Here’s one for SD70M-2Dude: Fresh out of the shop. So fresh in fact the painter was concerned the varnish on the tender was not yet completely dry! Nevertheless, the shop foreman had the engine brought out for the photographer.
This was the last NAR steam engine to be outshopped. Six months later it was retired on September 30, 1960. Note: 2-8-0 74 continued in yard service until October 22, 1960. 73 was the last to be retired six days later.
Dunvegan, AB. April 7, 1960 Peter Cox
Have to admit that Elesco looks huge for the locomotive, but it is a Decapod! Funny how Decapods, a very old early design, lasted so long on several roads until the end, including the Pennsy.
Decapods had their following, reason being they could spread a lot of weight and tractive force out over light rail. Ever hear of the Russian Decapods built here in the US for the Czarist government in Russia during World War One? The Russians puchased them just for that reason. So if you were a 'road with light rail and needed something with more pulling power to use on that light rail a Dec wasn’t a bad choice.
Of course, the Pennsy Decapods were so big and heavy they’d have crushed everyone elses rail to powder, so why the Pennsy went the Decapod route is kind of a head-scratcher.
The Russian Decs that didn’t make it overseas due to the Bolshevik Revolution were sold at bargain-basement prices to several American 'roads, the Erie, Seaboard, and Frisco spring to mind. They were well-liked too.
I like Decapods, those ten-coupled drivers are just so cool!
Beautiful, simply beautiful Miningman! A class act right until the very end.
#73 shortly after being restored, and in her current, naked condition (she has been out of service since the late 1970s and her boiler would require a complete re-tubing to be made operational again):
NAR’s GMD1’s also ended up being rebuilt by CN, and I believe several are still in service. We also have one at the Museum, generously donated by CN several years ago.
3 of the 4 SD38-2’s are still in CN’s employ as well, and are most commonly found switching in Lloydminster. The fourth was sold to a American dealer and I am not sure what has become of it.
Those killed in the Carbondale crash and fire were the Agent and his family, who were all trapped inside the station when the flaming fuel engulfed it.
This scene shows the relationship between CNR and CPR which owned NAR 50/50.
NAR 301 short nose forward CNR 1068 (on lease/loan) long nose forward and NAR 304.
CPR 8102 one of three SW1200RS (8100-8102) equipped with controls to operate steam generator cars on NAR.
Dunvegan, Alberta 6/25/1961 Peter Cox
311 acq. 1/62 (ex CN 1072) unique GMD-1 Canada-only model. 1200 hp A-1-A GMD A1887 4/60
Edmonton 8/01/1977 Sam Beck Collection
Note: CNR was the only other road to order this model. Only NAR’s units were set up for short nose forward.
It ended up pretty battered at PRLX’s Waycross, GA, shop for a while, but it was rebuilt a couple years ago and is now back in Canada in shiny Cargill paint working in Nesbitt, MB as CRGX 604.
As one of the contibutors to that discussion over ten years ago, I don’t think that the NAR locomotives shared any characteristics with either the early Canadian built Ek or later standard Russian locomotives.
The NAR locomotives look like the CPR locomotives of the same wheel arrangement but I don’t know if they had any dimensions in common.
Good eye CSSHEGEWISCH —I had not noticed! It was being outshopped and it was rolled out for the photographer, even with still wet paint. Have to assume in this case one of the last steps is installing the side rods.
It only ran for 6 months after outshopping, but at least it did run in regular service, so the outshopping was completed.