The five 2-8-2s of class Q-8A were the last steam engines purchased new by the Chicago & Alton. Originally numbered 885-889 in class L-4A, they become Nos. 4395-4399 in the Baltimore & Ohio reclassification. They were erected by ALCo's Schenectady works in 1921 and boasted a total locomotive weight of 270,000 pounds, being the heaviest of all Alton Route locomotives except for the two 2-6-6-2 Mallets operated for two decades by the Chicago & Alton. They had 63-inch drivers and cylinder dimensions of 25½x30 inches. Carrying 200 pounds per square inch of boiler pressure, they mustered 59,600 pounds of tractive force. They featured duplex stokers, and No. 4396 is shown here with the rare Young valve gear, driven off the crosshead instead of an eccentric crank. This photo, by an unknown photographer, comes from Gary Thompson's collection.