December 20, 2004
Mr. McCauley - In answer to your latest post, if there was one lucky O1-a, it
was the 4978. I'm sending you offline a photograph I took of the derelict
2-8-2 on March 17, 1963 on a turntable stub track at the Galesburg roundhouse.
At the time I took her photograph, the 4978 and 4960 were the only two O1-a
engines left on the official CB&Q roster. The stripped and tenderless 4943 was
still on the property, but was awaiting shipment to NWS&W to be scrapped.
The 4978 survived as she had been retained for stationary boiler service.
Fortunately, she survived long enough to be donated. I have copies of March
1963
and September 1960 "Condition and Location of Locomotives" for the Galesburg
Division.
The March 1963 report states that the 4978 had last received heavy repairs in
March 1955 and had run 34,035 miles since that date. The O1-a additionally
had 67 months flue credit and 40 months firebox credit for being out of service.
If you back out 67 months from March 1963, then the last time the 4978 was
fired up would've been August 1957. Thus, unless the O1-a underwent class
repairs at Galesburg sometime after March 1963, it's impossible she steamed to
Ottawa for display.
Rather, unless someone can prove me wrong, the CB&Q's Galesburg roundhouse
gang cosmetically restored the 4978 to first class appearance to be towed as a
dead engine. Today, she looks wonderful in her new home at the Mendota station.
Thus, the 4978 was NOT one of the last Q steam engines to operate. That
distinction would fall to one of her O1-a sisters at Herrin Junction in January
1959. Do any records remain of exactly which O1-a was the LAST to be fired up
for
a mine run?
Louis Zadnichek II
Fairhope, AL
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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