Chicago, Burlington and Quincy O-5 class
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.
Chicago Burlington and Quincy O-5 class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad 5633 in Douglas, WY, USA. Built 1940 until 1956 in service, moved to Douglas in 1962 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The locomotives saw service pulling both freight and passenger trains and four have been preserved, all of which are on display.
History
![](../I/St._Joseph-_Chicago_Burlington_%2526_Quincy_4-8-4_%22Northern%22_-5614%252C_CB%2526Q_RR%E2%80%99s_West_Burlington%252C_IA%252C_Shops%252C_1937.jpg.webp)
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, in favor of 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]
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 was derailed on a switch and was subsequently 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 |
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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
- Colorado Railroad Museum. "Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Locomotive No. 5629" (PDF).
- 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.
- Stowe (1966), p. 8
- Stagner (1997), p. 7
- Stagner (1997), p. 9
- Stagner (1997), p. 11
- Stagner (1997), p. 13
- 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.
- 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.