| Canadian National 6218 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 6218 with an Illinois Railroad Club Special at Dearborn Station in Chicago, Illinois, on November 20, 1966 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Canadian National 6218 is a 4-8-4 U-2-g Confederation built by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in 1942 for the Canadian National Railway. It became famous after it was brought back by CN for their Steam Excursion Program from 1964 to 1971. It is now on static display at the Fort Erie Railway Museum in Fort Erie, Ontario.
Built By the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in September 1942, No. 6218 was designed for pulling mainline passenger trains between Winnipeg and Halifax, Nova Scotia, for the Canadian National Railway (CN). [1] [2] The locomotive was one of 65 U-2-g/h “Confederation” locomotives that were built in the early-mid 1940s during World War II. [1] 6218 was eventually reassigned to pull freight and mail trains after diesel locomotives took over the high-priority passenger trains. After a mostly uneventful career with CN, 6218 was retired in 1960 after CN made a complete transition to diesel power. [1] [2]
After being retired, 6218 was put into storage inside a roundhouse. In 1964, No. 6218 was selected by CN to be used on their steam excursion program as a replacement for their previous locomotive, U-2-e class 4-8-4 6167. [3] [2] The 6218 was overhauled in the Stratford, Ontario, shops in November 1963, before the shops subsequently closed for good. [3] The 6218 was brought back under steam in 1964, and in September of that year, it performed a Double header with 6167 shortly before that engine’s retirement. [3] For the rest of the 1964 operational season, 6218 pulled fall-foliage trains sponsored by the Canadian Railroad Historical Association (CRHA). [4] The engine spent the next seven years famously pulling several excursion runs between Montreal, Ontario, and many other cities. During the rest of the engine’s new lease on life, the 6218 would have its smoke deflectors removed and reinstalled frequently. [3] The locomotive became even more famous in November 1968, when it pulled a few excursions on the Grand Trunk Western between Chicago, Illinois and South Bend, Indiana, sponsored by the Illinois Railroad Club. [3] As the constant boiler extensions for the 6218 continued to become shorter, though, CN decided to operate the final excursion trips to usher out what appeared to be the end of their steam fantrip program. In 1970, the 6218 pulled a series of fan trips that were dubbed “Countdown 6218”, as orchestrated by the Montreal-based St Lawrence Region Department of Public Relations. [5] On July 3 and 4, 1971, the 6218 performed its final runs between Belleville and Anson Junction. [6] After the final runs ended, No. 6218 was retired by CN, and it became replaced on the fantrip program by U-1-f 4-8-2 No. 6060. [3] [2]
After its retirement from excursion service, 6218 was put into storage. In 1972, the locomotive was donated to the Fort Erie Railway Museum in Fort Erie, Ontario, along with a Caboose. [2] [7] A second restoration was considered in 2010, but the cost was estimated to be around $429,000 at the time. [2] [7] Another restoration possibility was considered in 2017, as it was within several options that were explored to change the locomotive’s future. [8] However, the Fort Erie city council chose to keep the locomotive at the museum, and a cosmetic restoration would be performed, instead. [8] The locomotive remains on static display at the museum today. [2] [7]
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type was first used by the Northern Pacific Railway, and initially named the Northern Pacific, but railfans and railroad employees have shortened the name since its introduction. It is most-commonly known as a Northern.
Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer that existed under several names from 1883 to 1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For many years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomotive Company. MLW's headquarters and manufacturing facilities were in Montreal, Quebec.
The Royal Hudsons are a series of semi-streamlined 4-6-4 "Hudson" type steam locomotives formerly owned and operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and built by Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW). The engines were built in 1937. In 1939, King George VI allowed the CPR to use the term after Royal Hudson number 2850 transported the royal train across Canada with no need of replacement. These locomotives were in service between 1937 and 1960. Four of them have been preserved. No. 2839 was used to power excursions for the Southern Railway Steam Program between 1979 and 1980. No. 2860 was used for excursion service in British Columbia between 1974 and 1999, then again between 2006 and 2010.
The Rocky Mountain Rail Society (RMRS) is a registered nonprofit organization of volunteers dedicated to the preservation of Canadian National Railway steam locomotive 6060, The Spirit of Alberta. Their goal is to ensure that The Spirit of Alberta remains in full and complete operating condition for the enjoyment of steam rail fans.
Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions is a heritage railway originating in Stettler, Alberta.
The ALCO FA was a family of B-B diesel locomotives designed to haul freight trains. The locomotives were built by a partnership of ALCO and General Electric in Schenectady, New York, between January 1946 and May 1959. Designed by General Electric's Ray Patten, they were of a cab unit design; both cab-equipped lead FA and cabless booster FB models were built. A dual passenger-freight version, the FPA/FPB, was also offered. It was equipped with a steam generator for heating passenger cars.
The Confederation type is a steam locomotive with a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement used on Canadian railways. Most were built by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in Montreal, Quebec, and the Canadian Locomotive Company (CLC) in Kingston, Ontario, for the Canadian National Railway (CNR). The "Confederation" type was later given the more common designation "Northern" type. They were the backbone of the CNR locomotive fleet from the 1930s to the 1950s. Eight locomotives of this type have been preserved from the CNR and 2 CPR fleets.
Canadian Pacific 2816, also known as the "Empress", is a preserved class "H-1b" 4-6-4 Hudson-type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in December 1930 for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR); the only non-streamlined H1 Hudson to have survived into preservation.
Canadian National 6213 is a preserved 4-8-4 steam locomotive on static display in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Toronto Railway Museum (TRM) on the lands of the former CPR John St. Roundhouse. It was on active duty until 1959 and was donated by Canadian National Railway (CNR) to the City of Toronto government in 1960. It was on display at Exhibition Place until 2009 when it was moved to its current location.
The Waterloo Central Railway (WCR) is a non-profit heritage railway owned and operated by the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society (SOLRS). In May 2007, SOLRS received joint approval from the Region of Waterloo and the City of Waterloo to run trains from Waterloo to St. Jacobs and potentially as far north as Elmira. On a typical operating day, the train runs three times a day on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. In 2015, the railway lost regular running rights south of Northfield Drive to make way for the Ion light rail project. All Market Train service now runs between St. Jacobs Farmers' Market, the Village of St. Jacobs, and Elmira, Ontario.
Canadian National Railways U-1-f class locomotives were a class of twenty 4-8-2 or Mountain type locomotives built by Montreal Locomotive Works in 1944. They were numbered 6060–6079 by CN and nicknamed "Bullet Nose Bettys" due to their distinctive cone-shape smokebox door cover.
Canadian National 7312 is an 0-6-0 "Switcher" type steam locomotive originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in August 1908 for the Canadian National Railway. It is owned and in active restoration by the Strasburg Rail Road outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania.
Canadian National 7470 is a preserved class "O-18-a" 0-6-0 "Switcher" type steam locomotive at the Conway Scenic Railroad in North Conway, New Hampshire.
Grand Trunk Western No. 4070 is an S-3-a class 2-8-2 USRA Light Mikado steam locomotive, and it was originally built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in December 1918 for the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) as No. 474. It was later re-numbered to 3734 by the Grand Trunk Western (GTW), after the GTR was absorbed into Canadian National (CN). In the late 1950s, the locomotive received a larger tender from an S-3-c class locomotive, and it was further re-numbered to 4070.
Grand Trunk Western No. 6323 is a preserved class "U-3-b" 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive built by Alco in 1942. It served the Grand Trunk Western Railroad by pulling various heavy freight and passenger trains across the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and Northern Indiana. It became famous in later years for being the very last active steam locomotive to run on the GTW's trackage while still on the railroad's active list in 1961. After sitting in storage for several years in Detroit, No. 6323 was sold in 1981 to the Illinois Railway Museum, and since then, it has remained on static display in Union, Illinois.
Canadian National 6060 is a 4-8-2 "Mountain"-type steam locomotive built in 1944 by the Montreal Locomotive Works as the first of the U-1-f class for the Canadian National Railway (CN) in Canada. It was first assigned to haul passenger trains and eventually fast freight trains on the CN until its retirement in 1959. Three years later, CN engineer Harry R.J. Home purchased the locomotive for $1 and brought it to his hometown of Jasper, Alberta, where No. 6060 was put on display near the Jasper station.
Canadian National 1392 is a preserved 4-6-0 "ten-wheeler" type steam locomotive. It was built in 1913 by the Montreal Locomotive Works originally for the Canadian Northern Railway before it was absorbed into the Canadian National Railway. No. 1392 became famous in later years for pulling a plethora of small excursion trains throughout Western Canada. As of 2023, the locomotive is owned and operated by the Alberta Railway Museum and is based in Edmonton, Alberta.
Western Coal and Coke Company No. 1 is a preserved Canadian 4-6-0 "ten-wheeler" steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in 1913. It was originally built as part of a standard locomotive design with 1880's specifications, in order to help construct the Canadian National Transcontinental Railway. It was retired from revenue service in 1964, and it was subsequently purchased by the Mid-Continent Railway Museum, which subsequently used it to pull their tourist trains. As of 2023, it is undergoing restoration to operating condition.
Canadian National Railway No. 6400 is a preserved 4-8-4 “Confederation” or “Northern” type locomotive built in June 1936 for the Canadian National Railway (CNR).
