The Chicago Burlington and Quincy O-5 was a class of 36 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotives built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1930 and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) between 1936 and 1940 and operated by the CB&Q until the late 1950s.
The locomotives saw service pulling both freight and passenger trains and four have been preserved, all of which are on display.
History
Construction and revenue service
With an increase of traffic on the CB&Q, they needed more powerful locomotives to pull the heavier loads and increased number of cars hauled.[1] In 1930, the CB&Q ordered eight 4-8-4 locomotives (Nos. 5600-5607) from the Baldwin Locomotive Works and classified them as O-5.[2] Of the first six O-5s had fireboxes burning lignite coal while the last two took bituminous coal. No. 5607 had a booster that added 13,200 lbs (5,987 kg) tractive effort. One of the locomotives was reported to have pulled an 82-car mail train on October 17, 1944.[3] Nos. 5600, 5602, 5604, 5605 and 5606 were fitted with Security circulators and reclassified as O-5A.
Between 1936 and 1940, the CB&Q built their own versions of the O-5, following the success of the class, and they were classified as O-5A.[2] Nos. 5609, 5618, 5619, 5620 were fitted with Security circulators and 5610 received thermic syphons. The last 15 O-5s (Nos. 5621-5635) were fitted with roller bearings on every axle, lightweight rods, all-weather vestibule cabs and a solid pilot. Although, the O-5A locomotives were also built with abnormal design features; the seatboxes inside the cabs were positioned too low, and the boilers were humpbacked beyond the sandboxes.[4] Nos. 5614, 5620, 5626, 5627, 5629, and 5632 were converted to burn oil later in their service lives and were reclassified as O-5B. The O-5 class locomotives were capable at traveling at speeds as high as forty-five miles per hour while hauling 125 loaded cars.[4]
By 1954, as the CB&Q invested in adding diesel locomotives to their roster, the O-5's were reassigned to pull freight trains in certain divisions; some O-5's were reassigned to run between Galesburg and Clyde, Illinois, North La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Pacific Junction, Iowa; other O-5's were reassigned to operate in the Lincoln-Omaha divisions in Nebraska and Iowa.[5] As the railroad invested in adding EMD SD9 roadswitchers throughout the mid and late 1950s, the usefulness in the O-5's diminished, and most of them were put into storage, while those that remained in service were solely relegated to operate east of Lincoln, Nebraska.[6][7] For two weeks in January 1957, eight O-5A locomotives were loaned to the Grand Trunk Western (GTW), in response to the GTW leasing some of its 4-8-4's to its parent company, the Canadian National, during a locomotive fireman strike on the Canadian Pacific.[8] In July that same year, all six of the O-5B locomotives were removed from storage to operate in the Lincoln-Omaha divisions, in response to several diesel locomotives being transferred to serve that month's Nebraska wheat harvest.[8] After the Lincoln-Omaha divisions were dieselized in November 1957, all of the remaining O-5 locomotives were removed from revenue service.[8]
Excursion service and No. 5632
Between 1955 and 1959, five of the O-5 class locomotives (numbers 5600, 5618, 5626, 5631, and 5632) were used to pull occasional excursion trains for the CB&Q, prior to their retirement.[6][8][9] Beginning in 1960, No. 5632 was being used to pull additional excursion trains for the CB&Q's steam program, and this lasted until November 1, 1964, when the locomotive hauled its last train before its flue time expired.[10][11] No. 5632 was subsequently disassembled for repairs, but by 1966, the railroad got a new president, Louis W. Menk, who ended the program, and the repairs on 5632 were halted.[12] The locomotive was sold to steam engine caretaker Richard Jensen, who moved it to the Chicago and Western Indiana Roundhouse for storage.[12] In 1969, No. 5632 was moved to a scrapyard, but it derailed on a curve and was later scrapped in November 1972.[13][12]
Preservation
Four of the Burlington Route's "Northerns" have been preserved, all of which are of the O-5A/B batch.
- #5614 is on display at Patee Park in St. Joseph, Missouri.[14]
- #5629 is on display at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado.[1]
- #5631 is on display at a depot in Sheridan, Wyoming.[15]
- #5633 is on display at the Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center in Douglas, Wyoming.[16]
Roster
| Number | Baldwin serial number | Date built | Disposition | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5600 | 61443 | August 1930 | Sold for scrap. | Pulled the CB&Q's first excursion train from Chicago to Aurora, Illinois on July 3, 1955.[6] |
| 5601 | 61444 | August 1930 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5602 | 61496 | September 1930 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5603 | 61497 | September 1930 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5604 | 61498 | September 1930 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5605 | 61499 | September 1930 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5606 | 61522 | October 1930 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5607 | 61523 | October 1930 | Sold for scrap. | Received booster that added 13,200 lbs of tractive effort. |
| 5608 | N/A | September 1936 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5609 | N/A | September 1936 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5610 | N/A | October 1936 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5611 | N/A | June 1937 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5612 | N/A | June 1937 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5613 | N/A | July 1937 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5614 | N/A | July 1937 | Retired September 1957, on display in a city park in St. Joseph, Missouri. | Converted to oil burning O-5B. |
| 5615 | N/A | August 1937 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5616 | N/A | August 1937 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5617 | N/A | September 1937 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5618 | N/A | October 1937 | Sold for scrap. | Pulled CB&Q excursion trains between Chicago, Illinois and St. Paul, Minnesota on July 4 and July 6, 1958.[9] |
| 5619 | N/A | October 1937 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5620 | N/A | October 1937 | Sold for scrap. | Converted to oil burning O-5B. |
| 5621 | N/A | July 1938 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5622 | N/A | August 1938 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5623 | N/A | August 1938 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5624 | N/A | September 1938 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5625 | N/A | March 1940 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5626 | N/A | April 1940 | Sold for scrap. | Converted to oil burning O-5B. Pulled CB&Q excursion trains between Denver, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins, Colorado on June 9 and June 10, 1959.[9] |
| 5627 | N/A | April 1940 | Sold for scrap. | Converted to oil burning O-5B. |
| 5628 | N/A | May 1940 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5629 | N/A | June 1940 | Retired 1956 in Lincoln, Nebraska, on display at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado. | Converted to oil burning O-5B. |
| 5630 | N/A | June 1940 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5631 | N/A | July 1940 | On display at a depot in Sheridan, Wyoming. | Pulled a CB&Q excursion train from Chicago to Savannah, Illinois on October 6, 1957.[8] |
| 5632 | N/A | August 1940 | Scrapped in November 1972. | Converted to oil burning O-5B. Used in steam excursion program, until November 1, 1964. |
| 5633 | N/A | August 1940 | Retired 1956, on display at the Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center in Douglas, Wyoming. | |
| 5634 | N/A | September 1940 | Sold for scrap. | |
| 5635 | N/A | October 1940 | Sold for scrap. |
References
- ^ a b Colorado Railroad Museum. "Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Locomotive No. 5629" (PDF).
- ^ a b Corbin & Kerka (1960), p. 120.
- ^ Carson, Mel (March 13, 2005). "[CBQ] 82 Car Mail Train on CB&Q in 1944". CBQ mailing list archive. message includes a transcription of: "82-Car Mail Train". Trains. November 1944. p. 4.
- ^ a b Stowe (1966), p. 8
- ^ Stagner (1997), p. 7
- ^ a b c Stagner (1997), p. 9
- ^ Stagner (1997), p. 11
- ^ a b c d e Stagner (1997), p. 13
- ^ a b c Stagner (1997), p. 15
- ^ Guise, Byron E. (June 9, 1960). "Romance Of Railroading Attracts Many Railfans". The Marysville Advocate. Marysville, KS. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Schilling, Wallace (September 13, 1963). "If You Like To Travel By Train". Chattanooga Daily Times. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Dyrek, Thomas (April 15, 2021). "A Passion for Steam - Part Two". The Trackside Photographer. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ "Richard Jensen and the Story of CB&Q 4960, 4963, 5632 and GTW 5629". SteamLocomotive.com.
- ^ "CBQ O-5a #5614". rgusrail.com. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ "CBQ O-5A #5631". rgusrail.com. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ "CBQ O-5A #5633". rgusrail.com. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
Bibliography
- Corbin, Bernard G.; Kerka, William F. (1960). Steam Locomotives of The Burlington Route (1st ed.). Bonanza Books. ISBN 0-517-26195-2.
- Stowe, J. A. (1966). The Northern and the Mike: A Tale of Two Locomotives. Illinois Railroad Club.
- Stagner, Lloyd (1997). Burlington Route Steam Finale. David City, Nebraska: South Platte Press. ISBN 0-942035-38-0.