To most, December 18th is merely a week before Christmas. To railfans, it’s a day to remember one of the biggest, literally, stars of steam. One that sadly we will not likely see run again.
Norfolk and Western #1218 is the sole survivor of 43 class A 2-6-6-4s delivered to the railroad between 1943 and 1950, #1218 emerged from the shops in June 1943. On the N&W, she pulled fast freights and the occasional coal train, from her delivery to her retirement in 1959.
She was sparred the fate of many a steamer, a date with the scrapper’s torch, by being purchased by Union Carbide Company in Charleston, WV to be used as a stationary boiler for the company’s chemical plant (How the mighty fell) and served the plant until 1965 when she was bought by F. Nelson Blount for display at Steamtown U.S.A in Vermont. She went back home in 1968, receiving a cosmetic restoration by the Norfolk and Western at the East End Shops where she was built. After that, she began her time on public display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in 1971.
As the Norfolk and Western merged with the Southern to create Norfolk Southern, J class #611 became a workhorse of the now NS Steam Program. The #1218 was brought in to ease the burden on her fellow Roanoke product and in 1987 moved under her own power for the first time in almost 30 years after undergoing a nearly two year restoration in Irondale, Alabama at the former Southern steam shop. She would pull close to 200 excursions until 1991 when she was sent back to Irondale for an extensive overhaul.
Unfortunately, while she was still in Alabama, the Steam Program was drawn to a close by Norfolk Southern. She was stored in Alabama until 1996 when she was partially reassembled and towed back to Roanoke to be stored at the East End Shops, where she was built. In 2001, she was donated to the City of Roanoke and in 2003, moved in to her present location back at the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
It is very unlikely we will ever see the #1218 under steam again and for this author, ’tis a sad thought. The #1218 is symbolic of an era filled with historical significance. She is a war baby, being out shopped in 1943, and her service on the N&W with fast freights, loaded coal drags, and the occasional passenger trains played a role in the Allies winning the Second World War. For that, we should all be grateful.
She also symbolizes the end and return of mainline steam and serves as a reminder of how quickly things can change. The N&W held on to steam until the late 50s, longer than any other Class I road, and the 1218 served valiantly until her retirement, marking the end of the steam era once and for all.
After being brought back under steam in the 80s, she became a star of the Steam Program and beloved by many. Even to someone my age, who is far too young too have seen her under steam, the sound of her whistle is iconic and one many wish they could hear again rolling through the hills of Virginia, West Virginia, and beyond on the Norfolk Southern system.
Until then, we have the incredible story of the #1218 and any footage we have of her is to be cherished by railfans young and old on this 12/18 and every day. May her whistle never grow silent in our memories and hearts.