Another Unique Locomotive (sort of)

The train on the front of this post card shows the “Rapido” passing through Dorian, Quebec on October 15, 1972. On the open track the “Rapido” will speed along at 90 miles per hour. This is Canadian National Railway’s train number 61. It is being pulled by a sister locomotive to the one that I wrote about last week. It is another FPA-4. The following was taken from this website; it is a series of newletters published by: Canadian Rail_no171_1965 - Exporail.org On the Montreal - Toronto line, the abolition of the "pool" was the signal for CN to take up the speed war where it was left off in 1932. Spearheaded by re-geared GM diesel units, instead of high-wheeled Hudsons, the "Rapido" was inaugurated by the Mayors of its terminal cities over closed-circuit TV with high CN officials in attendance. Champagne bottles were broken over the locomotive fronts (what a waste) and corsages were given to the passengers, along with other souvenirs, free photographs, menus, etc. The first "Rapido" trains consisted of three diesel units, three coaches, one dining car and two parlor cars, the latter having 2-and-l reclining seats. First and last cars carried the word "Rapido" in black on the white lower panel. The trains are scheduled in 4 hours, 59 minutes, with two brief stops to change engine crews at Brockville & Belleville Yard.

The post card was published by Audio Visual Designs out of Earlton, New York. The photo credit goes to Carl H Sturner.

Talk About Different!

The locomotive on the front of this post card is extremely unique. It is an FPA-4. What makes it unique is that this is a Canadian National Railway (CNR) locomotive and the FPA-4s were built exclusively for the CNR. It is pulling a train on a route that no longer operates.

This was part of a weekend service between Toronto and North Bay, Ontario. The route is 350 miles long. Today, VIA Rail operates passenger services in Canada and they no longer make this run. One must to to Sudbury and hope to make some sort of connection using other transportation to get to North Bay. A part of this train is a bullet-end observation car built in 1937 for Reading Railroad’s “Crusader”. It was then given to the CNR for their luxurious “Champlain” route between Montreal and Quebec City. This picture was taken in August of 1977. The information below was taken from this website: https://www.pwrs.ca/view_product.php?ProductID=157278 In 1940, General Electric (GE) and American Locomotive Co. (Alco) concluded a sales and marketing agreement to manufacture diesel locomotives under the Alco-GE label. While World War Two prevented immediate building, the Alco-GE planning efforts continued. In the 1940s, EMD's (General Motors’ locomotive division) success with their "FT" freight diesels drove Alco to develop their own streamlined freight locomotives. These diesels were developed around Alco's new turbo-charged "244" prime mover, GE electrical systems and AAR type B trucks. As a result, the first FA/FB set was delivered to the Gulf Mobile &Ohio Railroad in 1946. The 1500-h.p. FA1s and FB1s sold quickly, and were succeeded in 1950 by the up-powered FA2s and FB2s. Also in 1946, Alco delivered their first streamlined passenger diesels to the Santa Fe. These 2000 h.p. units in cab/booster configuration were later designated the PA/PB-1 type. Upgrades in 1950 resulted in the PA/PB-2 type. Some units were later rebuilt and popularly called PA/PB-4s. In 1950, Alco upgraded their specifications to DL-212 (cab) and DL-213 (booster). Since these units were designed for dual freight/passenger service. To accommodate steam generators, both units were lengthened, cabs to 53'6" and boosters to 52'8". These units were rated at 1500 h.p. The cab units were 51'6" long and the boosters were 50'6" long, leaving no room for steam generator equipment. All DL-208/209 units went to the Gulf Mobile & Ohio. Units built to later specifications (DL-208A/209A, DL-208B/209B and DL-208C/209C) were more widely distributed. Units with steam generators installed were designated FPA-2 and FPB-2. In 1951 through 1953, the Montreal Locomotive Works produced FA-2s and FB-2s under Alco specifications ME1600FA and ME1600FB. These were produced for Canadian National Railways and Canadian Pacific Railway in 1951-1953. Alco FA-2s and FB-2s built with steam generators installed were designated FPA-2 and FPB-2. Only the Missouri Pacific and some Mexican railroads had FP models built at the Schenectady plant. All other FPs were built by the Montreal Locomotive Works produced FA-2s and FB-2s under Alco specifications ME1600FA and ME1600FB. These were produced for Canadian National Railways, Canadian Pacific Railway, and National de Mexico in 1953-1955. Montreal Locomotive Works also produced the FPA-4 and FPB-4, under Alco specifications DL218 and DL219. Not only were the engines uprated to 1600 h.p., car bodies were stretched to 54'0" (cab) and 53'2" (booster). The locomotive on the front of this post card is one of those locomotives. They were produced exclusively for the CNR.

The post card was published by JBC Visuals out of Totonto. The photo credit is given to Ted Wickson.

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.