Chesapeake and Ohio class K-4

Specifications
Specifications
Configuration:;
• Whyte	2-8-4
• UIC	1′D2 h2
Gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.	69 in (1.753 m)
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	30 short tons (27 t)
Water cap.	21,000 US gal (79,000 L; 17,000 imp gal)
Firebox:
• Grate area	90.3 sq ft (8.39 m2)
Boiler pressure	245 lbf (1.09 kN)
Heating surface:
• Firebox	462 sq ft (42.9 m2)
• Total surface	4,773 sq ft (443.4 m2)
Superheater	1,932 sq ft (179.5 m2)
Cylinders	Two, outside
Cylinder size	26 in × 34 in (660 mm × 864 mm)
Valve gear	Baker

Type and origin
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	American Locomotive Company (70); Lima Locomotive Works (20);
Build date	1943–1947
Total produced	90

Chesapeake & Ohio K-4
Chesapeake & Ohio K-4
	K-4 class no. 2755 in Chief Logan State Park
Power type
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	American Locomotive Company (70); Lima Locomotive Works (20);
Build date	1943–1947
Total produced	90
Configuration:;
Specifications
Configuration:;
• Whyte	2-8-4
• UIC	1′D2 h2
Gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.	69 in (1.753 m)
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	30 short tons (27 t)
Water cap.	21,000 US gal (79,000 L; 17,000 imp gal)
Firebox:
• Grate area	90.3 sq ft (8.39 m2)
Boiler pressure	245 lbf (1.09 kN)
Heating surface:
• Firebox	462 sq ft (42.9 m2)
• Total surface	4,773 sq ft (443.4 m2)
Superheater	1,932 sq ft (179.5 m2)
Cylinders	Two, outside
Cylinder size	26 in × 34 in (660 mm × 864 mm)
Valve gear	Baker
Maximum speed
Performance figures
Maximum speed	70 Mph
Tractive effort	69,368 lbf (308.56 kN)
Factor of adh.	4.23
Operators
Career
Operators	Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Numbers	2700–2789
Nicknames	Kanawha
Retired	1952–1957
Preserved	12 (Nos. 2700, 2705, 2707, 2716, 2727, 2732, 2736, 2755, 2756, 2760, 2776, 2789) preserved, remainder scrapped
Disposition	No. 2716 undergoing restoration and remainder on display
	10 preserved built by ALCO and 2 preserved built by Lima

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's K-4 class were a group of ninety 2-8-4 steam locomotives purchased during and shortly after World War II. Unlike many other railroads in the United States, the C&O chose to nickname this class "Kanawha", after the river in West Virginia, rather than "Berkshire", after the region in New England.

Several examples survive today, including at the National Railroad Museum, Science Museum of Virginia, Chief Logan State Park, and B&O Railroad Museum.

Details

During the 1940s, the C&O K-4's were being built to haul heavy freight services and were used mostly for high speed freight and passenger services throughout the north-eastern regions of the United States and part of Ontario, Canada by the Pere Marquette Railway. C&O Class K-4s were one of the few recognizable 2-8-4 (Berkshires) classes in North America along with the Pere Marquette Class N (road numbers 1201-1239), and Nickel Plate Road Class S (road numbers 715-779). Both the PM Class N and NKP Class S were manufactured by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio. NKP 779 was the last standard-gauge Berkshire to be built in the world, and the last steam locomotive built by Lima Locomotive Works.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Class K-4 Kanawhas aren't the only 2-8-4 Berkshires of their size. Pere Marquette Nos. 1223 and 1225, and Nickel Plate Road Nos. 755, 757, 759, 763, 765, and 779 are other preserved examples of these workhorses.