The EMC E5 is a , A1A-A1A

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...

-hauling

diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is con ...

manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation, and its corporate successor,

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

Electro-Motive Division Electro-Motive Diesel (abbreviated EMD) is a brand of diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive products and diesel engines for the rail industry. Formerly a division of General Motors, EMD has been owned by Progress Rail since 2010. Electro-Motiv ...

(EMD) of

La Grange, Illinois La Grange ( ; often spelled LaGrange) is a village (United States)#Illinois, village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,321 at the 2020 census. History The area around La Grange was first s ...

. It was produced exclusively for the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest, Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of ...

(“The Burlington Route”), and its subsidiaries between 1940 and 1941. The E5 was distinguished from the otherwise very similar E3, E4 and E6 by being clad in polished

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

to match the Burlington's ''

Zephyr In European tradition, a zephyr is a light wind or a west wind, named after Zephyrus, the Greek god or personification of the west wind. Zephyr may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional characters * Zephyr (comics), in the Marvel Comics univers ...

'' trains. It also featured unique small grill-like ornamentation on both sides of the upper headlight. Like the other pre-war models in the E-series, the E5 had a sloping “slant nose” design and was equipped with two headlights—a regular stationary headlight below a gyrating Mars signal light. The E5 was the sixth model in the EMD E-unit series.

Engine and powertrain

The E5 was powered by twin 12-cylinder

prime mover Prime mover may refer to: Philosophy *Unmoved mover, a concept in Aristotle's writings Engineering * Prime mover (engine or motor), a machine that converts various other forms of energy (chemical, electrical, fluid pressure/flow, etc.) into ener ...

s, developing a total of at 800 rpm. Designed specifically for railroad locomotives, the mechanically aspirated, two-stroke, 45-degree V-type engine, with an bore by stroke, giving

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

per cylinder. This engine design remained in production until 1966. The E5 was originally intended to look very different with the cab section looking very similar to the

streamlined Streamlines, streaklines and pathlines are field lines in a fluid flow. They differ only when the flow changes with time, that is, when the flow is not steady flow, steady. Considering a velocity vector field in three-dimensional space in the f ...

diesel

passenger A passenger is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The vehicles may be bicycles, ...

trains A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

that the CB&Q was famous for. EMC E5 - Original Design

Power for the locomotive's traction was provided by two

direct-current Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or even ...

generators, one for each prime mover. This generators powered four

traction motor A traction motor is an electric motor used for propulsion of a vehicle, such as locomotives, electric vehicle, electric or hydrogen vehicles, or electric multiple unit trains. Traction (engineering), Traction motors are used in electrically powe ...

s, two on each truck, in an A1A-A1A arrangement. This truck design was used across all E units, as well as on the MP 7100 AA6, CB&Q 9908, and CRI&P AB6 power cars. Since 1939, EMC/EMD has manufactured all of its major components.Ross 2003, pp. 273-274.

Original owners

Locomotive details

Surviving example

Only one E5 unit of the original 16 built survives today. The last surviving EMD E5 diesel, CB&Q No. 9911A ''Silver Pilot'', is owned and operated by the

Illinois Railway Museum The Illinois Railway Museum (IRM, reporting mark IRMX) is the largest railroad museum in the United States. It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area at 7000 Olson Road in Union, Illinois, northwest of downtown Chicago. Overview ...

Union, Illinois Union is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 551 at the 2020 census. History A post office called Union has been in operation since 1852. The village was named for the federal union of the United States. ...

. The locomotive was last used on the

Fort Worth and Denver Railway The Fort Worth and Denver Railway , nicknamed "the Denver Road," was a Class I railroad, class I Rail transport in the United States, American railroad company that operated in the northern part of Texas from 1881 to 1982, and had a profound infl ...

(a CB&Q subsidiary) for the ''

Texas Zephyr The ''Texas Zephyr'' was a List of named passenger trains, named train, passenger train operated by the Colorado & Southern Railway and the Fort Worth & Denver Railway (both subsidiaries of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad). The train wa ...

.'' It is now paired with one of the Burlington's '' Nebraska Zephyrs'', a 5 car, articulated, stainless steel passenger train from 1936. This equipment has been featured in several film productions, including the 1992 movie ''

A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). It stars Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Ma ...

'' and the 2006 movie '' Flags of Our Fathers.'' E5 9911A ''Silver Pilot'' was used with 4 stainless steel passenger cars relettered to resemble the Zephyr train set. 9911 is equipped with dual horns, which is a Leslie A200-156 and a Leslie S2M.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * *

External links

IRM Roster: Chicago Burlington & Quincy 9911A

{{EMD cab and cowl Diesel–electric locomotives of the United States A1A-A1A locomotives E5 Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Passenger locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1940 Locomotives with cabless variants Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States Streamlined diesel locomotives Chicago, Burlington and Quincy locomotives