Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 4-8-4 "Northern" Type Locomotives

Class O-5 (Locobase 253)

Data from tables in 1947 Locomotive Cyclopedia.

These engines were built in 3 batches:

5600-5607 by Baldwin in 1931 with Elesco feedwater heaters and Timken roller bearings,

5608-5620 by CB&Q using Baldwin boilers but Worthington SA feedwater heaters in 1937, and

5621-5635 by CB&Q in 1939.

Firebox heating surface included 45 sq ft of arch tubes and 83 sq ft of combustion chamber. All were fitted with Baker valve gear. The last batch (O-5A) had Boxpok disc drivers. Many of the earlier 4-8-4s were rebuilt to O-5A standard, which also included roller bearings, lightweight rods, vestibule cabs, and the solid pilot.

Some were later converted to oil-burning. All retired in the mid-1950s.

Corbin & Kerka (1960) quote a fireman about the O-5's power: "They steamed best under a wide-open throttle, and on a light train one had to keep the reverse down in the corner." They report on one train of 82 mail cars worked by a single O-5 on 17 October 1944.

Specifications
ClassO-5
Locobase ID253
RailroadChicago, Burlington & Quincy (CB&Q)
Whyte4-8-4
Road Numbers5600-5635
GaugeStd
BuilderSeveral
Year1931
Valve GearBaker
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase19.25'
Engine Wheelbase45.50'
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheebase 0.42
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender)
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle)69340 lbs
Weight on Drivers274000 lbs
Engine Weight476050 lbs
Tender Light Weight350500 lbs
Total Engine and Tender Weight826550 lbs
Tender Water Capacity18000 gals
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal)27 tons
Minimum weight per yard of rail on which locomotive could run114.17 lb rail
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter74"
Boiler Pressure250 psi
Cylinders (dia x stroke)28" x 30"
Tractive Effort67541 lbs
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.06
Heating Ability
Firebox Area433 sq. ft
Grate Area106.50 sq. ft
Evaporative Heating Surface5225
Superheating Surface2403
Combined Heating Surface7628
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume244.38
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation26625
Same as above plus superheater percentage35012.50
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area142351.30
Power L141846.54
Power MT1346.80

Credits

Introduction and specifications provided by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media.