Two Jasper Greats!

These two steam engines are both parked in the exact same location: they are on static display in Jasper, Alberta, Canada. The top post card is of the Canadian National Railway’s (CNR) 6060 and the bottom one is of the CNR’s 6015. They can both be in the same location because they were not there at the same time. The top post card, of the 6060, is older than the bottom post card. The 6060 was the very first of the U-1-f class locomotives. The wheel arrangement is 4-8-2. It was built in 1943. This was a time when iron and steel were at a premium because of the need during World War II. Therefore, this series of locomotives were built using less of those materials making them lighter (20 tons lighter than their predecessors). The result was a great performing class of steam engines that lasted longer between maintenance stops and could travel at higher speeds.

The 6060 was retired in 1959 and in 1962 set out on static display in Jasper, Alberta, an end point on the Edson Subdivision of the Canadian National Railway (Edmonton being at the other end 237.5 miles away).

But, that was not the end of the 6060’s life! It was a short ten years later that the CNR resurrected and restored the engine for passenger excursions around Toronto, Ontario. In 1980 the 6060 was presented as a gift to the people of Alberta to commemorate the province’s 75th anniversary. It is currently being cared for by the Rocky Mountain Rail Society. You can get to their website at www.6060.org

Some statistics of the 6060: Length with tender – 93 feet; Height – 15 feet 1½ inches; Diameter of drivers – 73 inches; Tractive effort – 52, 500 pounds with no booster. The cylinders are 24 inches in diameter with a stroke of 28 inches and the boiler pressure is 260 psi.

When the CNR removed the 6060 from Jasper, they replaced it with the 6015. It was built in1924 soon after the birth of the CNR by the Canadian Locomotive Company. It is classified as a U-1-a locomotive. It, too, has a wheel arrangement of 4-8-2; it is part of the first series of 16 Mountain type locomotives built to supply badly needed power. There were 21 locomotives built in 1924 – 25 as the second batch of motive power order by CNR. Five more were ordered in 1929 – 30 from the Canadian Locomotive Company and twelve were ordered from the Montreal Locomotive Works in the same time frame. The order for 20 more from the Montreal Locomotive Works was delivered in 1944. The 6060, above, was one of these.

Some statistics of the 6015: Length with tender – 90 feet 4 ¼ inches; Height – 15 feet 3 inches; Diameter of drivers – 73 inches; Tractive effort – 49, 590 pounds. The cylinders are 26 inches in diameter with a stroke of 30 inches and the boiler pressure is 210 psi.

Now about the publishers:

The top card was published by Harry Rowed, O’Neill and Associates, Ltd. Harry Rowed began his photographic career in Jasper in the late 1930's. Long leather bellows and a hood over the camera and his head; he captured the essence of what it is to be out in the mountains. He started a photography shop which flourished through the years. He took on a partner, Ray O'Neil, to handle the day to day "people" assignments so that he could continue his quest to capture the beauty of the mountains. For years, the team of Rowed and O'Neil produced the magnificent postcards and prints that drew tourists to the area. As the years wore on, Harry retired. The business passed to his partner, Ray O'Neil, and it continued under the name Rowed & O'Neil until the early eighties when the business of keeping alive the incredible work done by both of these men passed to Keith Allen. The card was printed in Canada by the Grant Mann Lithographers from Vancouver, British Columbia. The bottom card was published (distributed) by Alberta Color Productions, in Edmonton, Alberta. It was printed by Dexter Colour Canada. Thomas A. Dexter began Dexter Press, a one-man shop in Pearl River, New York, in 1920. With the production of the very first natural color post card in 1932, Tom Dexter established a tradition of innovation and craftsmanship that would be associated with the Dexter name for years to come. During that same time period, the Burney brothers, located in Aurora, Missouri, were quickly becoming one of the largest road map printers in the country. From their Midwest Map Company grew MWM Color Press. As with Dexter Press, MWM Color Press emphasized a commitment to excellence in printing. In 1980, the two companies combined forces to create MWM Dexter.