Great Northern 1355

Great Northern Railway 1355 is a standard gauge steam railway locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1909 for the Great Northern Railway in the United States. It was built as a 4-6-0, Ten-Wheeler, type, but it had an extensive rebuild in 1924 when it became a 4-6-2, Pacific, type. During its career, it pulled both freight and passenger trains, including the Great Northern's crack Empire Builder and Oriental Limited.

Great Northern 1355
GN1355, displayed at Milwaukee Railroad Shop in Sioux City, Iowa
Type and origin Reference Data is for H-5, post 1924 Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 33908 Build date 1909 Total produced 25 Rebuild date 1924 2024–ongoing
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 1909: 4-6-0 1924: 4-6-2 Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) Leading dia. 36 in (914 mm) Driver dia. 73 in (1,854 mm) Trailing dia. 45 in (1,143 mm) Axle load 58,666 lb (26,610 kilograms; 26.610 metric tons) Adhesive weight 164,000 lb (74 t) Loco weight 271,800 lb (123 t) Tender weight 188,400 lb (85 t) Total weight 460,200 lb (209 t) Fuel type both coal and oil - four conversions Boiler pressure 200 psi (1 MPa) Cylinders 2 Cylinder size 23.5 in × 30 in (597 mm × 762 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 38,500 lbf (171 kN) Factor of adh. 4.26
Career Operators Great Northern Class 1909: E-14 1924: H-5 Number in class 25 Numbers 1909: 1020 1924: 1494 1926: 1355 Delivered October 16, 1909 First run November 19, 1909 Last run 1954 Retired 1955 Preserved July 1955 Current owner City of Sioux City, Iowa Disposition Undergoing restoration to operational condition Great Northern Railway Steam Locomotive No. 1355 and Tender 1451 U.S. National Register of Historic Places Location 3400 Sioux River Rd., Sioux City, Iowa Coordinates 42°31′45″N 96°28′36″W NRHP reference No. 04001352 Added to NRHP December 15, 2004

It was built as one of 25 class E14 Ten-Wheelers and passed its inspections at the GN's Dale Street Shops in St. Paul, Minnesota on November 19, 1909. It spent its first ten years near Hillyard, Washington and then in 1919, was sent to Spokane, both in passenger service.

On February 19, 1924, it returned to the Dale Street Shops for a major rebuild. It's not clear whether this was actually a rebuild or virtually a new engine. New parts included a Belpaire firebox, longer boiler, type A superheater, new solid leading wheels, a Delta trailing truck which made it a 4-6-2, new brakes, and one of its four conversions between oil and coal fuel. It left the shop on May 29 and was sent to the Willmar, Minnesota division for passenger work, reclassified as a class H-5.

The following January, it was back in the shop to receive a booster engine on its trailing truck. This was removed in 1929. It was renumbered again, to 1355, in April 1926 and converted from coal to oil. It was then dispatched to the Butte, Montana division, where it principally handled the Oriental Limited. It spent the last two years of its working life, 1953–55, hauling iron ore on the Mesabi Range until its retirement in 1955.

In late 1954, the city of Sioux City, Iowa asked the Great Northern for a steam locomotive. Sioux City was at very southern end of the GN's operations and in July 55, it was delivered to the city. In 1995, the locomotive was moved to the former Milwaukee Road Shops and Roundhouse, where it has undergone extensive cosmetic restoration.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 as Great Northern Railway Steam Locomotive No. 1355 and Tender 1451. On June 28, 2024, a worker said there were plans for 1355 to be restored to operational condition and run small excursions on museum trackage or possibly to Omaha, Nebraska. In July 2024, work has begun to restore 1355 to operating condition. When completed, the museum would receive a new fleet of passenger cars for the locomotive’s future excursions.