CNW Class E-4
Encyclopedia
The Chicago and North Western Railway
's Class E-4 comprised nine coal-burning streamlined
4-6-4
"Hudson" steam locomotive
s built in 1937
by ALCO
.
They were built to haul the road's famous "400
" express passenger trains, but before they were even delivered the railroad's management decided that streamlined steam was the wrong direction and instead placed orders with General Motors Electro-Motive Division for new diesel locomotive
s. The displaced E-4s instead worked other trains until they were withdrawn from service in 1953. All were scrapped.
The nine E-4s were almost identical in specification and purpose to the Milwaukee Road's six class F7
locomotives, and they were built by the same builder at the same time, yet they were different in almost every detail of design.
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
's Class E-4 comprised nine coal-burning streamlined
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
4-6-4
4-6-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification:...
"Hudson" steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s built in 1937
1937 in rail transport
-January events:* January – Electro-Motive Corporation introduces the EMC E2.* January 18 – The Østfold Line in Norway takes electric traction into use between Ljan and Kolbotn.-March events:...
by ALCO
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
.
They were built to haul the road's famous "400
Twin Cities 400
The 400 was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway between Chicago and Saint Paul, with a final stop in Minneapolis...
" express passenger trains, but before they were even delivered the railroad's management decided that streamlined steam was the wrong direction and instead placed orders with General Motors Electro-Motive Division for new diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s. The displaced E-4s instead worked other trains until they were withdrawn from service in 1953. All were scrapped.
The nine E-4s were almost identical in specification and purpose to the Milwaukee Road's six class F7
Milwaukee Road class F7
The Milwaukee Road's class F7 comprised six high-speed, streamlined 4-6-4 "Baltic" or "Hudson" type steam locomotives built by ALCO in 1937–38 to haul the Milwaukee's Hiawatha express passenger trains...
locomotives, and they were built by the same builder at the same time, yet they were different in almost every detail of design.
Other CNW steam locomotives
- CNW Class D 4-4-24-4-2 (locomotive)Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
– A major workhorse of the C&NW, some were used on the Minnesota 400. - CNW Class E 4-6-24-6-24-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
– Some converted to "ES" class with similar shrouding to the E-4. The ES engines succeeded Class D locomotives on the Minnesota 400. - CNW Class E-2CNW Class E-2The Chicago and North Western Railway's Class E-2 was a 4-6-2 "Pacific" type locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, New York in 1923. Twelve were originally built, and all were later converted...
4-6-2 – Twelve locomotives, four of which were converted to "E-2-a" class and were the original locomotives for the Twin Cities to Chicago 400 before being replaced by EMD E3EMD E3The EMC E3 was a , A1A-A1A passenger train locomotive manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation of La Grange, Illinois. The EMC demonstrator #822 was released from La Grange for test on September 12, 1938. The cab version, or E3A, was manufactured from September, 1938 to June, 1940, and 17 were...
diesel units. The remaining eight were converted to "E-2-b" locomotives.