The Chicago & North Western Railroad bought twelve "Berkshire" type locomotives from the American Locomotive Company in 1927. These locomotives carried road numbers 2801 through 2812 and were very similar to the Boston & Albany's "sports models" Class A-1c.
The C&NW designated them as Class J-4. These locomotives had 63" diameter drivers, 28" x 30" cylinders, a weight of 397,000 pounds and exerted a tractive effort of 67,200 pounds under 240 psi of boiler pressure.
The J-4s were assigned to freight service and regularly pulled coal trains until they were retired in the early 1950s.
There are no surviving C&NW 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type locomotives
| Class | Qty. | Road Numbers | Year Built | Builder | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J-4 | 12 | 2801-2812 | 1927 | ALCO | Numbers 2801-2812 scrapped between 1950 and 1953. |
Data from table in 1930 Locomotive Cyclopedia, supplemented by C & NW 10 - 1952 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 18 March 2016 email and attachment containing the Alco builder's card for the J-4 and for his 22 September 2017 email reporting unlikely boiler pressure values for 177 entries. A Locobase macro caused the error .) Supplied in a batch built in Dunkirk (Brooks) in August 1927 (works numbers were 67372-67383),
Firebox heating surface included 103 sq ft (9.57 sq m) of thermic syphons and 21 sq ft (1.95 sq m) of arch tubes, valve motion had limited cutoff in actuating 14" (356 mm) piston valves. The trailing truck wheels had two different diameters. The front axle turned 33" (838 mm) wheels, the rear 44" (1,118 mm) wheels.
the class was assigned to coal trains on the Nelson-Peoria line.
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | |
|---|---|
| Class | J-4 |
| Locobase ID | 56 |
| Railroad | Chicago & North Western (C&NW) |
| Country | USA |
| Whyte | 2-8-4 |
| Number in Class | 12 |
| Road Numbers | 2801-2812 |
| Gauge | Std |
| Number Built | 12 |
| Builder | Alco-Brooks |
| Year | 1927 |
| Valve Gear | Walschaert |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | |
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 16.80 / 5.12 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 39.70 / 12.10 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 0.42 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 82.25 / 25.07 |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | |
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 253,500 / 114,986 |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 397,000 / 180,076 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | 287,000 / 130,181 |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | 684,000 / 310,257 |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 15,000 / 56.82 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | 20 / 18 |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 106 / 53 |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 63 / 1600 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 240 / 1650 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 28" x 30" / 711x762 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 76,160 / 34545.64 |
| Booster (lbs) | 12,300 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 3.33 |
| Heating Ability | |
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 71 - 2" / 51 |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | 204 - 3.5" / 89 |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | 20 / 6.10 |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 411 / 38.18 |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 100.30 / 9.32 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 4777 / 443.96 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 2243 / 208.46 |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 7020 / 652.42 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 223.43 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 24,072 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 31,775 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 130,205 |
| Power L1 | 31,847 |
| Power MT | 1107.86 |
