CB&Q E5 9911B

CB&Q E5 9911B

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy - E5 9911A/B

In the 1930s, Electro-Motive boxcabs suffered from two problems that had also been plaguing CB&Q's shovelnose Zephyrs: 1) the position of the cabs left the crew vulnerable to serious injury or death in the event of a collision and, 2) the crew tended to suffer from a psychological phenomenon known as 'train nystagmus': crews would become mesmerized while watching the passing railroad ties from such as close position. This would often result in missed signals, stops, etc. Electro-Motive responded by introducing the E series of locomotives.

The E series relocated the cab to an elevated position above a prominent nose, and these modifications ran concurrent with a new frame design that allowed the body to become an integral part of the support structure: a concept already introduced for the first time on CB&Q's Pioneer Zephyr. The first E series locomotives were 12 EA/EB units purchased by the B&O in 1937. By 1940 EMD had produced the E1, E2, E3, E4 and were in the process of developing the E5 when CB&Q approached them to design an all stainless steel loco for their growing fleet of Budd stainless passenger cars. While one team of EMD engineers handled this new request, another went ahead and released the new locomotives (non-stainless steel) under the name E6.

CB&Q eventually purchased 11 E5 A units, and 5 B units, and these were used on a variety of routes. The E5s were some of the most distinctive passenger locomotives ever built, and saw service well into the late 1960s.

Only one E5 unit remains: the 9911A is located at the Illinois Railway Museum and is still in fine operational condition.

Author: Scott Struik

CB&Q E5 9911B
• $screenshot$.jpg 26.62KB
cb&q e5 9911b_art
cb&q e5 9911b_art_512.texture.txt 89 bytes
cb&q e5 9911b_art_512.tga 1.00MB
cb&q e5 9911b_art_icon.texture.txt 91 bytes
cb&q e5 9911b_art_icon.tga 32.04KB
cb&q e5 9911b_body
black-blacker.texture.txt 36 bytes
black-blacker.tga 3.04KB
black.texture.txt 28 bytes
black.tga 3.04KB
black2.texture.txt 29 bytes
black2.tga 3.04KB
brownmetal.texture.txt 33 bytes
brownmetal.tga 12.04KB
brownmetal2.texture.txt 34 bytes
brownmetal2.tga 12.04KB
cb&q e5 9911b_body.im 302.65KB
elevation.texture.txt 32 bytes
elevation.tga 1.50MB
env_glass.bmp 12.05KB
env_glass.texture.txt 32 bytes
env_metal.bmp 12.05KB
env_metal.texture.txt 32 bytes
env_metal2.tga 16.04KB
gray-dark.texture.txt 32 bytes
gray-dark.tga 3.04KB
gray-dark2.texture.txt 33 bytes
gray-dark2.tga 3.04KB
grey.texture.txt 27 bytes
grey.tga 12.04KB
light.bmp 3.05KB
red-light-light.texture.txt 49 bytes
red-light.tga 3.04KB
redlight-reflection.texture.txt 42 bytes
redlight-reflection.tga 3.04KB
temp.tga 30.91KB
window.texture.txt 29 bytes
window.tga 6.04KB
cb&q e5 9911b_shadow
black.texture.txt 28 bytes
black.tga 812 bytes
cb&q e5 9911b_shadow.im 23.56KB
• config.txt 4.13KB
• readme cb&q e5.txt 1.05KB