The J-3 was primarily used in passenger service, although some were briefly used in freight service at the end of the steam era. These modern and powerful locomotives were used almost exclusively between Charlottesville, Virginia, and Hinton, West Virginia, over a mountainous region filled with steep grades. Passenger train consists were the heaviest through this region, requiring the maximum in motive power and efficiency that was the hallmark of the J-3.
The Greenbriers were handsome and well proportioned with their compact, powerful figures, and are among the most aesthetically pleasing of all steam engines. They were all built by Lima Locomotive works and were the pinnacle of superpower technology and steam locomotive design.