Canadian Pacific 1246

Last updated
Canadian Pacific 1246
Steamtown CP 1246 BrkwyMllsVT 10-24-81.JPG
CP No. 1246 at Brockway Mills in Rockingham, Vermont on October 24, 1981
Type and origin
Power type Steam
Builder Montreal Locomotive Works
Serial number74906
Build dateJune 1946
Specifications
Configuration:
   Whyte 4-6-2 "Pacific"
   UIC 2'C1'
Gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Leading dia. 33 in (838 mm)
Driver dia.70 in (1,778 mm)
Trailing dia. 45 in (1,143 mm)
Wheelbase:
  Drivers15 ft (4.6 m)
Length76 ft 4+18 in (23.3 m)
Height14 ft 10 in (4.5 m)
Axle load 50,333 lb (22,830.7 kg; 22.8 t)
Adhesive weight 151,000 lb (68,492.4 kg; 68.5 t)
Loco weight229,500 lb (104,099.4 kg; 104.1 t)
Tender weight191,000 lb (86,636.1 kg; 86.6 t)
Total weight420,500 lb (190,735.6 kg; 190.7 t)
Fuel type Coal
Fuel capacity28,000 lb (13,000 kg; 13 t)
Water cap.11,529 US gal (43,642 L; 9,600 imp gal)
Firebox:
  Grate area45.6 sq ft (4.24 m2)
Boiler pressure250 psi (1.72 MPa)
Heating surface:
  Firebox199 sq ft (18.5 m2)
  Total surface3,320 sq ft (308.4 m2)
Superheater:
  Heating area744 sq ft (69.1 m2)
Cylinders Two, outside
Cylinder size 20 in × 28 in (508 mm × 711 mm)
Valve gear Walschaerts
Performance figures
Tractive effort 34,000 lbf (151.2 kN)
Factor of adh. 4.44
Career
Operators Canadian Pacific Railway
Steamtown, U.S.A.
Green Mountain Railroad
Steamtown National Historic Site
Naugatuck Railroad
Class G5c
Number in class14 of 40
NumbersCP 1246
Rutland 82
DeliveredJune 29, 1946
First runJuly 1946
Last runMarch 1958
RetiredJune 15, 1958 (revenue service)
March 1986 (excursion service)
PreservedOctober 29, 1988
RestoredJune 1967 (1st restoration)
1996 (cosmetically)
Current owner Railroad Museum of New England
DispositionStored outdoors
References: [1] [2] [3]

Canadian Pacific 1246 is a preserved G5c class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works. In 1965, it became one of three G5 locomotives to be purchased by Steamtown, U.S.A. for excursion service. After operating in Scranton for a few years in the 1980s, No. 1246 was sold at an October 1988 auction to the Railroad Museum of New England with plans to restore and operate it, and it was initially put on static display. As of 2023, No. 1246 is stored at the Railroad Museum of New England.

Contents

History

Revenue service

No. 1246 was built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in Montreal, Quebec in June 1946. [3] It rolled out of the Shops on June 29, 1946 as the fourteenth member of the Canadian Pacific Railway's (CP) G5c class. It was initially assigned by the CP to operate in Alberta and Saskatchewan in Western Canada, and it travelled for 655,773 miles during its revenue career between July 1946 and March 1958. Despite having a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement, No. 1246 was primarily used for freight service, and records only show the locomotive hauling passengers for a combined total of thirteen months. The G5c was overhauled for the sixth and final time by the CP at Winnipeg, coming out of Weston Shops on June 15, 1958. However, the locomotive never operated for the CP again after the overhaul. [3]

Steamtown ownership

CP 1246 pulling a passenger train at Steamtown USA in Bellows Falls, Vermont, August 1970 Hugh llewelyn 1246 (5957249733).jpg
CP 1246 pulling a passenger train at Steamtown USA in Bellows Falls, Vermont, August 1970

After sitting idle for seven years, No. 1246 became one of three G5 class locomotives to be purchased in May 1965 for $8,200 by F. Nelson Blount for his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection. The other two G5s in the Steamtown collection were G5ds No. 1278 and No. 1293. No. 1246 was towed from one of the CP's scrap lines to North Walpole, New Hampshire for static display in Steamtown. In 1966, the locomotive was moved along with the rest of the collection to Bellows Falls, Vermont in order for the locomotives to be more spread out while on display. In June 1967, Canadian Pacific 1246 was transferred to the Green Mountain Railroad (GMRR) with the intention of restoring it to operate on their trackage. [4] The locomotive was restored in 1969, and it was modified with a visor headlight and a mounted bell above the smokebox, and it was given a nameplate with the lettering “F. Nelson Blount” to pay tribute to Blount's passing two years prior. [5] No. 1246 was used by the GMRR to pull multiple excursion trains between Bellows Falls and Chester alongside No. 1293, as well as Canadian National 2-6-0 No. 89 and Rahway Valley 2-8-0 No. 15.

When Steamtown and the GMRR went their separate ways, ownership of the locomotive was transferred back to Steamtown in August 1973, and its nameplate was removed. It subsequently accompanied No. 1278 to pull trains over the Vermont Railway between Bennington and Burlington. In December 1973, No. 1246 was temporarily relettered as Rutland No. 82, and it performed a doubleheader excursion to Rutland, Vermont with No. 1278, which masqueraded as Delaware and Hudson No. 653. [1] In the late 1970s, No. 1246 was painted in CP gray-blue and Tuscan red, a livery it never wore in revenue service. However, after falling victim to a roundhouse collapse in 1982, the locomotive was repaired with new flues, and it was painted black again with its visor headlight and mounted bell removed. In the fall of 1983, No. 1246 led the "farewell to Vermont" excursions alongside No. 1293 and G3c No. 2317. There were two 100-mile (160 km) excursions "through a landscape of covered bridges, rushing streams and scenic countryside". [2] The final train held a capacity of 800–1,000 passengers. [6]

Upon arrival in Scranton, Pennsylvania, No. 1246 began pulling excursion trains over the ex-Delaware, Lackawanna and Western (DLW) line between Scranton and Moscow. In March 1986, however, it was decided that No. 1246 was inadequate for service as it was deemed too light for the heavy grades and sharp curves of Steamtown's new trackage, and the locomotive's flue time was close to expiring. [7] When the National Park Service (NPS) purchased Steamtown, they reopened it as Steamtown National Historic Site, and No. 1246 was among five steam locomotives the NPS deemed inadequate for the collection. The locomotive was sold at Steamtown's final auction on October 29, 1988. [3]

Disposition

The new owner of No, 1246 was the Railroad Museum of New England (RMNE), who moved it to their leased location in Essex, Connecticut in April 1989. The RMNE purchased No. 1246 with the hopes of bringing it back to steam to operate at a new site. Although No. 1246 never operated on Valley Railroad's trackage, RMNE cosmetically restored it in 1996 for static display in Old Saybrook. [8] In 2008, the museum moved No. 1246 along with other rolling stock in their collection to Thomaston, Connecticut, a town where the Naugatuck Railroad currently operates. As of 2022, No. 1246 remains in outdoor storage in Thomaston. Long-term plans are for an operational restoration.

Surviving sister engines

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamtown National Historic Site</span> Railroad museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania

Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on 62.48 acres (25.3 ha) in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The museum is built around a working turntable and a roundhouse that are largely replications of the original DL&W facilities; the roundhouse, for example, was reconstructed from remnants of a 1932 structure. The site also features several original outbuildings dated between 1899 and 1902. All the buildings on the site are listed with the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Yard-Dickson Manufacturing Co. Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Mountain Railroad</span> Class III US railway

The Green Mountain Railroad is a class III railroad operating in Vermont. GMRC operates on tracks that had been owned by the Rutland Railroad and Boston and Maine Railroad. The railroad operates on a rail line between North Walpole, New Hampshire, and Rutland, Vermont. GMRC's corporate colors are green and yellow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific 2816</span> Preserved CP H1b class 4-6-4 locomotive

Canadian Pacific 2816, also known as the "Empress", is a preserved H1b class 4-6-4 "Hudson" type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in December 1930 for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). It is the only non-streamlined H1 Hudson to be preserved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian National 47</span> Preserved CN class X-10-a 4-6-4T locomotive

The Canadian National 47 is a preserved class "X-10-a"4-6-4T type tank locomotive located at Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. It is one of only three preserved CN 4-6-4Ts and is the only Baltic-type suburban tank locomotive remaining in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamtown, U.S.A.</span> Former museum in Vermont, United States

Steamtown, U.S.A., was a steam locomotive museum that ran steam excursions out of North Walpole, New Hampshire, and Bellows Falls, Vermont, from the 1960s to 1983. The museum was founded by millionaire seafood industrialist F. Nelson Blount. The non-profit Steamtown Foundation took over operations following his death in 1967. Because of Vermont's air quality regulations restricting steam excursions, declining visitor attendance, and disputes over the use of track, some pieces of the collection were relocated to Scranton, Pennsylvania in the mid-1980s and the rest were auctioned off. After the move, Steamtown continued to operate in Scranton but failed to attract the expected 200,000–400,000 visitors. Within two years the tourist attraction was facing bankruptcy, and more pieces of the collection were sold to pay off debt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific 1293</span> Preserved CP G5d class 4-6-2 locomotive

Canadian Pacific 1293 is a class "G5d" 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built in June 1948 by the Canadian Locomotive Company for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Built for passenger service, No. 1293 served an eight-year career until being replaced by diesel locomotives where it was then retired in 1959. Purchased in 1964 by F. Nelson Blount for use at his Steamtown site in Bellows Falls, Vermont, No. 1293 was easily restored to operation for hauling fan trips for the general public. 1293 was later sold to the Ohio Central Railroad in 1996 for tourist train service. Today, the locomotive is out on display at the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific 1278</span> Preserved CP G5d class 4-6-2 locomotive

Canadian Pacific 1278 is a G5d class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Canadian Locomotive Company for the Canadian Pacific Railway. After being retired from revenue service, the locomotive was purchased in 1965 by F. Nelson Blount for excursion trains at his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection. The locomotive was sold to Gettysburg Railroad in 1987, and it pulled excursion trains between Gettysburg and Biglerville, but it was subject to shoddy maintenance by inexperienced crews. The locomotive was retired from excursion service in 1995, after suffering a firebox explosion in June. As of 2024, the locomotive is on static display at the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois Central 790</span> Preserved 2-8-0 steam locomotive

Illinois Central No. 790 is a preserved 2-8-0 “Consolidation” steam locomotive, built by ALCO’s Cooke Works in 1903. In 1959, No. 790 was saved from scrap and purchased by Lou Keller, and he used it to pull excursion trains in Iowa. In 1965, the locomotive was sold to a New York businessman, who, in turn, sold it the following year to F. Nelson Blount, the founder of Steamtown, U.S.A.. As of 2024, No. 790 is on static display at Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Pacific 4012</span> Preserved American 4-8-8-4 locomotive

Union Pacific 4012 is one of eight preserved Union Pacific Big Boy locomotives. Built in November 1941 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York, No. 4012 was retired in 1962 and donated to Steamtown, U.S.A, in Bellows Falls, Vermont, and later moved to Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where it remains today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Age of Steam Roundhouse</span> Locomotive roundhouse museum in Sugarcreek, Ohio

The Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum, located in Sugarcreek, Ohio, United States, is a museum roundhouse housing steam and diesel locomotives, passenger cars and other vintage United States and Canadian railroad equipment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickel Plate Road 759</span> Preserved NKP S-2 class 2-8-4 locomotive

Nickel Plate Road 759 is a S-2 class 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built in 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio as a member of the S-2 class for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road". Built as a fast freight locomotive, No. 759 served the Nickel Plate until being retired in 1959 and placed into storage. In 1965, No. 759 was purchased by F. Nelson Blount for display in his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection in North Walpole, New Hampshire. The locomotive was restored to operating condition in 1967 by New York commodity broker Ross Rowland for use in hauling his Golden Spike Centennial Limited, a special commemorative train that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1969. Afterwards, No. 759 pulled numerous excursions for Ross Rowland and Steamtown until being retired once more and placed back on display in 1977. As of 2023, the locomotive remains on static display at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and sibling engine No. 765 continues to operate in mainline excursion service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific 2317</span> Preserved CP G3c class 4-6-2 locomotive

Canadian Pacific 2317 is a G-3c class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading 2124</span> Preserved American 4-8-4 locomotive (RDG class T-1)

Reading 2124 is a preserved T-1 class 4-8-4,"Northern" type steam locomotive that was built by the Reading Company (RDG) in January 1947, using parts from "I-10sa" class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotive No. 2024, which was originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in December 1924.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bessemer and Lake Erie 643</span> Preserved American 2-10-4 steam locomotive

Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad No. 643 is the sole survivor of the class H-1 2-10-4 "Texas type" steam locomotives built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1944 for the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad, primarily used for hauling heavy mainline freight trains in Pennsylvania and Ohio, until retirement in 1952. As of 2024, No. 643 is owned by the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Trunk Western 6039</span> Preserved GTW U-1-c class 4-8-2 locomotive

Grand Trunk Western No. 6039 is a preserved class "U-1-c" 4-8-2 "Mountain type" steam locomotive built in June 1925 by Baldwin. It served the Grand Trunk Western Railroad by pulling fast passenger and freight trains throughout the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, until the railroad decided to dieselize their locomotive fleet. During that time, it was leased to the Central Vermont Railway for freight service, only to become one of the very last steam locomotives to regularly operate in the state of Vermont. After being retired in the late 1950s, No. 6039 became one of the first steam locomotives to be owned by F. Nelson Blount, and it subsequently became part of his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection for static display. In 1984, the locomotive was moved along with every other locomotive in the Steamtown collection from Bellows Falls to Scranton, Pennsylvania, where the name would late be changed to Steamtown National Historic Site under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. As of 2023, No. 6039 remains on static display at Scranton with very meticulous cosmetic care.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific 1238</span> Preserved CP G5c class 4-6-2 locomotive

Canadian Pacific 1238 is a preserved G5c class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in June 1946. It was purchased by George Hart, who used it for excursion service in the 1960s. It was later sold to Jack Showalter, who operated it on his Allegany Central Railroad from the 1970s to the mid-1990s. In late December 2023, No. 1238 was purchased by the Waterloo Central Railway, and they have plans to restore the locomotive to operating condition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific 1286</span> Preserved CP G5d class 4-6-2 locomotive

Canadian Pacific 1286 is a preserved G5d class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built in 1948 by the Canadian Locomotive Company. It was sold to George Hart, who used it to pull excursion trains in the 1960s. It was eventually sold again to Jack Showalter, who operated it on his Allegany Central Railroad from the early 1970s to the late 1990s. As of 2023, No. 1286 is stored under private ownership at the Prairie Dog Central Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific 1201</span> Preserved 4-6-2 locomotive in Ottawa, Ontario

Canadian Pacific 1201 is a 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive. Built by the Canadian Pacific Railway's Angus shops in Montreal, Quebec, in June 1944, No. 1201 was used to pull passenger trains across Ontario and Quebec. After the Canadian Pacific removed the locomotive from service, the railway put the No. 1201 in storage at the Angus shops yard, and it was donated to the Canada Science and Technology Museum six years later. In 1973, No. 1201 was removed from the museum to be restored to operating condition. Subsequently, No. 1201 pulled a variety of excursion trains and participated in a variety of special events, such as the Canadian Pacific centennial of 1985 and the 1986 Steam Exposition. No. 1201 made its final run in the fall of 1990 and was returned Canada Science and Technology Museum for storage. As of 2023, No. 1201 is stored out of service at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. It is the oldest survivor of the Canadian Pacific's G5 class locomotives, and the last remaining locomotive of two prototypes of the class to be preserved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian National 5288</span> Canadian 4-6-2 locomotive preserved in the United States

Canadian National 5288 is a J-7-b class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built in June 1919 by the Montreal Locomotive Works, originally for the Canadian Government Railways (CGR) as No. 516 and later No. 5288 on the Canadian National Railway (CN). It was on display at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in Chattanooga, Tennessee. However, in April 2023, it was acquired by the Colebrookdale Railroad in Boyertown, Pennsylvania to be restored to operating condition for use in tourist excursion service.

References

  1. 1 2 Kyper, Frank (November–December 1995). "Nelson Blount's Steamtown". Locomotive & Railway Preservation. Pentrex. p. 38.
  2. 1 2 Van Gelder, Lawrence (September 25, 1983). "Steamtown's Autumn Outing is a Farewell". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Steamtown U.S.A. Bellows Falls, VT". www.steamlocomotive.com. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  4. "Green Mountain Railroad: Roster, Overview, History". American-Rails.com. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  5. "Steam Locomotive Information". www.steamlocomotive.info. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  6. |url=http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr2426.htm
  7. "Canadian Pacific 4-6-2 #1246 leading excursion train on Green Mountain Railroad (7)". cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  8. "Canadian Pacific 4-6-2 #1246". The GreatRails North American Railroad Photo Archive. Retrieved 2022-01-30.