Grand Trunk Western 5629

Grand Trunk Western 5629 was a 4-6-2 K-4-a steam locomotive, which was a copy of the United States Railroad Administration's (USRA) Light Pacific design, built by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1924, for the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. It was used to haul commuter passenger trains in Michigan until 1959 when it was purchased by Chicago-based railfan Richard Jensen for use in pulling several excursion trains in the Chicago area throughout the 1960s.

After Jensen ran into some financial trouble in the 1970s, he stored his locomotive at the Rock Island Railroad's freight yard in Blue Island, Illinois. In 1980, Metra Commuter Rail, acquired the Blue Island freight yard, attempted to remove the No. 5629 locomotive intact and donate it to a local railroad museum. But Jensen inconsiderately ordered Metra to scrap his locomotive in July 1987

History

Construction and revenue service

No. 5629 was one of five K-4-a class 4-6-2 "Pacific" locomotives (Nos. 5627-5631) built in 1924 by the American Locomotive Company's (ALCO) Schenectady Works for the Grand Trunk Western (GTW).. The K-4-a locomotives were copies of the United States Railroad Administration's (USRA) Light Pacific design.. The only difference from the USRA design is that the K-4-a class was equipped with a Delta type trailing truck, a Worthington feedwater heater, and Walschaerts valve gear.

The GTW assigned No. 5629 to pull commuter passenger trains in Michigan, but in later years, it was also used to pull freight trains.. On September 27, 1959, No. 5629 was tasked to pull an excursion fantrip for the ''Michigan Railroad Club'' between Detroit and Bay City, Michigan.

Excursion service

Richard "Dick" Jensen, a member of the ''Railroad Club of Chicago'', was in search of a steam locomotive to buy for use in pulling his own excursion trains. He rode on board the fantrip that No. 5629 pulled, and upon learning about the locomotive's planned retirement and scrapping, Jensen decided to buy the K-4-a.

Having saved up money from his job as a bread delivery man, Jensen purchased No. 5629 from the GTW on April 4, 1960 for its scrap value of $9,540.40. It was subsequently moved to a siding rented from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in Hammond, Indiana, where Jensen and a small group of volunteers worked to get No. 5629 running again.

Jensen had parts of No. 5629 replaced to alter its cosmetic appearance, including the bell, the headlight, and the front number plate. In October 1961, No. 5629 performed some test runs, and on November 5, it pulled an excursion on the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT).

The locomotive pulled one other excursion on the B&OCT, but with the midwestern steam excursion market being dominated by the Burlington Route, No. 5629 was placed into storage at a roundhouse in Hammond. In 1964, Jensen reached an agreement with Robert McMillian, the president of the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad (C&WI), to have No. 5629 and other equipment of his be stored inside the C&WI's 47th Street Roundhouse in downtown Chicago.

In 1966, when it was announced that the Burlington Route steam program would be discontinued, Jensen prospected the benefits of having the midwestern excursion market for himself. Planning to use his locomotive for long-distance excursions, Jensen replaced No. 5629's original tender with a larger one that came from a Soo Line 4-8-2 to upgrade its coal and water capacity.

The first of No. 5629's long distance excursions took place in May 1966, during the sesquicentennial of Indiana's statehood; it operated on the Norfolk and Western (N&W) between Indianapolis and Noblesville, Indiana. For the next three years, No. 5629 pulled additional excursion trains on the N&W and the GTW between Chicago, Indianapolis, and Detroit.

In late June 1967, No. 5629 was tasked to replace Burlington Route 4960 in pulling the annual Schlitz Circus World Museum (CWM) train on the Chicago and North Western (C&NW) between Baraboo and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. No. 5629 pulled the Schlitz CWM train again in late June 1968, but en route, the locomotive suffered an overheated bearing that required emergency repairs. Simultaneously, Southern Railway (SOU) president W. Graham Claytor Jr. sought to purchase No. 5629 for use in the SOU steam program while cosmetically altered to resemble the Southern Railway Ps-4 class.. Claytor sent the SOU Chief Council James A. Bistline to Chicago to negotiate with Jensen, but the latter asked for an unattainable amount of money, and No. 5629 remained under Jensen's ownership.

Second retirement

In 1969, legal disputes began between Jensen and the new owners of the C&WI, with his equipment being removed from the 47th Street Roundhouse. No. 5629 was stored in Detroit while the disputes began, but the K-4-a was later moved to Penn Central's (PC) Ex-Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) diesel service yard outside the Chicago Union Station. Jensen originally planned to operate No. 5629 on an excursion on the PC in April 1971, but it was cancelled, as a result of issues over arranging passenger cars for the run. With Jensen beginning to run into financial trouble following the disputes, many ticket-buyers of the excursion did not get refunds.

In 1977, Jensen fell down the stairs at a three-story apartment building while helping a friend move a refrigerator to the third floor. The incident left Jensen critically injured, and after being hospitalized, he could no longer afford to pay rent to the places where he was storing his equipment.. He subsequently tried to negotiate with several railroads around Chicago to have No. 5629 stored on their property, but they all rejected his requests. As a last resort, he reached an agreement with the Rock Island Railroad (RI), which was also in financial trouble, allowed the locomotive to be stored inside their deteriorating roundhouse in Blue Island, Illinois. In 1979, the roundhouse was scheduled for demolition, and No. 5629 was moved again to the middle of RI's Burr Oak freight yard.

Scrapping

In March 1980, RI was liquidated, and ownership of the Burr Oak yard was transferred to Metra Commuter Rail, who made plans to construct a new facility on the property. After Metra acquired the property, Jensen never paid rent to what was owed for storing his No. 5629 locomotive. After redevelopment plans were finalized, Metra ordered Jensen to inspect No. 5629's current condition as they were unable to provide any assistance in getting the locomotive removed. When Jensen inspected No. 5629 to be moved, he discovered that it was vandalized and landlocked during its time in Blue Island. The discovery made Jensen felt that if he had not done anything to move his locomotive, he decided to have Metra scrap it so that way he could file a lawsuit against them, and coup a million dollars.

Upon hearing No. 5629's vandalized condition, Metra offered to help Jensen, but he declined, and he removed several moving parts off the locomotive, including the axle bearings.. By the end of 1986, Metra filed a lawsuit against Jensen, in an attempt to have the locomotive removed intact, but the ruling was that if Jensen did not remove No. 5629 from the yard, Metra would be allowed to scrap it as the only alternative decision. Upon hearing of No. 5629's endangerment, several preservation groups, including the Illinois Railway Museum and the Mid-Continent Railway Museum, offered to purchase the locomotive and move it out of harm's way, and Metra was supportive with them, but Jensen neglected their offers.

Metra soon requested permission from the court to seize ownership of No. 5629, so they could sell or donate it to someone who would be able to remove it, but the court declined; Metra only received removal rights to regain use of their property, and they were not allowed to claim ownership of the locomotive. By June 1987, Metra had banned Jensen from entering the yard, worried that No. 5629 would become a safety hazard with Jensen removing multiple parts from it. On July 1, a judge newly assigned to the case decided that it continued long enough, and a disappointed Metra received a court order to scrap the locomotive. For reasons unknown, Jensen appealed the order, but it was rejected by court.

Metra reluctantly contacted the Erman-Howell Division of the Luria Brothers Scrap Company to dispose of No. 5629. On July 14, the scrapping process began. Several railfans traveled to Burr Oak yard to witness the scrapping, but some were escorted out of the property by Metra Police officers. On July 17, the scrapping process stopped, and by July 20, No. 5629's remains were removed and trucked out of the yard. Following the scrapping, Metra discovered that the vandalism on No. 5629 prior to the legal battle had been done by their employees, several of which were dismissed following a subsequent investigation. As planned, Jensen filed a lawsuit against Metra and requested money to compensate for his locomotive, but he lost the case.

Gallery

File:GTW 5629 owned by Richard Jensen at the Monon Yard in Hammond, IN on March 31, 1964 (26163464685).jpg, GTW No. 5629 being stored at a Monon Railroad yard roundhouse in Hammond, Indiana, on March 31, 1964
File:Roger Puta on front steps of Dick Jensens disabled ex-GTW Pacific 5629 at N&W (NKP) roundhouse, Indianapolis, IN on May 21, 1966 (34477787225).jpg, Railroad photographer Roger Puta standing on the pilot steps of No. 5629 at an N&W roundhouse in Indianapolis on May 21, 1966
File:Grand Trunk Western 5629 4-6-2 in C&W's 47th Street Roundhouse, Chicago, IL on November 17, 1966 (26138851455).jpg, GTW No. 5629 being stored inside the C&WI's 47th Street Roundhouse on November 17, 1966
File:Grand Trunk Western 4-6-2 5629 pulling fantrip into South Bend, IN on September 17, 1967 (24709805312).jpg, GTW No. 5629 pulling a fantrip excursion into South Bend, Indiana, on September 17, 1967

See also

*Atlantic Coast Line 1504
*Chicago, Burlington and Quincy 5632
*Chicago and North Western 1385
*Grand Trunk Western 4070
*Nickel Plate Road 587
*Soo Line 2719

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

{{Commons category
A Passion for Steam

4-6-2 locomotives
ALCO locomotives
Individual locomotives of the United States
Standard gauge locomotives of the United States
Steam locomotives of the United States
USRA locomotives
5629
Scrapped locomotives