J 611
Norfolk and Western J-class 611 is waiting in front of the J Tower at the Strasburg Railroad...The "J" Tower was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and originally located in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania. This is one of only two surviving examples of early PRR wood frame two-story switch towers. ..Built in 1885, the J Tower was situated in between the Cumberland Valley and Northern Central RRs to protect the crossing of the two lines in Lemoyne, PA. The tower originally controlled switches and signals using a 35-lever mechanical machine linked to cranks and pulleys that moved the switches on the rail line. ..In the early 1980s a group of volunteers saved the building and restored it to its original appearance and its now located at the Strasburg Railroad. ..Number 611, a Class-J locomotive, was built at Norfolk and Western’s Roanoke Shops in May 1950. She was one of fourteen J-class engines built by N&W and is known as the “Queen of Steam”. It was considered one of the finest steam engines ever built. ..The engine could generate more than 5,100 horsepower and move at speeds up to 110 mph, and it is believed she could have reached 140mph. She was built near the end of the steam era and retired from service in 1959. No. 611 is part of the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke Virginia..