Chicago and North Western 1385

Chicago & North Western 1385
No. 1385 waiting to depart North Freedom, Wisconsin, 1980
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder American Locomotive Company (ALCO) Serial number 42187 Build date March 1907
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-0  • UIC 2′C h2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 63 in (1.600 m) Loco weight 179,500 pounds (81.4 t) Tender weight 139,500 pounds (63.3 t) Total weight 266,200 pounds (120.7 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 10 short tons (9.1 tonnes) Water cap. 7,500 US gal (28,000 l; 6,200 imp gal) Boiler pressure 200 lbf/in2 (1.38 MPa) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 21 in × 26 in (533 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Stephenson, inside Valve type Piston valves
Performance figures Maximum speed 60–70 mph (97–113 km/h) Power output 1,588 hp (1,184 kW) Tractive effort 30,940 lbf (137.6 kN) Factor of adh. 4.38
Career Operators Chicago and North Western Railway Class R-1 Numbers C&NW 1385 Retired 1956 (revenue service) 1998 (excursion service) Restored 1983 (1st restoration) Ongoing (2nd restoration) Current owner Mid-Continent Railway Museum Disposition Under restoration to operating condition, based in North Freedom, Wisconsin
Steam Locomotive #1385
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	E8948 Diamond Hill Rd., North Freedom, Wisconsin
Coordinates	43°27′31″N 89°52′29″W / 43.45861°N 89.87472°W / 43.45861; -89.87472Coordinates: 43°27′31″N 89°52′29″W / 43.45861°N 89.87472°W / 43.45861; -89.87472
Area	less than one acre
NRHP reference No.	00000524 [1]
Added to NRHP	May 18, 2000

Chicago and North Western 1385 is a standard gauge class "R-1" 4-6-0 "Ten Wheeler" type steam railway locomotive built in March 1907 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW). It was used for hauling freight and passenger trains on the C&NW trackage until its retirement in 1956. In 1961, it was purchased by a preservation group that is known today as the Mid-Continent Railway Museum, and they have operated No. 1385 on several excursions on their tourist railroad, as well as the C&NW mainline, until 1998. As of 2021, No. 1385 is currently being rebuilt for operational purposes.

History[]

Original service life[]

Between 1901 and 1908, the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, also known as the North Western, ordered 325 4-6-0 ten wheelers from the American Locomotive Company (ALCO), which were classified as the R-1 class. C&NW owned more R-1s than any other steam locomotive class.^[2] No. 1385 was one of the second to last ones built in March 1907.

Although principally used for fast freight, the R-1 class also was used for slower passenger service and occasional switching over the North Western's extensive system, which at its peak extended through nine states from Illinois to Wyoming. When new, it was large, modern power, and required strengthening and enlarging turntables, engine houses, and bridges wherever used.^[2]

The boiler, frame, and running gear of No. 1385 during restoration in February 2010

Preservation[]

No. 1385 was retired in 1956 after a 49-year career and was used to thaw out ore cars during severe winters. The locomotive was then purchased by the Historical Society of Milwaukee in 1961 for $2600. The society purchased an abandoned line in North Freedom, Wisconsin, from the C&NW in 1963, moved No. 1385 there and the society changed its name to Mid-Continent Railway Museum.

The locomotive operated on the Mid-Continent’s tourist railroad since 1963, but from 1983 to 1995, No. 1385 was also used to operate mainline excursion trips on the CN&W. In 1985, the locomotive pulled the Circus World Museum’s train from Baraboo to Milwaukee.^[3] There were plans to operate No. 1385 all the way to Chicago, Illinois to take part in the 1993 National Railway Historical Society’s convention, which would have put it side by side with a few other steam stars, including Nickel Plate Road 2-8-2 No. 587 and Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 No. 3985 on the convention’s last day. However, Midwest flooding has gotten in the way between North-Freedom and Chicago. Thus, No. 1385 never participated in the convention.^[4]

After the Union Pacific purchased the C&NW in 1995, No. 1385 could no longer operate on the main line, since the UP has a policy against foreign steam locomotives. It has remained operational only for the Mid-Continent’s tourist railroad, until its flue ticket expired in 1998. As a locomotive that has turned 90 to 100 years old, no. 1385 has operated for so long with very little to no repairs, that running under its own power has taken its toll on the locomotive. It has sat idle at the Mid-Continent’s property for several years until 2011, when it was announced that No. 1385 would receive a complete rebuild for operational purposes.

As of 2021, the boiler has been completely replaced, the frame has been refurbished, and several of the smaller components, including the steam dome, the air compressors, the running gear, and the cab have been rebuilt and cleaned to meet up with FRA’s standards.^[5] It will likely be one more year before No. 1385 would be ready to be fired up again.^[6]

Historical significance[]

No. 1385 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 as Steam Locomotive #1385.^[1]

References[]