Chesapeake and Ohio class K-4

Chesapeake and Ohio class K-4
C&O K-4 No. 2736 at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin, September 1963
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerAdvisory Mechanical Committee
Builder
Build date1943–1947
Total produced90
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-8-4
 • UIC1′D2 h2
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Leading dia.33 in (83.820 cm)
Driver dia.69 in (1.753 m)
Trailing dia.36 in (91.440 cm) (Lead)
43 in (109.220 cm) (Trail)
Tender wheels36 in (91.440 cm)
Minimum curve288 ft (88 m) radius / 20°
Wheelbase93 ft 2 in (28.40 m)
Length105 ft 1+7⁄8 in (32.05 m)
Width10 ft 10 in (3.30 m)
Height15 ft 7+1⁄2 in (4.76 m)
Axle load73,000 lb (37 short tons) to 73,600 lb (36.8 short tons)
Adhesive weight292,000 lb (146 short tons) to 293,100 lb (146.6 short tons)
Loco weight460,000 lb (230 short tons) to 469,680 lb (234.84 short tons)
Tender weight388,030 lb (194.02 short tons) to 394,100 lb (197.1 short tons)
Total weight850,000 lb (420 short tons) to 863,780 lb (431.89 short tons)
Tender type21-RG
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity30 short tons (27 t)
Water cap.21,000 US gal (79,000 L; 17,000 imp gal)
Firebox:​
 • Grate area90 sq ft (8.4 m2)
Boiler:
​
 • ModelFire Tube
 • Diameter98 in (2,489 mm)
 • Tube plates19 ft (6 m)
Boiler pressure245 lbf (1.09 kN)
Feedwater heaterWorthington 5 1/2 SA
10,200 US gallon / hr capacity
Heating surface:​
 • Firebox465 sq ft (43.2 m2)
 • Tubes and flues4,308 sq ft (400.2 m2)
 • Total surface4,773 sq ft (443.4 m2)
Superheater:
​
 • TypeType E
 • Heating area1,932 sq ft (179.5 m2)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size26 in × 34 in (660 mm × 864 mm)
Valve gearBaker
Valve typePiston valves
Valve travel8 in (203 mm)
Valve lap1+11⁄16 in (43 mm)
Valve lead3⁄16 in (5 mm)
Train heatingSteam heat
Loco brakePneumatic, Schedule 8-ET
Train brakesPneumatic
Performance figures
Maximum speed80 mph (129 km/h)
Tractive effort69,350 lbf (308.48 kN) (Engine)
14,000 lbf (62.28 kN) (Booster)
83,350 lbf (370.76 kN) (Total)
Factor of adh.4.21-4.23 (Engine)
4.6 (Booster)
Career
OperatorsChesapeake and Ohio Railway
Numbers2700–2789
NicknamesKanawha
Big Mike
Retired1952–1957
PreservedTwelve (Nos. 2700, 2705, 2707, 2716, 2727, 2732, 2736, 2755, 2756, 2760, 2776, 2789) preserved; remainder scrapped
RestoredOngoing with No. 2716
DispositionNo. 2716 undergoing restoration, 11 on display, remainder scrapped
10 preserved built by ALCO and 2 preserved built by Lima

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's K-4 class were a group of ninety 2-8-4 steam locomotives purchased during and shortly after World War II.[1] Unlike many other railroads in the United States, the C&O chose to nickname this class "Kanawha", after the river in West Virginia, rather than "Berkshire", after the region in New England.

As of 2024, twelve examples are preserved, with their display locations including the National Railroad Museum, the Science Museum of Virginia, Chief Logan State Park, and the B&O Railroad Museum.

Details

In the early 1940s, as the United States entered World War II, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) was looking to roster large locomotives to aid their aging 2-8-2 "Mikados" in general freight service.[2] The Advisory Mechanical Committee (AMC) formulated a 2-8-4 design, named the K-4 class.[2] The K-4s were reproduced from the AMC's previous designs for the Nickel Plate Road's (NKP) 700 series 2-8-4s and the Pere Marquette Railway's (PM) 1200 series 2-8-4s, but the K-4s were equipped with boosters to increase their tractive effort, and their steam domes were positioned behind their sandboxes.[2] The steam domes were positioned in front of the sandboxes for the NKP and PM 2-8-4s, since they allowed for efficient steam passages while traveling on level territories, but the design feature was prone to water-overflowing at the C&O's downhill grades in the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains.[2]

Ninety K-4s, Nos. 2700-2789, were built between 1943 and 1947 by the American Locomotive Company and the Lima Locomotive Works.[2] The K-4s were mostly assigned to heavy and high speed freight services throughout the north-eastern regions of the United States and part of Ontario, Canada by the Pere Marquette. The early K-4s were also used to haul passenger trains during World War II. The K-4s were considered to be one of the few recognizable 2-8-4 "Berkshire" classes in North America, since they were designed with their headlights below their smokeboxes and oval-shaped number plates on their smokebox doors.[2] They were successful locomotives and were popular with crews, so popular with them that they referred to the locomotives as "Big Mikes".[3]

Preserved Locomotives

Twelve Kanawhas have been preserved, with No. 2716 being restored to operation.

One Kanawha (No. 2701) was on display in Buffalo, New York after retirement, but was vandalized beyond repair and was eventually scrapped a few months after being on display.[5]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chesapeake and Ohio class K-4.
  1. ^ Riggan, Phil (May 28, 2014). "C&O Locomotive Restored at Science Museum of Virginia". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Boyd, Jim; Dixon, Tom (January 1981). "The last Greenbrier". Railfan & Railroad. Vol. 3, no. 8. Carstens Publications. pp. 39–40.
  3. ^ "Chesapeake & Ohio "2-8-4" Locomotives: Roster, Photos".
  4. ^ "Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-4 "Berkshire" Locomotives in the USA".
  5. ^ "Chesapeake & Ohio 2-8-4 "Berkshire" Locomotives in the USA".

Further reading

  • Dixon Jr., Thomas W. (2013). Chesapeake & Ohio K-4 Class 2-8-4 Steam Locomotives (1st ed.). The Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society. ISBN 978-0939487592.