Louis and Group:
I've been slow to respond to this posting because I had a bit of scanning and
fact checking to do first. I've always been a big fan of articulated
locomotives, likely because I grew up out here in UP country and managed to see
the last gasp of the Challengers and Big Boys 100 miles to the north. And I'm
certainly a devotee of the Q's motley group of Mallet compound articulated
engines -- to the extent of having devoted two Burlington Bulletin articles to
them. And thus I have collected images of other articulateds on the Q, though
I had not seen this image of NP 5008 and would love to get a high res scan of
it from you, Louis. All of which brings me to my point -- points, actually.
First, another simple articulated locomotive operated over the Q to reach
Chicago for display at the Railroad Fair, but this one traversed the mainline
east from Denver, stopping, like NP 5008, in Aurora, where it was cleaned and
painted. The locomotive was Western Pacific 402, one of seven simple 4-6-6-4s
built by Alco in 1938, lasted used in 1950 and all retired in May and June
1952. The locomotive came into Denver in service on the D&RGW in early June
1949 and was transferred to the Q and serviced at the railroad's 23rd St.
roundhouse. Fortunately, Otto Perry found the beast there on June 5 and
captured the attached view of it after it had finished coaling at the Ogle
steel coal chute. The 1940 diesel shop, clearly lettered ""DIESEL SHOP" on the
end and one side, is barely visible behind the 402's tender. Note that the
locomotive is flying white flags, because it's about to take an extra east to
Lincoln. Many years later Otto, a letter carrier, told me he had to go to work
that day or he would have chased the train east. Too bad. But when the 402
finally reached Aurora, it was captured on film again, this time by Q tower
operator L.E. Griffith, who took an uncharacteristically soft focus view of the
engine being washed outside at the shop complex in preparation for a complete
repainting for display at the fair. The WP sent the Q the necessary stencils
and decals for the paint job. Presumably the engine worked its way back home
after the fair.
I'll follow this up with details of the other Yellowstones that operated over
the Q -- double-headed even!
Hol
To: cbq@yahoogroups.com
From: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2014 14:09:37 -0400
Subject: [CBQ] Unexpected Visitor To Aurora
June 8, 2014
Aurora had an unexpected visitor when the NP sent Yellowstone Class
Z-5 No. 5008 to participate in the Chicago Railroad Fair of 1948.
Here is a link to the Chicago Railroad Fair:
http://www.railarchive.net/rrfair/index.html.
There is a lot more on the Web if you Google search Chicago Railroad
Fair.
The Q and NP routed the huge 2-8-8-4 type south from the Twin
Cities over the LaCrosse Division to Savanna and into Chicago. The inserted
image shows inbound 5008 posing in front of the Aurora Tower.
I'd like to hear opinions if the Yellowstone was routed from
Savanna over the C&I direct to Aurora, or IF due to clearances and/or weight
restrictions on bridges was routed instead Around The Horn via
either Galesburg or Mendota?
Also, considering that the NP would've sent a RFE with the Yellowstone to
instruct Q engine crews on its operation and servicing, how would the Q engine
crews have been paid? On engine weight?
I do not have a retirement date for 5008, but would suspect it had
been replaced by diesels and scrapped in the mid-to-late 1950s. No NP
Yellowstones were preserved. Best Regards - Louis
Louis Zadnichek II
Fairhope, AL
WP 402 on CB&Q, Denver, Colo., 6-5-1949, enroute to Chicago RR Fair, Otto Perry photo, DPLWHD coll. No. OP-19978.jpg
Description: JPEG image
WP 402 on CB&Q, Auorora, Ill, 6-1949, being washed and painted for Chicago RR Fair, L.E. Griffith photo, Corbin-Wagner coll..jpg
Description: JPEG image
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