The Rock Island Class M-67 "Northerns" were two batches of large 4-8-4 "Northern" type Steam Locomotive delivered by the American Locomotive Company's Schenectady Works in 1944 and 1946 during and after World War II for both Freight and Passenger services, being the most modern units of the Northern fleet, they were the very last new Steam delivered to the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.
Rock Island #5114 in service during the early postwar era (Late 1940's to Early 1950's.)
Origins and Building[]
The 4-8-4 "Northern" perhaps is considered to be amongst the most well-known if not amongst most Modern steam locomotive designs ever to be built, many great Railroad companies owned impressive machines like these such as the Union Pacific, Chicago & North Western, Milwaukee Road, New York Central, Lackawanna Railroad, and Southern Pacific. But one great Notable example out of all American railroads that had the most was the Rock Island. Ever since the phenomenal debut of the R Class 4-8-4's in 1929, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad considered them the premier heavy Dual-service locomotives on the Road. With Sixty-Five R's on the Roster before 1931, the Northern proved to have been amongst the most Influential motive power developments the Railroad ever spawned. Despite being an early user of Diesel-Electric Power the Rock Island Railroad mainly focused on Steam throughout the 1930's as the great depression put most Steam locomotive orders to a halt. With the Railroad purchasing their latest batch of R's in 1930 no more 4-8-4's were to be built as there was more than enough on the Roster. However, all this would change as America entered World War II in December 1941 as the Rock Island Line like many other similar Railroads found themselves in need of more fast and heavy power during the War with up-to-date features and developments. By this point the Rock Island primarily focused on Dual-Service Steam and Switcher-grade Diesel-Electric's to contribute to the Company. After 1942 America's Railroads were highly contributing to the War effort and Steel for new locomotive designs were restricted along with New Diesel-Electric Freight/Passenger sets from the major Manufactures like ALCO-GE and EMD. With the Rock Island relying on Steam, the Company had to stick with existing designs than building a whole new one, with the increasing demands of Modern fast locomotive power by 1944, the Rock decided to build a whole new Locomotive based on an existing design rather than upgrading the decade-old Northerns using the 4-8-4-wheel arrangement. Beginning by late 1943, the American Locomotive Company's Schenectady Works received an order of Ten Heavy 4-8-4's based on the framing of a Lackawanna Pocono with 74" Drivers all of the Boxpok design, the Boiler of simple modern ALCO's like the Union Pacific FEF Series that also shared the same Boiler/dome design of the K-62 Class on the Delaware & Hudson. As these Ten new locomotives were completed at Schenectady, New York in May 1944, they were built as Oil Burners with giant Rectangular six-axle Tenders as they were delivered in June. These were the Largest and most Impressive Steam the Rock ever owned and were very good Locomotives as they were equipped with Timken roller bearings on Axles. Designed with 26" x 32" cylinders fed by slightly small 12" Piston valves, the had a relatively high Boiler pressure of 270 Lbs. with the Water heating fed by a modern Worthington heater on the Smokebox top in front of the stack with the main pump under the Running boards fed by exhaust Steam from the cylinders. They exerted 67,088 Lbs. of tractive effort with the Locomotive itself weighing 467,000 Lbs. with the full maximum weight with the Tender loaded boasting about 837,500 Lbs. Several months after the end of World War II in 1945, the Rock Island Railroad ordered Ten more units of the same design in late 1945 as the Diesel restrictions were still active. The second order of Ten were all built as Coal burners having the same statistics with Locomotive #5119 becoming the very last Steam Locomotive to be delivered to the Company in June 1946. Barely any differences between the two groups, these were the heaviest locomotives ever owned by the Company.
Revenue Service and Retirements in the early Diesel era[]
With the first batch being pressed into service by June 1944 and the second by July 1946, the R-67's were used in both Freight and Passenger services System-wide on the Rock Island Lines. Although not ideal units to be used on the Streamlined Rocket passenger trains, they were worthy for any load to be pulled. They were kept busy with they're regular roles on heavy Fast freight services south of Illinois all the way down to Oklahoma. During the War the R's teamed up with older 4-8-4's for use on Military trains during the War helping out with the War Effort. These Locomotives were well respected by Rock Island crews in every way shape perform although they didn't have as much Superheating space as the earlier 1929-1930 units did. Nevertheless, the Modern Northerns earned they're well-deserved reputation of being the most Modern Steam Locomotives ever owned by the Rock Island along with the addition of all Axles having Timken's and the Drivers having boxpok styled disc Wheels. In the late 1940's the R-67's were the prime mainline choice for a fast multi-purpose Locomotive as by this point the Rock Island was buying more Diesels to replace the older Steam Locomotives. As a grand total of Eighty-Five Northern type locomotives remained present after 1945, the Rock Island held the distinction of having more locomotives of this type than any other American Railroad. As the older R class 4-8-4's were starting to be Retired as early as 1950, all twenty late R-67's were still in service during 1952 when over half the Steam fleet on the RI were Retired along with most R's. Retirements came for the modern R-67's starting in July 1953 when they weren't even a decade old with the last of the fleet making they're final runs by September 1953 when the Rock Island officially Dieselized. However, not all were Retired right away that year, all remaining units were placed into Storage after September 1953. All except one of the R-67s were Cut up in April 1955 as #5103 was the only overall R to not be Scrapped by the Railroad as in December 1954 the unit was sold to the Commonwealth Edison Powerplant in Illinois where it was converted to a stationary Boiler for generating electricity. The unit only lasted for several years under second ownership and was likely Scrapped prior to 1960 as none of the Rock Island's magnificent 4-8-4's were saved for Preservation unfortunately. Today only a single Tender from R-67A Class #5000 (The first on the Road) was preserved as the largest remaining piece of a Rock Island R Class Locomotive as it is now used as a Water auxiliary tender for use behind Pere Marquette #1225 at the Steam Railroading Institute in Michigan.
Stock List[]
| Number | Builder | Year Built | Serial | Firing Method | Retired and Scrapped | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5100 | ALCO-Schenectady | April 1944 | 71945 | Oil | September 1953 | |
| 5101 | ALCO-Schenectady | April 1944 | 71946 | Oil | September 1953 | |
| 5102 | ALCO-Schenectady | April 1944 | 71947 | Oil | April 1955 | |
| 5103 | ALCO-Schenectady | April 1944 | 71948 | Oil | Unknown, likely gone by 1960. | Was sold to Commonwealth Edison as a powerplant boiler in December 1954.  Exact fate unknown. |
| 5104 | ALCO-Schenectady | April 1944 | 71949 | Oil | April 1955 | |
| 5105 | ALCO-Schenectady | May 1944 | 71950 | Oil | April 1955 | |
| 5106 | ALCO-Schenectady | May 1944 | 71951 | Oil | April 1955 | |
| 5107 | ALCO-Schenectady | May 1944 | 71952 | Oil | April 1955 | |
| 5108 | ALCO-Schenectady | May 1944 | 71953 | Oil | April 1955 | |
| 5109 | ALCO-Schenectady | May 1944 | 71954 | Oil | April 1955 | Involved in a Turntable Pit accident in Kansas City, KS. |
| 5110 | ALCO-Schenectady | January 1946 | 74366 | Coal | September 1953 | |
| 5111 | ALCO-Schenectady | January 1946 | 74367 | Coal | August 1953 | |
| 5112 | ALCO-Schenectady | April 1946 | 74368 | Coal | September 1953 | |
| 5113 | ALCO-Schenectady | April 1946 | 74369 | Coal | August 1953 | |
| 5114 | ALCO-Schenectady | May 1946 | 74370 | Coal | August 1953 | |
| 5115 | ALCO-Schenectady | May 1946 | 74371 | Coal | July 1953 | |
| 5116 | ALCO-Schenectady | May 1946 | 74372 | Coal | July 1953 | |
| 5117 | ALCO-Schenectady | May 1946 | 74373 | Coal | August 1953 | |
| 5118 | ALCO-Schenectady | May 1946 | 74374 | Coal | July 1953 | |
| 5119 | ALCO-Schenectady | June 1946 | 74375 | Coal | July 1953 | Was last new Steam delivered to the Rock Island Lines. |
Trivia[]
- The R-67s were the largest and last Steam Locomotives to be delivered to the RI and were amongst the most handsome of RI Motive Power. 
- The R-67s were built with Nickel-Alloy steel during and after World War II due to metal restrictions for the Increasing War effort during 1944 along with lighter side rods.
- As the last twenty of Northerns were added to the roster, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific had the largest overall quantity of 4-8-4's anywhere in the US. between 1929 and 1946 of Eighty-Five units altogether. 
- The Rock Island's R-67s were loosely based on the Missouri Pacific Lines' MP66A and B's during this period as it was based on existing designs as Railroads were prohibited from building all-new Steam locomotive designs and new Diesels. Milwaukee Road's S-3 class and Union Pacific's FEF series used a lot of the same parts such as Boiler tooling.
Related Locomotives[]
- Delaware & Hudson 4-8-4 Class K-62
- Milwaukee Road Class S-3
- Union Pacific Class FEF Series
- Lackawanna Q-4 Pocono
- Central of Georgia K Class
References[]
- Rock Island Steam Power (2002) by F. Wesley Krambeck, William D. Edson, and Jack W. Farrell.
- Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 4-8-4 "Northern" Locomotives in the USA. (https:/www.Steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=4-8-4&railroad=crip)