The Chicago and North Western Railway class J was a class of 310 American 2-8-2 locomotives. They were built between 1913 and 1923 by the
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...
. In addition, the
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway
The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway or ''Omaha Road'' was a railroad in the U.S. states of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. It was incorporated in 1880 as a consolidation of the Chicago, St. Paul and Minne ...
(the Omaha Road) acquired 32, and also classified them as class J.
Design
The locomotives had boiler pressed to feeding steam to two cylinders that had a bore and a stroke. These were connected to driving wheels. The locomotives weighed .
The first 224 locomotives, built 1913 to 1919 had Baker valve gear, the last 118, built 1921 to 1923 had Young valve gear.
Construction
The locomotives were built by the American Locomotive Company at their Schenectady,
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
, and
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.BK stoker was fitted. These locomotives were reclassified as J-A. With the onset of World War II, rebuildings ceased, but the fitting of stokers continued; these stoker-fitted locomotives were re-classed as J-S.
Also during the war, several locomotives were leased to the Seaboard Air Line Railroad.
In 1944 the Chicago and North Western Railway traded two of its class J locomotives for the Omaha Road's two J-1
2-10-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, ten powered and coupled driving wheels, and two trailing wheels. In the United States of America and elsewhere the is ...
locomotives.
Retirements started in 1942, and continued until the end of steam in 1956.
No locomotives of this class have been preserved.