CO K-4 #2756 is on display in Huntington Park, Newport News, VA

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CO K-4 #2756, New port News, VA

#2756 is on display in Huntington Park in Newport News, VA. The 2-8-4 type, usually known as a "Berkshire", was named "Kanawha" on the Chesapeake & Ohio after the river that cut through the railroad's operational heartland in West Virginia.

The first forty K-4s were built by Alco in 1943-1944 (#2700-#2739). Ten more were built by Lima in 1945 (#2740-2749) and #2756 was one of another ten built by Lima in 1947 (#2750-2759). They operated over most of the C&O system and performed so well, handling heavy drag freight as well as fast passenger services, that the C&O eventually rostered ninety of them.

#2756 was donated to the City of Newport News, VA, in 1963.

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CO K-4 #2756, Newport NewsCO K-4 #2756, Newport News

Above #2756 is somewhat "embowered" by trees, hedges and borders, which makes it difficult to get good photos.

Twelve K-4s have survived. You can see #2705 on the B&O Museum Yard and Car Shop page of this website, #2716 on the Kentucky Railway Museum, #2707 on the Illinois Railway Museum Yard, #2727 on the St Louis Transportation Museum Train Sheds, #2736 on the National Railroad Museum and #2789 on the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum pages. #2700, #2732, #2755, #2760 and #2776 each have their own page.

CO K-4 #2756, Newport NewsCO K-4 #2756, Newport NewsCO K-4 #2756, Newport News

#2756 has an engine wheelbase of 42' and driver wheelbase of 18' 2½". The locomotive weighs 468,900 lbs, 293,210 lbs on its 69" drivers. With 26" x 34" cylinders, a 90 sq ft grate area, 462 sq ft firebox and a total heating surface of 6,705 sq ft, including 1,932 sq ft superheating, the K-4 operated at a boiler pressure of 245 psi delivering tractive effort of 69,368 lbs.

All engine axles were had roller bearings, and the trailing truck was fitted with a booster engine to aid traction starting with heavy loads and on heavy grades.

CO K-4 #2756, Newport News
CO K-4 #2756, Newport NewsCO K-4 #2756, Newport News
CO K-4 #2756, Newport News

#2756's over-sized box-type sand dome, its front end "frog's eyes"
number plates, pilot mounted headlight and low-slung General Steel Castings pilot give it a particularly Chesapeake & Ohio look.

These featured on most of the railroad's modern steam motive power.

CO K-4 #2756, Newport News

The tender is a cast steel water bottom design, weighing 390,000 lbs light with a capacity of 30 tons of coal and 21,000 gallons of water.

All the Chesapeake & Ohio K-4 tenders were fitted with two Buckeye Steel Casting Company six wheel tender truck sets.

CO K-4 #2756, Newport NewsCO K-4 #2756, Newport NewsCO K-4 #2756, Newport NewsCO K-4 #2756, Newport News
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