The Great Northern H-5 was a class of 25

4-6-2 Under 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. The locomotiv ...

"Pacific" type steam locomotives that were originally built as E-14

4-6-0 A 4-6-0 steam locomotive, under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, has four leading wheels on two axles in a leading bogie and six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles with the abse ...

"Ten Wheelers" by the

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...

in 1909 and operated by the Great Northern Railway until the mid-1950s. The locomotives hauled passenger trains on the Great Northern mainline, such as the ''

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is an Amtrak long-distance passenger train that operates daily between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great Northe ...

'' and the '' Oriental Limited''. Today, only one H-5 survives, No. 1355. It was retired in July 1955 and moved to the

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States fr ...

shops in Sioux City, Iowa where it still resides today.

History

The class was originally built in 1909 as E-14 "Ten Wheelers", then, between October 6, 1921, and July 8, 1928, they have been rebuilt into H-5 "Pacifics" and hauled mainly passenger trains such as the ''Empire Builder'' and the ''Oriental Limited''. The first ten were numbered 1486–1495, then renumbered 1350–1359. They were also converted from coal to oil and some were fitted with boosters that added of tractive effort. Later in their service life, they were reassigned to freight service, such as hauling iron ore on the

Mesabi Range The Mesabi Iron Range is a mining district in northeastern Minnesota following an elongate trend containing large deposits of iron ore. It is the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iron Range of Minnesota. ...

. As the railroad made a transition to diesel power, retirement started on September 13, 1950, and by August 25, 1955, all the H-5s have been retired.

1941 accident

On July 24, 1941, H-5 1351 was pulling a passenger train towards

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, when it collided head-on with

Canadian National The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I railroad, Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern United States, M ...

S-1-b

2-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing wheel ...

3254 at North Road cut near

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

. The accident caused the locomotive's

smokebox A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a steam locomotive exhaust system. Smoke and hot gases pass from the firebox through tubes where they pass heat to the surrounding water in the boiler. The smoke then enters the smokebox, and is e ...

to be torn off, the locomotive's

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

to be cracked, and the rear of the locomotive itself to be pressed against its tender. As a result of this, 1351 became the first H-5 to be retired, and it was scrapped in October of the same year after being deemed damaged beyond economical repair.

Preservation

Only one H-5 has been preserved, No. 1355. It was retired in July 1955 and put on display at the Milwaukee Road shops in Sioux City, Iowa, where it still resides today. It was also added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2004 as Great Northern Railway Steam Locomotive No. 1355 and Tender 1451. Furthermore, it is the sole surviving Great Northern "Pacific" type steam locomotive.

Roster

References

{{NRHP in Woodbury County, Iowa Great Northern Railway (U.S.) Railway locomotives introduced in 1909 Railway locomotives introduced in 1921 Railway locomotives on the National Register of Historic Places 4-6-2 locomotives Baldwin locomotives Passenger locomotives H-5 National Register of Historic Places in Sioux City, Iowa Woodbury County, Iowa Rail transportation on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Preserved steam locomotives of Iowa Steam locomotives of the United States