Prairie Steam

These photographs of CN locomotives were taken on the Canadian prairies, probably in Manitoba. Unfortunately, the identities of all the photographers are not known. If anyone can fill in any information on the history of these locomotives, please contact the Web Manager.

CN 6077

[photo of 6077]

This photo was taken by Fred Sankoff as 6077 was leaving Portage la Prairie MB as 1-412 on 29 July 1959 at 12:45hrs. This negative is now in the Paterson-George collection. The photo is © copyright Al Paterson; no unauthorized use, please.

This locomotive was built as a coal burner by MLW in 1944. She was converted to oil in mid-1958. While originally employed mostly in Ontario, she was transferred to Western Canada at the time of conversion. She was one of the few "Bullet Nose Bettys" to retain her nose cone.

Locomotive 6077 was retired in early 1959 and is now on display in Capreol ON.

CN 3577

[photo of 3577]

This photo was possibly taken by Don Krofta in June 1959 somewhere between Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie MB — to be confirmed.

CN 4303

[photo of 4303]

Although not clear on this photograph, the wooden car behind the tender is marked "COOK CAR". Photo was probably taken in 1957 or 1958.

CN 6072

[photo of 6072]

This locomotive was built by MLW in November 1944. She was transferred to Winnipeg from Montreal in early 1955 and converted from coal to oil in October of that year. Her "bullet nose" nose cone was removed in 1956 because as with others in her class, it was causing maintenance problems. She was retired in late 1959 and scrapped in April 1960.

This photo was probably taken 1958 or 1959.

CN 1357

[photo of 1357]

This photo was probably taken sometime between July and September 1958. CN 1357 was overhauled in Stratford in July 1958 (boiler tested 3 July, released 9 July). She's pulling tender from scrapped 1359; note the tilted CN herald, a paint scheme that ceased about 1954. In June 1959 this locomotive was renumbered 1553 and finally retired in March 1960.

CN 6062

[photo of 6062]

CN 6062 was constructed by MLW in late 1944 and was initially employed in Ontario and Quebec. She was transferred to Winnipeg in early 1955 and converted to oil in December of that year. As with most others in her class, her nose cone was removed in late 1956. 6062 was possibly the last locomotive of her class to operate, recording a trip in April 1960. She was scapped in August 1961.

CN 6043 — last steam

[photo of 6043] [photo of 6043] [photo of 6043] [photo of 6043, year 2000]

On April 25 1960, CN 6043 was the power for passenger train 76 from The Pas to Winnipeg MB. This was the last time that a steam locomotive was used for a scheduled passenger train on CN.

The first photo (photographer unknown) above was taken some time before the last run. This photo probably shows 6043 heading south from Union Station in Winnipeg across the Assiniboine River. This is the direction a train would take (and still does take) when heading west out of Winnipeg on the main line.

The second photo (Hugh Allen, Winnipeg Tribune) was taken in approximately the same location but with 6043 pulling into Union Station on its last day of operation. It's travelling north (eastbound) at this point. The third photo (Hugh Allen, Winnipeg Tribune) is of 6043 at the station at the end of the last run. At this point it has pulled through the passenger shed and is somewhat north of the normal platform. Note the dome of the station in the upper left and the Hotel Fort Gary in the upper right. One wonders what is going through the minds of the people gathered on the platform.

Locomotive 6043 was constructed at the Canadian Locomotive Works in Kingston ON during September 1929 as part of a family of five (6042-6046), closely related to the U-1-e series 6047-6058. She was constructed as a coal burner but was converted to oil during 1944 and assigned to the Jasper-Kamloops run of trains 1, 2, 3, and 4, the Continental. With the onset of dieselization she was reassigned to Winnipeg and operated in the passenger pool. She ran mostly trains on ex-Canadian Northern lines to The Pas, Dauphin, Saskatoon, Regina, Port Arthur and Brandon. Her locomotive data card indicates she was retired on 21 April 1960 (before the date of the last run!?), as was a number of other 4-8-2s. She ran one excursion to Brandon and return during the summer of 1961 and donated to the City of Winnipeg in 1962.

Today, 6043 is preserved in Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg. She was originally in the open for appreciative children (young and old) to inspect, but is now behind a chainlink fence. The fourth photo was taken through the fence in late May 2000. Note how many parts have been stripped. A sad change from the first three photos!

CN 7395

[photo of 7395]

CN 7395 was built in 1920 by the Canadian Locomotive Company. It spent the last years of its life in western Canada and was retired on 10 January 1959. For more info on this locomotive and other CN 0-6-0 switchers, see CN Lines magazine, V10N1.

This photo was taken as 7395 heads south from the Union Station in Winnipeg towards Fort Rouge, sometime in the late 1950s.