Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad 5614 Steam Locomotive

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) 5614 Steam Locomotive is one of only four of its kind remaining in the country with a 4-8-4 wheel configuration. The CB&Q built it in 1937 in West Burlington, Iowa and used it for passenger and freight service. In all, the company built 36 of these locomotives and designated them as Class O-5. The 5614 is very large, weighing an impressive 288 tons (576,000 pounds) and is over 100-feet long, 10-feet wide and 16-feet tall. The CB&Q donated it to the city in 1962. It is on display in Patee Park underneath a protective canopy. The site includes two interpretive signs and samples of railroad tracks of different size.

The CB&Q was established in 1855 from its predecessor, the Aurora Branch Railroad, which was formed in 1848 and operated in northeastern Illinois. The CB&Q continued to grow in the coming decades, building lines all the way to Denver, a new line from Chicago to St. Paul, and acquired or built hundreds of branch lines. By 1901 the company owned 7,500 miles of track in Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kansas, Wyoming, Montana, Minnesota and North and South Dakota. It eventually operated tracks in northeastern New Mexico and Texas. By 1925, it owned more than 12,000 miles of track. In 1934, it introduced the Pioneer Zephyr, which was the country's first diesel-electric powered streamlined passenger train.

In the 1920s, demand for passenger rail service soared, prompting railroads to develop bigger and faster locomotives that could transport more passengers and train cars. In 1926, the American Locomotive Company developed the 4-8-4 wheel configuration, which refers to four leading truck wheels on two axles, eight powered driving wheels on four axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles. It enabled heavier locomotives to travel at higher speeds while maintaining stability.

The 5614 was retired from active service in 1957 and arrived in St. Joseph on April 27, 1962. By 2000, it was showing signs of wear and vandalism, and there was evidence of people living in the cab as well. Since then volunteers have helped maintain it but these efforts have been cosmetic only. In 2014, enough donations were collected to build the canopy. As for the other three CB&Q 4-8-4 locomotives, two are in Wyoming and one is in Colorado.

"C. B. & Q. 5614 Steam Locomotive." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed October 5, 2022. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=47491.

"Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 4-8-4 "Northern" Locomotives in the USA." Steam Locomotive. Accessed October 5, 2022. https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=4-8-4&railroad=cbq.

"Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company records." The Newberry Library, Chicago. Accessed October 5, 2022. https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/806.

Hall, Jennifer. "Community embraces the care of beloved train." News-Press. December 25, 2017. https://www.newspressnow.com/news/local_news/community-embraces-the-care-of-beloved-train/article_81420b32-d389-5689-aea7-179dc7c0ad06.html.