Invention and Engineering

Chicago and North Western 1385

Chicago and North Western 1385 is an R-1 class 4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" type steam locomotive owned by the Mid-Continent Railway Museum (MCRY). Built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in March 1907, the locomotive was one of 325 R-1s to be built for the Chicago and North Western Railway (CN&W) throughout the 1900s. The R-1s were among the most reliable classes of steam locomotives the C&NW rostered, and they could travel all across their network and serve various purposes, such as freight locomotives, passenger locomotives and switchers. No. 1385 was mainly used to pull freight trains until 1956, when it was retired from the C&NW's roster, but it was briefly used as a stationary boiler for a short period afterward. In 1961, the original members of the MCRY purchased No. 1385 for $2,600 scrap value, and the locomotive was moved to the museum's original location in Hillsboro, Wisconsin. In 1963, No. 1385 was moved again to the MCRY's current location in North Freedom, Wisconsin, and the R-1 locomotive began pulling tourist trains between North Freedom and the end of the MCRY's line at a disused quartzite quarry. In 1981, the C&NW was exploring public relations options before they reached an agreement with the MCRY to lease and operate No. 1385 for their steam program. The first train of the program, which was a promotion of the C&NW's rolling stock upgrades, took place in May 1982. From 1985 to 1987, No. 1385 pulled the Circus World Museum train between Baraboo and Milwaukee, for the annual circus parade events. By 1988, the C&NW's steam program was discontinued, due to liability insurance issues. No. 1385 continued to run on MCRY's trackage, and it also pulled some mainline excursion trains on other nearby railroads, such as the Wisconsin and Southern. In 1998, No. 1385 was removed from service, since it was due for boiler and running gear repairs. Repairs were subsequently halted, due to a lack of funding, and No. 1385 was stored while the MCRY focused on other priorities. In 2011, the MCRY began to perform a complete rebuild on No. 1385, using a portion of a matching grant the museum received. SPEC Machine was hired to perform most of the repairs on the locomotive. As of 2026, No. 1385's rebuild is nearly completed, and it is scheduled to return to service sometime within the year.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Doxorubicin
• ▸First Persian invasion of Greece
• ▸British Rail Class 21 (NBL)

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