# Great Northern class H-5

The Great Northern H-5 was a class of 25 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotives that were originally built as E-14 4-6-0 "Ten Wheelers" by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1909 and operated by the Great Northern Railway until the mid-1950s.
The locomotives hauled passenger trains on the Great Northern mainline, such as the Empire Builder and the Oriental Limited.
Today, only one H-5 survives, No. 1355. It was retired in July 1955 and moved to the Milwaukee Road shops in Sioux City, Iowa where it still resides today.

## History

The class was originally built in 1909 as E-14 "Ten Wheelers", then, between October 6, 1921, and July 8, 1928, they have been rebuilt into H-5 "Pacifics" and hauled mainly passenger trains such as the Empire Builder and the Oriental Limited. The first ten were numbered 1486–1495, then renumbered 1350–1359. They were also converted from coal to oil and some were fitted with boosters that added 11,000 lbf (48.93 kN) of tractive effort. Later in their service life, they were reassigned to freight service, such as hauling iron ore on the Mesabi Range. As the railroad made a transition to diesel power, retirement started on September 13, 1950, and by August 25, 1955, all the H-5s have been retired.

## Preservation

Only one H-5 has been preserved, No. 1355. It was retired in July 1955 and put on display at the Milwaukee Road shops in Sioux City, Iowa, where it still resides today. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 as Great Northern Railway Steam Locomotive No. 1355 and Tender 1451. Furthermore, it is the sole surviving Great Northern "Pacific" type steam locomotive. In July 2024, it was announced that 1355 is undergoing restoration to operating condition.

## Roster

| Number | Baldwin serial number | Date built | Disposition | Notes |
| 1350 | | July 8, 1928 | Sold for scrap July 16, 1953. | |
| 1351 | | January 11, 1922 | Wrecked July 24, 1941, scrapped October 1941. | |
| 1352 | | October 6, 1921 | Sold for scrap July 16, 1953. | Received booster that added 11,000 lbs of tractive effort from the late 1920 to the mid-1930s. |
| 1353 | | November 14, 1921 | Sold for scrap July 16, 1953. | Received booster that added 11,000 lbs of tractive effort from the late 1920 to the mid-1930s. |
| 1354 | | March 20, 1922 | Sold for scrap April 26, 1952. | |
| 1355 | 33908 | May 29, 1924 | Retired July 1955, on display at the Milwaukee Road shops in Sioux City, Iowa. Undergoing restoration to operating condition. | Received booster, removed 1929. On the National Register of Historic Places |
| 1356 | | March 26, 1923 | Sold for scrap April 26, 1952. | Received booster that added 11,000 lbs of tractive effort from the late 1920 to the mid-1930s. |
| 1357 | | January 26, 1925 | Sold for scrap May 2, 1952. | |
| 1358 | | December 30, 1922 | Sold for scrap September 13, 1950. | |
| 1359 | | June 4, 1924 | Sold for scrap August 25, 1955. | |
| 1360 | | April 16, 1926 | Sold for scrap July 16, 1953. | |
| 1361 | 33989 | March 22, 1926 | Sold for scrap April 21, 1953. | |
| 1362 | | May 8, 1926 | Sold for scrap November 13, 1951. | |
| 1363 | | May 28, 1926 | Sold for scrap July 16, 1953. | Received booster that added 11,000 lbs of tractive effort from the late 1920 to the mid-1930s. |
| 1364 | | June 15, 1926 | Sold for scrap October 28, 1952. | |
| 1365 | | December 23, 1926 | Sold for scrap April 1, 1952 | |
| 1366 | | February 9, 1927 | Sold for scrap December 28, 1954. | |
| 1367 | | April 11, 1927 | Sold for scrap June 8, 1951. | |
| 1368 | | June 17, 1927 | Sold for scrap April 22, 1952. | |
| 1369 | | January 4, 1927 | Sold for scrap April 26, 1955. | |
| 1370 | | April 29, 1927 | Sold for scrap October 1, 1952. | |
| 1371 | 33884 | May 27, 1927 | Sold for scrap August 25, 1955. | |
| 1372 | 33886 | July 9, 1927 | Sold for scrap April 21, 1953. | |
| 1373 | 33841 | August 9, 1927 | Sold for scrap December 28, 1954. | |
| 1374 | | November 18, 1927 | Sold for scrap October 10, 1952. | |

## 1941 head-on collision

On July 24, 1941, No. 1351 was tasked to pull a regular three-car passenger train from Vancouver, British Columbia to Seattle, Washington, and en route, it was to travel over a single-track line shared by GN and the Canadian National (CN) in the Brunette Valley near New Westminster. The GN No. 1351 crew—consisting of engineer John Caray and fireman A. Hager—were new to their jobs at the time, and they were ordered to stop at a siding to wait for the second section of CN’s Transcontinental passenger train to pass before proceeding on the single-track, but when the first section of the Transcontinental passed, the engineer allegedly mistook it as the train they were supposed to wait for.
The train then proceeded too early and traversed onto the single-track at less than 25 miles per hour (40 km/h), and at 9:42 am, it collided head-on with the second section of the Transcontinental, led by CN 2-8-2 No. 3254. No. 1351’s tender telescoped into the mail car directly behind it, and while the locomotive remained upright, the H-5 was smashed up front, with the smokebox being torn from the boiler and the frame being cracked. John Caray was severely injured, as were No. 3254 engineer Herbert H. Mills and fireman Tillinger. A. Hager was killed upon impact, as was CN baggage man Harold H. Krinks, and twenty-one other passengers and crew members on both trains received minor injuries.
Many people arrived at the scene to help bring the injured passengers and crew to safety, and a second mainline had to be temporarily built to clear the wreckage. Following the accident, No. 1351 became the first H-5 to be retired, and it was scrapped in October 1941, after GN decided it was damaged beyond economical repair.