Grand Trunk Western No. 5629 was a K-4-a class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in February 1924 for the Grand Trunk Western Railway. It was originally meant to be preserved for excursion service, but was tragically scrapped in July 1987 after a legal battle between Metra Commuter Rail and the locomotive's owner at the time, Richard Jensen.
History
Built as part of the K-4-a class of Pacific types for the GTW, No. 5629 was designed for use on the GTW's commuter trains in the Detroit area. In its later years of service on the GTW, the locomotive pulled numerous excursion trips hosted by local railroad clubs and the GTW.
Excursion Years
Retired in 1959, No. 5629 was placed in storage at Durand, MI. In 1960, it was sold to Richard Jensen of Chicago, IL for approximately $9,540.40, the scrap value of the locomotive at the time. No. 5629 was subsequently moved to a spur track in Hammond, IN that Jensen had rented from the Grand Trunk. There, Jensen and a group of local railfans worked to restore No. 5629 to operating condition for use on fan trips around the area.
Steamed up for the first time in October 1961, No. 5629 made its debut pulling a trip over the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad, for which it was painted in B&O colors. After pulling several more trips on the B&OCT, it was invited to run a trip over the GTW between Chicago and South Bend, IN in the summer of 1966. Shortly before the run, Richard Jensen traded its original tender to a local scrapyard in exchange for a larger tender from a Soo Line 4-8-2. The new tender allowed for more coal and water to be transported which meant the train did not have to stop as often to replenish its supply.
The first Grand Trunk Western trip proved to be a big success and over the next few years, No. 5629 lead many excursions over the GTW in Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. In 1967 and 1968, it traveled to Baraboo, WI to pull the Circus World Museum's Schlitz Circus Train.
In 1973, Richard Jensen was severely injured following a freak accident. Unable to run the locomotive, it was placed in storage at the Amtrak yard near Union Station in Chicago while Jensen was hospitalized. After he was released from the hospital, Jensen began planning another excursion trip, but it never happened due to financial troubles.
Scrapping
In the late 1970s, Jensen moved No. 5629 to the Rock Island Railroad's Burr Oak Yard in Blue Island, IL. Around this time, the Rock Island was on the verge of bankruptcy, and in March 1980, the railroad shut down for good. Burr Oak Yard was sold to Metra Commuter Rail of Chicago, who asked Jensen to relocate No. 5629 so they could build a new car shop where it stood. Metra told Jensen that he could move it to a nearby connection with the Iowa Interstate Railroad, but they would not provide any assistance in getting the locomotive moved. Unfortunately, Jensen discovered that the locomotive had been vandalized over the years to the point where it was unsafe to move. Dealing with his financial issues, Jensen decided to let Metra scrap his locomotive right where it stood and planned to file a lawsuit against them to gain enough money. Refusing to cooperate with Metra, Jensen took many parts off the locomotive and gave them to local railfans. Many of these pieces, including the bell and headlight, survive today in private collections around the country.
By late 1985, Metra had enough of Jensen's negligence and went to court, who replied that if Jensen could not cooperate then No. 5629 would have to be scrapped. Metra tried again by seizing ownership of the locomotive, but the court declined. The word of No. 5629's endangerment was spread through the local railfan community. Several groups, including the Illinois Railway Museum and the Mid-Continent Railway Museum, offered to purchase the locomotive. Metra even rooted for them, but Jensen declined their offers.
By July 1987, Metra had received a court order to scrap the locomotive right where it stood, and they reluctantly contracted with the Erman-Howell Division of the Luria Brothers Scrap Company to dispose of No 5629. Scrapping process began on July 14th and it was done by July 20th. After the scrapping had occurred, it was discovered that some of the vandalism done to the locomotive was done by Metra's own employees. As a result of this, nine employees were fired from Metra and Jensen filed a lawsuit but ultimately lost. After the incident, Jensen was strongly disliked by the railfan community until his death in 1991.
Today, the story of GTW No. 5629's ending stands as one of the biggest tragedies in steam locomotive preservation. However, two of No. 5629's sister locomotives, No. 5632 and fellow GTW 4-6-2 No. 5030 are both on static display in Michigan. However, in 2023, No. 5030 would be acquired by the Colebrookdale Railroad in Boyertown, PA for eventual restoration to operating condition for use in tourist excursion service.
Trivia
- The locomotive can be seen in Glory Machines Volume 2, Reflections of American Railroading, and Glory Machines of the Grand Trunk Western from Herron Rail Video.