CB&Q
#710
Lincoln, Nebraska |
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Chicago Burlington & Quincy locomotive #710, displayed in Lincoln's Historic Haymarket district beside Lincoln Station sits on home turf. -- or home rails in this case. A native of Nebraska, #710 was built in the Havelock Shops in 1901 as #31 for the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad (B&MR), a predessesor of the CB&Q (which is in turn a predessesor of today's BNSF rail line). The small locomotive, one of 24 sisters in the K-4 class, was later renumbered CB&Q #710, the name it wears today. |
For more than 50 years #710 remained in service for the B&MR and CB&Q. It had been built for the then high-speed passenger service with 72 inch driving wheels. In later years when heavier steel passenger cars replaced wooden ones, all K-4 class engines such as #710 were replaced by larger steam locomotives, sending the now out-dated engines into local and branch line service. They were fitted with smaller drivers (64-inch) for slower speeds and handling the heavier cars. |
CB&Q 710 as it appeared for many years displayed in Lincoln's Pioneers park. It almost didn't make it. With the advent of diesel, the steamer along with a number of other others stored in the CB&Q yards in Lincoln, was slated to meet the scrap heap in 1954. An attorney and a railfan, W. E. Haydon asked the Lincoln Division of the line if it would donate the engine to the city for display at Pioneers Park just outside of Lincoln. The answer was "no." But Haydon was undeterred. He then went to officials in Omaha. The answer was still the same. Finally he contacted the President of the "Q" himself, Harry C. Murphy, and stated his case for the loco's preservation. The CB&Q had strong ties to Lincoln since the road's establishment there in 1870, and the historical importance of keeping an engine that had been built here. The engine was pulled from the scrap line and cleaned-up at the roundhouse before being put on permant hilltop display in the park. #710 had beaten the odds and cheated certain doom. |
From 1955, #710 remained on display at Pioneers Park until 1990. Then it was time for another move again, one closer to "home". With much difficulty and delays (the flatbed trailer used for transportation sunk into the park's mud after the 78-ton engine and 17.5 ton tender were loaded) she was completely restored at Mt. Pleasent, Iowa at a cost of $100,000. Unofficially, #710 was in fit enough condition to be operational again, but there were no plans for this. By June, 1991 the good-as-new 4-6-0 was moved to Lincoln Station and dedicated as the centerpiece of Iron Horse Park. |
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CB&Q #710 - another shot at Lincoln, Nebraska, 2001 - T. Greuter Photo · |
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CB&Q 710 Tender - Lincoln, Nebraska - T. Greuter Photo · |
Preserved Steam Locomotives in Nebraska
No. | Class | F.M.Whyte | Gauge | Railroad Line | Location | Status | Notes | |
710 | K-4 | 4-6-0 | 4'-8.5" | CB&Q | Haymarket (9th&Q), Lincoln, NE | display | this page | |
719 | K-4 | 4-6-0 | 4'-8.5" | CB&Q | 18th Ave, Alliance, NE | display | ||
967 | K-10 | 4-6-0 | 4'-8.5" | CB&Q | Pioneer Village, Minden, NE | display | ||
1 | -- | 0-4-0T | 4'-8.5" | H&LB | Pioneer Village, Minden, NE | display | ||
2 | -- | 0-4-0T | 4'-8.5" | H&LB | Pioneer Village, Minden, NE | display | ||
69 | -- | 2-8-0 | 36" | NM (WP&Y) | Stuhr Museum, Grand Island, NE | stored | ||
437 | C-57 | 2-8-0 | 4'-8.5" | UP | Stuhr Museum, Grand Island, NE | display | photo | |
119 | -- | 4-4-0 | 30" | UP | Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, NE | operational | replica | |
407 | C-57 | 2-8-0 | 4'-8.5" | UP | Legion Park, Sidney, NE | display | ||
421 | C-57 | 2-8-0 | 4'-8.5" | UP | park (5th Street) Fairbury, NE | display | ||
423 | C-57 | 2-8-0 | 4'-8.5" | UP | park, Gering, NE | display | ||
480 | C-57 | 2-8-0 | 4'-8.5" | UP | Memorial Park, North Platte, NE | display | ||
481 | C-57 | 2-8-0 | 4'-8.5" | UP | 7th and 11th Streets, Kearney, NE | display | ||
485 | C-57 | 2-8-0 | 4'-8.5" | UP | Dawson Co. Museum, Lexington, NE | display | ||
561 | C-2 | 2-8-0 | 4'-8.5" | UP | Pawnee Park, Columbus, NE | display | ||
1243 | T-57 | 4-6-0 | 4'-8.5" | UP | Durham Western Heritage Museum, Omaha, NE | display | ||
3977 | 46644 | 4-6-6-4 | 4'-8.5" | UP | Cody Park, North Platte, NE | display | ||
4023 | 48842 | 4-8-8-4 | 4'-8.5" | UP | Kenefick Park (S airport), Omaha, NE | display | ||
6237 | -- | 2-8-0 | 4'-8.5" | UP | Hastings Museum, Hastings, NE | display |
395/104 | 395 | 0-6-2T | 30" | CFR | Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, NE | operational | ||
-- | -- | 0-4-0T | 4'-8.5" | Grand Rapids Gravel | Great Western Sugar Plant, Bayard, NE | stored | ||
-- | -- | 0-4-0T | 4'-8.5" | GWSCX | Great Western Sugar Plant, Bayard, NE | unknown | current location unknown | |
-- | -- | 0-4-0ST | 4'-8.5" | GWSCX | Mitchell, NE | display | ||
-- | -- | 0-4-0T | 4'-8.5" | GWSCX | Wood River, NE | stored |
Sources: |
Latest
update: Thursday, 13 November, 2003 |