The Burlington & Missouri River Railroad built twenty four Ten Wheeler type (4-6-0) locomotives for express passenger service at its Havelock, IA, shops between 1900 and 1904 (#700-#723). #40 was outshopped in 1900 and was renumbered #3687 in 1903 and then #719 when the B&MR was merged into the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in 1904. In 1951, it was renumbered #919.
#719 weighs 156,600 lbs, 121,400 lbs on its 72” drivers. With a driver wheelbase of 14’ 3¼” and engine wheelbase of 25’ 9¼”, it has Stephenson valve gear and 19” x 26” cylinders. The grate is 30 sq ft and the Belpaire firebox is 172.3 sq ft making a total heating surface of 2,394 sq ft. Operating at a boiler pressure of 200 psi, it delivered 22,161 lbs tractive effort. The tender weighs 147,000 lbs light and has a capacity of 5,000 gallons of water and 9 tons of coal.
In its heyday, the K-4 could put up a good performance. One fourteen mile stretch was covered in nine minutes in 1902 at an average speed of 96.8 mph.
Some of the K-4 engines were later fitted with 64" drivers
and went into local and
branch-line service. The class was gradually retired between 1931 and 1953.
#719 spent most of its
working life on the Burlington's Alliance Division but later moved to the
Sterling, CO-Cheyenne, WY, branch line. It was donated to the City of Alliance, NE, in 1962 and was refurbished by Burlington Northern volunteers. It is on display in Sudman Field with, right, Burlington Northern wide-vision steel cupola caboose #13701.
You can see the other two surviving Burlington K-4s on the CBQ #710 page and the Railswest Museum pages of this website.
