Equipment Information

Grand Trunk Western 6323 is the smallest of three 4-8-4 “Northerns” preserved at IRM. It was designed for passenger and express freight service between Chicago and Detroit and, during the 1950s, saw use on several famous railfan excursions that operated out of Detroit. It has a Vanderbilt style tender with a cylindrical, rather than squared off, water tank and is the only engine at IRM with a fully-enclosed “all weather” cab designed specifically for use in cold northern winters.

Builder: American Locomotive Company
Year Built: 1942
Builder Number: 69629
Wheel Arrangement: 4-8-4
Length: 96ft
Width: 10ft 11in
Height: 15ft 8in
Weight: 403000 lbs
Brakes: 6ET
Tractive Effort: 59034 lbs
Cylinders: 26×30
Boiler Pressure: 250 psi
Drivers: 73in
Description: Class U-3-b
Arrived: 1981
Condition: Complete / unrestored / not operational

Read more about the history of this engine in Rail & Wire #164

Ownership History
1942-1961 – Grand Trunk Western
1961-1981 – Privately owned, Detroit, MI
1981-present – Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL

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