Great Northern H-5 class
Great Northern Steam Locomotive No. 1355, on display at Milwaukee Railroad Shops in Sioux City, Iowa.
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Great Northern Originally Baldwin Locomotive Works Build date 1921-1928 Originally 1909 Total produced 25
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-2  • UIC 2′C2′ h1 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Leading dia. 36 in (914 mm) Driver dia. 73 in (1,854 mm) Trailing dia. 45 in (1,143 mm) Wheelbase Loco & tender: 72.03 ft (21.95 m) Axle load 57,666 lb (26,157 kilograms; 26.157 metric tons) Adhesive weight 164,000 lb (74,000 kilograms; 74 metric tons) Loco weight 271,800 lb (123,300 kilograms; 123.3 metric tons) Tender weight 188,400 lb (85,500 kilograms; 85.5 metric tons) Total weight 460,200 lb (208,700 kilograms; 208.7 metric tons) Fuel type Fuel oil Fuel capacity 4,500 US gal (17,000 L; 3,700 imp gal) Water cap. 10,000 US gal (38,000 L; 8,300 imp gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 50.40 sq ft (4.682 m2) Boiler pressure 210 lbf/in2 (1.45 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 247 sq ft (22.9 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 3,904 sq ft (362.7 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 23.5 in × 30 in (597 mm × 762 mm) Valve gear Walschaert
Performance figures Tractive effort 40,511 lbf (180.20 kN) 51,511 lbf (229,130 N) with booster Factor of adh. 4.34
Career Operators Great Northern Class H-5 Numbers 1350–1374 Originally 1008-1032 Retired 1941, 1950-1955 Preserved One preserved (No. 1355) Disposition Great Northern 1355 on display in Sioux City, Iowa, remainder scrapped

The Great Northern H-5 was a class of 25 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotives that were originally built as E-14 4-6-0 "Ten Wheelers" by the Baldwin Locomotive Works 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 and the Oriental Limited.

Today, only one H-5 survives, No. 1355. It was retired in July 1955 and moved to the Milwaukee Road 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 11,000 lbf (48.93 kN) of tractive effort. Later in their service life, they were reassigned to freight service, such as hauling iron ore on the Mesabi Range. 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.^[1]

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.^[2] It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places 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

1941 head-on collision

On July 24, 1941, No. 1351 was tasked to pull a regular three-car passenger train from Vancouver, British Columbia to Seattle, Washington, and en route, it was to travel over a single-track line shared by GN and the Canadian National (CN) in the Brunette Valley near New Westminster.^[3] The GN No. 1351 crew—consisting of engineer John Caray and fireman A. Hager—were new to their jobs at the time, and they were ordered to stop at a siding to wait for the second section of CN’s Transcontinental passenger train to pass before proceeding on the single-track, but when the first section of the Transcontinental passed, the engineer allegedly mistook it as the train they were supposed to wait for.^[3]

The train then proceeded too early and traversed onto the single-track at less than 25 miles per hour (40 km/h), and at 9:42 am, it collided head-on with the second section of the Transcontinental, led by CN 2-8-2 No. 3254.^[3] No. 1351’s tender telescoped into the mail car directly behind it, and while the locomotive remained upright, the H-5 was smashed up front, with the smokebox being torn from the boiler and the frame being cracked.^[3] John Caray was severely injured, as were No. 3254 engineer Herbert H. Mills and fireman Tillinger.^[3] A. Hager was killed upon impact, as was CN baggage man Harold H. Krinks, and twenty-one other passengers and crew members on both trains received minor injuries.^[3]

Many people arrived at the scene to help bring the injured passengers and crew to safety, and a second mainline had to be temporarily built to clear the wreckage.^[3] Following the accident, No. 1351 became the first H-5 to be retired, and it was scrapped in October 1941, after GN decided it was damaged beyond economical repair.