Great Northern Railway 1355 is a standard gauge steam railway locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1909 for the Great Northern Railway in the United States. It was built as a 4-6-0, Ten-Wheeler, type, but it had an extensive rebuild in 1924 when it became a 4-6-2, Pacific, type. During its career, it pulled both freight and passenger trains, including the Great Northern's crack Empire Builder and Oriental Limited.[1]

Great Northern 1355
GN1355, displayed at Milwaukee Railroad Shop in Sioux City, Iowa
Type and origin
Reference [1]
Data is for H-5, post 1924
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number33908
Build date1909
Total produced25
Rebuild date1924
2024–ongoing
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte1909: 4-6-0
1924: 4-6-2
Gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Leading dia.36 in (914 mm)
Driver dia.73 in (1,854 mm)
Trailing dia.45 in (1,143 mm)
Axle load58,666 lb (26,610 kilograms; 26.610 metric tons)
Adhesive weight164,000 lb (74 t)
Loco weight271,800 lb (123 t)
Tender weight188,400 lb (85 t)
Total weight460,200 lb (209 t)
Fuel typeboth coal and oil - four conversions
Boiler pressure200 psi (1 MPa)
Cylinders2
Cylinder size23.5 in × 30 in (597 mm × 762 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort38,500 lbf (171 kN)
Factor of adh.4.26
Career
OperatorsGreat Northern
Class1909: E-14
1924: H-5
Number in class25
Numbers1909: 1020
1924: 1494
1926: 1355
DeliveredOctober 16, 1909
First runNovember 19, 1909
Last run1954
Retired1955
PreservedJuly 1955
Current ownerCity of Sioux City, Iowa
DispositionUndergoing restoration to operational condition
Great Northern Railway Steam Locomotive No. 1355 and Tender 1451
Great Northern 1355 is located in Iowa
Great Northern 1355
Great Northern 1355 is located in the United States
Great Northern 1355
Location3400 Sioux River Rd., Sioux City, Iowa
Coordinates42°31′45″N 96°28′36″W / 42.52917°N 96.47667°W / 42.52917; -96.47667
NRHP reference No.04001352[2]
Added to NRHPDecember 15, 2004

It was built as one of 25 class E14 Ten-Wheelers and passed its inspections at the GN's Dale Street Shops in St. Paul, Minnesota on November 19, 1909. It spent its first ten years near Hillyard, Washington and then in 1919, was sent to Spokane, both in passenger service.[1]

On February 19, 1924, it returned to the Dale Street Shops for a major rebuild. It's not clear whether this was actually a rebuild or virtually a new engine. New parts included a Belpaire firebox, longer boiler, type A superheater, new solid leading wheels, a Delta trailing truck which made it a 4-6-2, new brakes, and one of its four conversions between oil and coal fuel. It left the shop on May 29 and was sent to the Willmar, Minnesota division for passenger work, reclassified as a class H-5.[1]

The following January, it was back in the shop to receive a booster engine on its trailing truck. This was removed in 1929. It was renumbered again, to 1355, in April 1926 and converted from coal to oil. It was then dispatched to the Butte, Montana division, where it principally handled the Oriental Limited. It spent the last two years of its working life, 1953–55, hauling iron ore on the Mesabi Range until its retirement in 1955.[1][3]

In late 1954, the city of Sioux City, Iowa asked the Great Northern for a steam locomotive. Sioux City was at very southern end of the GN's operations and in July 55, it was delivered to the city.[3] In 1995, the locomotive was moved to the former Milwaukee Road Shops and Roundhouse, where it has undergone extensive cosmetic restoration.[1]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 as Great Northern Railway Steam Locomotive No. 1355 and Tender 1451. On June 28, 2024, a worker said there were plans for 1355 to be restored to operational condition and run small excursions on museum trackage or possibly to Omaha, Nebraska. In July 2024, work has begun to restore 1355 to operating condition.[4][5] When completed, the museum would receive a new fleet of passenger cars for the locomotive’s future excursions.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f "GN Class H-5 4-6-2". Great Northern Empire. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. ^ a b See this map.
  4. ^ Franz, Justin (2024-07-08). "Great Northern 4-6-2 to be Restored in Iowa". Railfan & Railroad Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  5. ^ Franz, Justin (2024-07-08). "Sioux City museum announces joint effort to return Great Northern 4-6-2 to operation". Trains.com. Retrieved 2024-07-13.