Equipment Information

Chicago Burlington & Quincy 3007 is one of the fastest and most modern steam engines at IRM. It is one of only ten standard-gauge 4-6-4 Hudsons preserved in the country and was built for use hauling express passenger trains at high speed. For many years it was displayed in Quincy, Illinois and it was acquired by IRM in 1995.

FUN FACT: This engine spent most of the 1980s on display at a nature exhibit in Griggsville, Illinois. Griggsville bills itself as the “Purple Martin Capital of the Nation,” referring to the formerly endangered bird, and this locomotive headed up a (static) train of exhibit cars at a roadside attraction called Purple Martin Junction. The exhibit cars were all painted purple, but fortunately, 3007 retained its more dignified black paint.

COMPARE ME WITH: Chicago Rock Island & Pacific 938, an express passenger engine built 20 years earlier. CB&Q 3007 has a much larger firebox and boiler for generating more horsepower and tractive effort, meaning it can pull heavier trains faster.

Chicago Burlington & Quincy 3007 Details

Builder: Baldwin Locomotive Works
Year Built: 1930
Builder Number: 61528
Wheel Arrangement: 4-6-4
Length: 87ft
Width: 10ft 5in
Height: 16ft
Weight: 717930 lbs
Brakes: 6ET
Tractive Effort: 43000
Cylinders: 20×28
Boiler Pressure: 250 psi
Drivers: 78in
Description: Class S4
Arrived: 1995
Condition: Complete / cosmetically restored / not operational

Read more about the history of this engine in Rail & Wire #155

CB&Q 3007 Ownership History

1930-1961 – Chicago Burlington & Quincy
1961-1980 – City of Quincy, IL
1980-1988 – Purple Martin Junction, Griggsville, IL
1988-1995 – Atlantic & Pacific Railway, Atlantic, IA
1995-present – Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL

Click to return to Steam Engine roster
Click to return to main roster page