Rock Island 886

Last updated
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 886
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Builder American Locomotive Company
Build dateJuly 1910
Specifications
Configuration:
   Whyte 4-6-2
Gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.73 in (1,854 mm)
Adhesive weight 148,000 lb (67.1 tonnes)
Loco weight227,000 lb (103.0 tonnes)
Tender weight150,000 lb (68,038.9 kilograms) (empty)
Total weight377,000 lb (171.0 tonnes)
Water cap.7,500 US gal (28,000 L; 6,200 imp gal)
Firebox:
  Firegrate area
44.80 sq ft (4.162 m2)
Boiler pressure185 lbf/in2 (1.28 MPa)
Cylinders Two
Cylinder size 23 in × 28 in (580 mm × 710 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort 31,907 lbf (141.93 kN)
Factor of adh. 4.64
Career
Operators Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway
Class P-31
DispositionDisplay

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 886 (previously known as Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 887 [1] ) is a 4-6-2 Pacific type steam locomotive built in 1910 by the American Locomotive Company for the Rock Island Railroad. [2] [3] It is located in Illinois.

Contents

History

The locomotive's original number is 887. [1] In the 1950s, the city of Peoria, Illinois, asked Rock Island Railroad to donate the original 886 engine for display, as it was the last steam locomotive to operate out of Peoria; however, it had already been scrapped. [1] Instead, Rock Island offered to donate 887, which was repainted and given "886" number boards. [1] The acquisition was assisted by Louis Neumiller, former president of Caterpillar Tractor Co. [4]

The locomotive, now rebranded as Rock Island 886, resided in Lower Glen Oak Park from 1956. [4] However, by the early 1960s, it was starting to deteriorate due to vandalism and lack of regular painting. [1] [4] 886 was declared an eyesore and destined to be sold for scrap, but a public campaign, beginning in fall 1962, called for the engine to be restored and relocated. [4] An editorial in the Journal Star declared: "The Park Board with title in hand would be doing the kids – and some of us old fogies, too – a real favor by preserving this priceless piece of Peoria’s past.” [4]

Rock Island 886 was moved to Rock Island engine house for repairs, assisted by a $6,000 funding drive by the Commission for the Perpetuation and Preservation of Old 886. [4] The locomotive was then relocated to the Detweiller Golf Course parking lot, opposite Detweiller Park. [1] [4] It remained there until April 1985, when it was acquired by the Wheels O' Time Museum in Dunlap, Illinois. [4] Over one day, the locomotive was transported to the museum, a 7.2 mile (11.6 km) uphill journey through Detweiller Park. [4]

In 2009, close to its 100th anniversary, Rock Island 886 was sanded, washed, repainted, and fitted with an electronic train whistle. [4] As of 2018, the locomotive can still be seen on display at the Wheels O' Time Museum. [1] [3] [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4-8-4</span> Locomotive wheel arrangement

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type was first used by the Northern Pacific Railway, and initially named the Northern Pacific, but railfans and railroad employees have shortened the name since its introduction. It is most-commonly known as a Northern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad</span> Former railroad in the Midwestern United States

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and also in Texas through subsidiaries Colorado and Southern Railway, Fort Worth and Denver Railway, and Burlington-Rock Island Railroad. Its primary connections included Chicago, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Denver. Because of this extensive trackage in the midwest and mountain states, the railroad used the advertising slogans "Everywhere West", "Way of the Zephyrs", and "The Way West".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway</span> Former railroad company in the United States

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The railroad reached the Kansas–Colorado border in 1873 and Pueblo, Colorado, in 1876. To create a demand for its services, the railroad set up real estate offices and sold farmland from the land grants that it was awarded by Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milwaukee Road 261</span> Preserved American 4-8-4 locomotive

Milwaukee Road 261 is a class "S3" 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in Schenectady, New York in July 1944 for the Milwaukee Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago and North Western Transportation Company</span> Rail transport company

The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over 12,000 miles (19,000 km) of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s. Until 1972, when the employees purchased the company, it was named the Chicago and North Western Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camelback locomotive</span> Type of locomotive

A camelback locomotive is a type of steam locomotive with the driving cab placed in the middle, astride the boiler. Camelbacks were fitted with wide fireboxes which would have severely restricted driver visibility from the normal cab location at the rear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD SW1</span>

The EMD SW1 is a 600-horsepower (450 kW) diesel-electric switcher locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Corporation between December 1938 and November 1953. Final assembly was at EMD's plant at LaGrange (McCook) Illinois. The SW1 was the second generation of 3,402 cu in (55.75 L) switcher from EMD, succeeding the SC and SW. The most significant change from those earlier models was the use of an engine of EMD's own design, the then-new 567 engine, here in 600 hp (450 kW) V6 form. 661 locomotives of this design were built, with a gap in production between March 1943 and September 1945 due to World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iowa Interstate Railroad</span> United States railroad subsidiary company

The Iowa Interstate Railroad is a Class II regional railroad operating in the central United States. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerotrain (GM)</span> American streamlined trainset (1955–1966)

The Aerotrain was a streamlined trainset that the General Motors (GM) Electro-Motive Division (EMD) introduced in 1955. GM originally designated the light-weight consist as Train-Y before the company adopted the Aerotrain marketing name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaSalle Street Station</span> Train station in Chicago

LaSalle Street Station is a commuter rail terminal at 414 South LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. First used as a rail terminal in 1852, it was a major intercity rail terminal for the New York Central Railroad until 1968, and for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad until 1978, but now serves only Metra's Rock Island District. The present structure became the fifth station on the site when its predecessor was demolished in 1981 and replaced by the new station and the One Financial Place tower for the Chicago Stock Exchange. The Chicago Board of Trade Building, Willis Tower, and Harold Washington Library are nearby.

William Jones (1884–1968), a seasoned veteran of the steam era who established the Wildcat Railroad in Los Gatos, California, was born the son of a teamster in the town of Ben Lomond, California, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickel Plate Road 765</span> Preserved NKP S-2 class 2-8-4 locomotive

Nickel Plate Road 765 is a class "S-2" 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road". In 1963, No. 765, renumbered as 767, was donated to the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, where it sat on display at the Lawton Park, while the real No. 767 was scrapped in Chicago in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monticello Railway Museum</span>

The Monticello Railway Museum is a non-profit railroad museum located in Monticello, Illinois, about 18 miles west of Champaign, IL. It is home to over 100 pieces of railroad equipment, including several restored diesel locomotives and cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of the American Railroad</span> Railroad museum in Frisco, Texas, U.S.

The Museum of the American Railroad, formerly known as the Age of Steam Railroad Museum, is a railroad museum in Frisco, Texas. The museum has more than 70 pieces of steam, diesel, passenger, and freight railroad equipment sitting on 15 acres making it one of the largest historic rail collections in the US. Guests may walk through some of the equipment on guided tours.

The Steam Railroading Institute is located at 405 South Washington Street, Owosso, Michigan. It was founded in 1969 as the Michigan State University (MSU) Railroad Club. It became the Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation, and later adopted its present name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USRA Light Pacific</span> Class of American two-cylinder 4-6-2 locomotives

The USRA Light Pacific was a USRA standard class of steam locomotive designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration, the nationalized railroad system in the United States during World War I. It was the standard light passenger locomotive of the USRA types, with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or 2′C1′ in UIC classification.

Baltimore and Ohio No. 5300, also known as President Washington, is the sole survivor of the P-7 class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotives. It was built by Baldwin in 1927, and it was used on mainline passenger trains across the Baltimore and Ohio system, particularly the Royal Blue train, until it was retired in 1957. After being stored for a few years, it was donated to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, where it has spent several years on static display. The locomotive is undergoing a cosmetic restoration, as of 2023.

Wheels O' Time Museum is a museum in Dunlap, Illinois, United States.

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy 4963 is a preserved class "O-1a" 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1923 for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. It was used by the CB&Q to haul mainline freight trains before it was leased to the Bevier and Southern Railroad to haul short-distance freight trains in the early 1960s. It was subsequently retained by the CB&Q and used as a source of spare parts before being acquired by Richard Jensen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Trunk Western Class K-4a</span> Class of five 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotives

The Grand Trunk Western Class K-4a is a class of five 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotives that were built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the Grand Trunk Western Railroad in 1924 as copies of the USRA Light Pacifics.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Grant (2020), p. 310.
  2. "70. Wheels O' Time locomotive – 101 Things" . Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  3. 1 2 HeritageRail News. "The Wheels O' Time Museum". HeritageRail Alliance. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kenyon, Theo Jean (2009-10-08). "Locomotive celebrates 100 years". Journal Star . Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  5. "Wheels O' Time Museum". www.peoria.org. Retrieved 2021-10-19.

References