Chesapeake and Ohio class K-4


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 classes in North America along with the Pere Marquette Class N, and Nickel Plate Road Class S. 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.

Preserved Locomotives

  1. 2700 Dennison Railroad Depot Museum - Dennison, Ohio
  2. 2705 Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum - Baltimore, Maryland
  3. 2707 Illinois Railway Museum - Union, Illinois
  4. 2716 Kentucky Steam Heritage Center - Ravenna, Kentucky
  5. 2727 Museum of Transportation - St. Louis, Missouri
  6. 2732 Science Museum of Virginia - Richmond, Virginia
  7. 2736 National Railroad Museum - Green Bay, Wisconsin
  8. 2755 Chief Logan State Park - Logan, West Virginia
  9. 2756 Huntington Park - Newport News, Virginia
  10. 2760 Riverfront Park - Lynchburg, Virginia
  11. 2776 Eyman Park Dr - Washington Court House, Ohio
  12. 2789 Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum - North Judson, Indiana