:
The
Interstate Commerce Commission accident report No. 3676 found that the accident was caused by an excessive speed on curve. Hoback said Willard had applied the
1168:
624:
was preserved and currently owned by the
Florida-Georgia Railway Heritage Museum, which operated it in excursion service on their Georgia Coastal Railway in
50:
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75:
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600:. In 1982, it was acquired by NS for use in their steam program until it was donated to the Watauga Valley Chapter of the
880:
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361:, No. 539; three Pm class coaches, Nos. 1727, 1729, and 1734; a Pm class tavern-lounge car, No. 1722; a De class
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in 1971. The sixth car, Pm class No. 1734, was renumbered to 1008 in 1970. One of the undamaged cars, the
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559:, where they were all repaired and put back into service in less than a month. However, the locomotive's
651:
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30:
563:
and tender retained their dents. In 1959, No. 611 was retired from revenue service and donated to the
1510:
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392:, to pick up mail, producing more delays. The speed limit through N&W's Pocahontas Division in
374:
354:
625:
567:, who put it on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation (VMT), thanks to the efforts of
467:
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655:
newspaper said that
Willard suffered a heart attack and was unable to slow the train down. The
1417:
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604:(NRHS) ten years later, where it was now use for lease in public and private excursions by
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to slow the train down before it hits the curve. One of the passengers, Williamson
369:
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train, while the dining car and tavern-lounge car were picked up by the eastbound
278:
occurred on the night of
January 23, 1956, when the Norfolk and Western (N&W)
1257:
1173:
678:
616:. The fourth and fifth cars, Pm class Nos. 1727 and 1729, were both sold to the
442:
406:
297:
547:
N&W P3 class coach No. 539, one of the passenger cars involved in the wreck
887:
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471:
362:
346:
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133:
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1390:(1st ed.). Roanoke Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc.
787:
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passenger train derailed at more than 50 mph (80 km/h) along the
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446:
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1004:
746:
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333:
On a cold winter night of
January 22, 1956, class J 4-8-4 No. 611 left
296:
and injured 51 passengers and nine crew members. It was the last major
1414:
Wheels Aflame, Whistle Wide Open: Train Wrecks of the N&W Railroad
1133:
613:
605:
571:
483:
422:
704:
531:
parts, and other appliance parts were torn off from its left side.
1388:
Norfolk and Western Class J: The Finest Steam Passenger Locomotive
666:
585:
542:
438:
426:
307:
778:
Interstate Commerce Commission Report No. 3676 – January 23, 1956
300:
of a steam-powered revenue passenger train in the United States.
1369:
Norfolk and Western Six-Eleven – 3 Times A Lady, Revised Edition
1224:
1434:
349:, Ohio, running 14 minutes late. It pulled 11 cars: an express
551:
The No. 611 locomotive and the six damaged cars were towed to
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1371:(2nd ed.). Norfolk & Western Historical Society.
886:. Norfolk & Western Historical Society. Archived from
1316:. Florida-Georgia Railway Heritage Museum. Archived from
1120:
1118:
1116:
584:
The first car, express baggage car No. 123, was sold for
1169:"Another steam icon, N&W 611, heads for restoration"
429:. The eight other crew members also sustained injuries:
410:
steam-powered revenue passenger train wreck in America.
1284:
Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society & Museum
1254:
Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society & Museum
661:
newspaper reported on February 3 that Willard had been
1244:
1242:
693:
982:
980:
978:
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1412:Dickinson, Jack L.; Dickinson, Kay Stamper (2010).
1000:"Norfolk & Western Steam in the 1950s Volume 1"
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881:"Norfolk & Western Steel Passenger Car Roster"
743:Norfolk & Western Steam in the 1950s: Volume 1
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413:Willard was the only person killed in the wreck.
1581:Railway accidents and incidents in West Virginia
1367:Hensley, Timothy B.; Miller, Kenneth L. (2021).
303:The train had been pulled by N&W No. 611, a
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466:arrived on the scene after 1 a.m. Three
8:
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20:
82:
57:
1566:January 1956 events in the United States
1217:"Kaplan's Scrap Yard - official website"
786:(Report). March 23, 1956. Archived from
16:1956 train wreck in Cedar, West Virginia
1179:Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation
762:
734:
700:
1350:
1167:Vantuono, William C. (April 8, 2014).
1107:
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986:
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38:, the locomotive involved in the wreck
1416:(1st ed.). Dickinson Publisher.
7:
1126:"Norfolk & Western J Class #611"
602:National Railway Historical Society
449:. Also injured were 51 passengers.
14:
1130:Virginia Museum of Transportation
588:in 1968 at Kaplan's Scrapyard in
323:Virginia Museum of Transportation
1561:Derailments in the United States
1536:
1531:
715:
703:
167:
81:
74:
56:
49:
29:
518:No. 611 was the most difficult
417:Ernest W. Hoback survived with
317:in 1982 by N&W's successor
1280:"Passenger Cars/Whistle Truck"
783:Interstate Commerce Commission
458:Rescue and recovery operations
357:(RPO) car, No. 94; a P3 class
321:(NS) and again in 2015 by the
1:
1499:Swampscott, Massachusetts, US
337:, at 10:34 pm, with the
90:Show map of the United States
684:Redondo Junction train wreck
640:and closed the locomotive's
1571:Norfolk and Western Railway
1481:Los Angeles, California, US
1386:Miller, Kenneth L. (2000).
1339:Hensley & Miller (2021)
1204:Hensley & Miller (2021)
1155:Hensley & Miller (2021)
1077:Hensley & Miller (2021)
946:Hensley & Miller (2021)
923:Hensley & Miller (2021)
820:Hensley & Miller (2021)
193:Norfolk and Western Railway
120:Mingo County, West Virginia
1597:
292:. The accident killed the
1576:Railway accidents in 1956
1526:
1461:Railway accidents in 1956
745:DVD shows the only known
618:Ontario Northland Railway
539:Rolling stock disposition
490:(C&O) tracks between
267:
65:Show map of West Virginia
43:
28:
1487:Cedar, West Virginia, US
749:of No. 611's 1956 wreck.
441:James McGlothlin, three
335:Bluefield, West Virginia
218:Excessive speed on curve
1314:Georgia Coastal Railway
1310:"Ohio State University"
388:. The train stopped at
36:Norfolk and Western 611
1250:"Powhatan Arrow Coach"
548:
365:, No. 1022; and three
652:Williamson Daily News
622:Ohio State University
575:W. Graham Claytor Jr.
546:
496:Kenova, West Virginia
385:Ohio State University
147:37.55306°N 82.10278°W
565:Roanoke City Council
437:J.O. Marrs, express
390:Welch, West Virginia
290:Cedar, West Virginia
1221:Kaplan's Scrap Yard
1185:on January 29, 2021
1110:, pp. 121–122.
1012:on October 24, 2021
893:on January 11, 2023
689:Wreck of the Old 97
488:Chesapeake and Ohio
355:railway post office
184:Pocahontas Division
152:37.55306; -82.10278
143: /
1505:Mahbubnagar, India
790:on August 17, 2023
626:Kingsland, Georgia
610:heritage railroads
549:
468:maintenance of way
433:Edward N. Camden,
1548:
1547:
1474:Location and date
1378:978-0-9899837-2-3
1227:on March 23, 2022
989:, pp. 98–99.
608:and some various
598:Chicago, Illinois
579:traveling exhibit
557:Roanoke, Virginia
343:Norfolk, Virginia
341:train No. 3 from
315:excursion service
276:Cedar train wreck
272:
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108:January 23, 1956
24:Cedar train wreck
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1511:Matsusaka, Japan
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1286:. Archived from
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1223:. Archived from
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1181:. Archived from
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1136:on June 10, 2023
1132:. Archived from
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1008:. Archived from
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665:to death by the
590:Elmira, New York
569:Washington, D.C.
445:clerks, and two
319:Norfolk Southern
311:steam locomotive
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1517:Ariyalur, India
1493:Santiago, Chile
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1406:Further reading
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202:Passenger train
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632:Investigations
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1519:(23 November)
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1352:
1351:Miller (2000)
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1108:Miller (2000)
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1079:, p. 42.
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1062:Miller (2000)
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850:
849:Miller (2000)
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833:
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822:, p. 37.
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722:West Virginia
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1174:Railway Age
679:Casey Jones
596:service in
427:lacerations
407:right angle
351:baggage car
268:References:
150: /
126:Coordinates
1555:Categories
1324:October 1,
1294:August 24,
1264:August 17,
1231:August 24,
1189:August 17,
1140:August 17,
1016:August 17,
897:August 15,
794:August 17,
757:References
529:valve gear
508:Pocahontas
476:Williamson
464:ambulances
363:dining car
347:Cincinnati
339:Pocahontas
281:Pocahontas
236:Passengers
223:Statistics
210:Derailment
135:37°33′11″N
561:sand dome
512:bulldozer
486:over the
453:Aftermath
431:conductor
419:abrasions
286:Tug River
138:82°6′10″W
673:See also
642:throttle
504:Cavalier
462:Some 15
447:brakemen
329:Accident
294:engineer
189:Operator
115:Location
1463: (
1005:Pentrex
747:footage
696:Portals
663:scalded
614:museums
492:Gilbert
423:bruises
415:Fireman
367:Pullman
325:(VMT).
305:class J
260:Injured
199:Service
163:Country
118:Cedar,
100:Details
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1394:
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710:Trains
638:brakes
606:Amtrak
572:lawyer
484:detour
480:Iaeger
470:(MOW)
443:postal
435:porter
425:, and
402:tender
382:, and
252:Deaths
228:Trains
172:
891:(PDF)
884:(PDF)
729:Notes
667:steam
586:scrap
439:clerk
359:coach
345:, to
308:4-8-4
298:wreck
288:near
215:Cause
1542:1957
1529:1955
1465:1956
1418:ISBN
1392:ISBN
1373:ISBN
1326:2023
1296:2023
1266:2023
1233:2023
1191:2023
1142:2023
1018:2023
899:2023
796:2023
741:The
646:yard
494:and
274:The
244:Crew
181:Line
105:Date
555:in
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