| Some gentlemen appear to be concerned about the running gear on Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad 4-6-4 Class S-4-A 4001 at Denver, Colorado on September 10, 1939, photograph by Jackson Thode, Chuck Zeiler collection. This is the second Aeolus (Keeper of the Winds, from Greek mythology), completed in February 1938 by CB&Q's West Burlington Shops. Baldwin supplied the boiler, and Commonwealth supplied the engine and tender beds, cylinders, trailing and tender trucks, and other castings. Construction began in the summer of 1937. The first Aeolus was equipped with an Elesco feedwater heater, but this locomotive was equipped with a Worthington type SA instead, allowing for larger intake vents on either side of the headlight, which also served to mimic the vents on the EMC EA diesels that the two Aeolus locomotives were designed to substitute for in the event of a diesel failure. The 4001 also had a fully enclosed cab, a Commonwealth pilot with retractable coupler, and all three drivers were of the Boxpok type. Number 4001 also featured an anti-climber around the pilot (later added to 4000) and hinged covers that covered the pilot steps, seen here in the open position. The stainless steel shrouds, which presented maintenance difficulties, came off in late 1941 or early 1942 with the delivery of the E5 diesels. This locomotive was retired and sold for scrap in October 1960. |