#5631 is a Northern (4-8-4) type locomotive on
display at the corner of East 5th Street and
Broadway Street in downtown Sheridan, WY. It is tightly fenced in and there are low shrubs on one side, which together make getting good photos challenging.
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy bought its first eight Northerns from Baldwin in 1931 (#5600-#5607). Designated Class O-5, they were used on both freight and passenger services and proved very successful. The CB&Q then made some modifications to the design and built thirteen of its own at its West Burlington, IA, Workshops in 1937 (#5608-#5620). Designated Class O-5A, the new locomotives used Baldwin boilers but were fitted with Worthington SA feedwater heaters.
A further fifteen were built in 1939 (#5621-#5635), bringing the roster to thirty-six. The last batch was equipped with Boxpok drivers, and many of the first eight O-5s were subsequently rebuilt to O-5A standards with roller bearings, lightweight rods, vestibule cabs and solid cast pilots. Some were also converted to burn oil.
The tender weighs 350,500 lbs light with a 27 ton coal and 18,000 gallon water capacity.
The O-5As weigh
473,700 lbs, 279,030 lbs on their 74" drivers. They had a 106.5 sq ft grate, a 433 sq ft firebox with 45 sq ft of arch tubes and an 83 sq ft combustion chamber. Total heating surface of 7,640 sq ft included 2,403 sq ft superheating. With 28"x 30" cylinders they operated at a boiler pressure of 250 psi delivering 67,541 lbs tractive effort.
You can see CBQ #5629 on the Colorado Railroad Museum page of this website and #5633, on the CBQ #5633 page.
Related Links:
Burlington Route Historical Society
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Cameron Turner and Tim Mulina published Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Standard Gauge O-5A & O-5B Class No. 5608-5635
4-8-4 Locomotives in the Quick Pic Book series in 2004. It has 62 pages and 190 photographs including a brief 2 page history and technical information (click on the cover to search for this book on Bookfinder.com).
