CB&Q Locomotive #915

Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy No. 915 is a class K- 4, 4-6-0 "Ten Wheeler" type steam locomotive, built as No. 44 in 1901 at the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad's Havelock, Nebraska, shops for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad where it worked as a freight locomotive. It is one of 14 K-4s which were built.

No. 44 was then renumbered No. 715 in the mass renumbering of locomotives in 1904 and finally to No. 915 in 1951. No. 915 was retired in December of 1957 and was donated to the City of Council Bluffs in 1965.

The designation 4-6-0 refers to the wheel arrangement: the front “truck” has 4 wheels on 2 axels; there are 6 “driver” wheels, connected by rods to the pistons; and no wheels (0) under the cab.

The Ten-wheeler is perhaps the only design to derive its name simply from the number of wheels it carries (ten) with a 4-6-0 arrangement.

The 4-6-0 was developed as early as the late 1840s first appearing on the Philadelphia & Reading. Their creation came about because of a need to increase adhesion, which allowed a single locomotive to haul heavier loads. Essentially an American design, the Ten-wheeler’s extra axle allowed for this increase in tractive effort.

For the first times in the railroad industry’s short history it now had a specialized locomotive that could be used for specific purposes, in this case hauling freight and passengers over steep grades. Today, you can find dozens and dozens of 4-6-0s preserved including several that are still operational. 

[https://www.american-rails.com/wheeler.html]

Havelock (Lincoln, NE) Burlington Shops

As early as 1888, the Burlington and Missouri River (B&MR) Railroad considered the establishment of shops to build and repair locomotives. With the Lancaster Land Company's gift of 300 acres of land and the railroad board's approval of $275,000 for initial construction, ground breaking in Havelock began in June 1890 for the initial building, a two-story double brick structure 400 x 130 feet with a glass roof. Later, a blacksmith's shop was built on the north and an 80 x 300 feet boiler shop was built on the west. By 1895 there were 400 men on the payroll. In 1904 the B&MR became the CB&Q Lines West. In 1909 there was a complete renovation of structures and five new projects valued at one $1 million were begun, including a trademark 200 foot concrete smokestack. The (modern) Havelock plant is still in operation, producing wheelsets for the BNSF.

[http://www.memories.nebraska.gov/cdm/ref/coll ection/opl/id/300]

(Page created by HSPC member Mark Chavez)