The Locomotive 2747 was built in April 1926 at Transcona CNR shops (Originally the N.T.R) and was of 33 built there, it is a 2-8-0 Consolidation, and in May 1960 it was put on display in Kiwanis park here in Transcona. Last August it recieved a new paint job as the Midwestern Rail Association has neglected to take case of it, so Transcona Funeral Chapel is raising funds to build a permanent shelter around it, whereas before it just had a chain link fence, and hooligans would climb up in the cab and drink there. I think it is a great idea, and sense of our Railtown history as Transconians to preserve this engine for future generations to see, and get a small glimpse of what once was the “Glory Days”
What type of shelter? it should be completely enclosed, It seems you will find many beautiful steam locomotives rusting away in Canada, there is no priority to keep these artifacts covered and maintained, the worst example is the Selkirk 5900 in Calgary Alberta, even though it is sort of maintained it probably has passed the point of no return for major work to be done on it, what a shame, also what is the reason there are so few actual running steam locomotives in Canada?
Same reason why there are so few running steam locomotives running in the States. There are lots of other locomotives rusting away in parks down south. It is great that this one is getting a shelter, but it is in the minority. Every now and then, a locomotive from a park is restored, but not too often. The folks in Kamloops, BC did a great job with CN 2141, but it took a lot of time and money. I think the best you can hope for regarding 5931 is cosmetic up keep. The cost to restore something that big is hugely prohibitive, and even if you could get it running, there really isn’t anywhere to run it. Some call me a pessimist, I call it pragmatic realism.