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CB&Q Steam Locoomotive Roster: Post 1900

Last revised: September 26, 2024

By: Adam Burns

The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q), often referred to as the Burlington, emerged as a significant force in American railroading history.

Officially incorporated in 1849 as the Aurora Branch Railroad, the line sought to establish a crucial link for agricultural and industrial products between Chicago and burgeoning markets to the west. By 1856, it had extended its reach to Burlington, Iowa, thereby earning its iconic name.

The CB&Q was instrumental in pushing the boundaries of railroad technology and infrastructure. Under the leadership of visionary presidents such as Charles Perkins, the railroad expanded aggressively and innovatively.

Its crowning achievement was the remarkable Zephyr streamliner, introduced in 1934, which set the standard for speed and efficiency in passenger travel and demonstrated the potential of diesel-electric locomotives.

The 20th century saw the CB&Q forming pivotal alliances and absorbing regional lines to solidify its vast network stretching to Denver, St. Louis, and the Twin Cities. This period also included its central role in the famed Burlington Route, fostering economic growth and urban development across the Midwest and beyond.

In 1970, the CB&Q became part of the Burlington Northern Railroad following a merger with three other major railroads. This event marked the end of its independent operations but cemented its legacy as a cornerstone of American transportation history, one that revolutionized the way goods and people moved across the heartland of the United States.

The CB&Q's nearly 9,000-mile network was largely concentrated in the Midwest.  As a result, in the modern steam era it predominanetly relied on 2-8-2s for freight assignments and 4-6-2s to lead passenger trains.

However, there were areas which would be classified as mountain railroading, notably its line to Billings, Montana as well as its legendary Deadwood Branch in South Dakota's Black Hills.  

The latter featured the Burlington's only articulated designs, 2-6-6-2s listed as Class T-1, T-1A, and T-2, for heavy drag service.  It also rostered a single 2-8-8-2, #4200, which worked hump service at the yard in Galesburg, Illinois.

The CB&Q also operated a group of heavy 2-10-2s, which either pulled coal trains in southern Illinois or were sent over to subsidiary Colorado & Southern.

The railroad's most well known engines were its dual service 4-8-4s, many of which were produced by the CB&Q's own shop forces in West Burlington.  Steam operations ended on the Burlington in the late 1950s although 4-8-4 #5632, along with 2-8-2 #4960, famously led fan trips west of Chicago until 1965. 

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 4-6-0 #637 (Class K-2) is seen here on September 2, 1956 hosting the Illini Railroad Club's "Triangle" fan trip. This excursion ran along the main line from Chicago Union Station-Aurora then south to Streator, Illinois; back to the main line at Zearing, Illinois, and finally back to Aurora/Chicago. The little Ten-Wheeler, with GP7 #235 assisting, handled the loop from Aurora-Streator-Zearing-Aurora while 4-6-4 #4000 powered the run between Aurora-Chicago. The Ten-Wheeler was manufactured by the Rogers Locomotive & Machine Works in November, 1892 and today is on display at the Illinois Railway Museum. American-Rails.com collection.

Switchers

Freight Locomotives

Articulated Designs

Passenger Locomotives

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 4-8-4 #5632 (Class O-5B) sits in a weed-covered siding while hosting excursions at Longmont, Colorado in August, 1963. American-Rails.com collection.

Dual Service

Sources

• Drury, George H. Guide To North American Steam Locomotives: Revised Edition. Waukesha: Kalmbach Books, 2015.

• Morrison, Tom. American Steam Locomotive In The Twentieth Century. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2019.

• Overton, Richard. Burlington Route: A History Of The Burlington Lines. New York:  Alfred A Knopf, Inc. 1965.

• Schafer, Mike. Classic American Railroads. Osceola: MBI Publishing, 1996.