Chicago and North Western 1385 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Steam Locomotive #1385 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | E8948 Diamond Hill Rd., North Freedom, Wisconsin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 43°27′31″N 89°52′29″W / 43.45861°N 89.87472°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Area | less than one acre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NRHP reference No. | 00000524 [3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Added to NRHP | May 18, 2000 |
Chicago and North Western 1385 is an R-1 class 4-6-0 "ten-wheeler" steam locomotive owned by the Mid-Continent Railway Museum (MCRM). 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 Railroad (C&NW) throughout the 1900s. No. 1385 was mainly used to pull the C&NW's freight trains until 1956, when it was retired from revenue service.
In 1961, the original members of the MCRM 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 MCRM's current location in North Freedom, Wisconsin, and the R-1 locomotive began pulling tourist trains between North Freedom, and the end of the MCRM's line in Rattlesnake. In 1981, the C&NW was exploring public relations options before they reached an agreement with the MCRM to lease 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 (CWM) train between Baraboo and Milwaukee, for the annual circus parade events. In 1986, the C&NW's steam program was discontinued, due to liability insurance issues and a change of leadership. No. 1385 continued to run on MCRM's trackage, and it also pulled some mainline excursion trains on other nearby railroads, such as the Wisconsin and Southern (WSOR).
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 MCRM focused on other priorities. In 2011, the MCRM 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 2024, No. 1385’s rebuild is still ongoing.
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