#1595

#1595. Illinois Terminal. The Illinois Terminal built 20 Class C elec tric interurban freight locomotives at their Decatur, IL shops, using trucks, traction motors and control equipment from retired passenger cars. These were needed as freight trains became heavier, and are a development of the older Class B locomotive, also on exhibit. It is 52' 5" long and weighs 160,000 lbs. The eight 75 HP traction motors used in its articulated four truck design could produce 1,500 HP for short periods of time. This design used two independent cast steel sub-frames that are each 20' 7" long and 9' 21/2" wide, and are ballasted with scrap steel and concrete. This gives it a (B-B)-(B-B) classification; two unconnected frames, each with twoswiveling trucks, and all axles powered. This design made it very flexible, able to make it very flexible, able to take 35' radius street trackage curves, and spread out all its weight, avoiding the need to replace light rail and existing bridges on the line. These locomotives could operate in multiple with each other as well as Class B locomotives. They ran on 600 volt DC power taken from an overhead wire via trolley poles. The columns with locomotive numbers on them at the ends are sandboxes. Sand could be dropped on the rails from them to improve traction. Donated in 1956 by the Illinois Terminal Road.