Special Interest Equipment
This equipment represents the Museum's collection of significant cars and locomotives.
50 ton GE locomotive
Donated by LaFarge Edmonton in 2012
Used in switching duties at the cement plant in Clover Bar, AB
Used in switching duties at the cement plant in Clover Bar, AB
80 Ton GE locomotive
Alta Steel donation in 2012
GE Serial Number 30816
Used for switching duties at Alta Steel's plant in Edmonton.
GE Serial Number 30816
Used for switching duties at Alta Steel's plant in Edmonton.
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CN 4 (44 ton)
#4 was donated by Evraz International which purchased Camrose Pipe. Thanks to Barry Graham and Mike Howard, Director of Operations.
The locomotive arrived on Wednesday April 18 by truck. Upon inspection it appears to need batteries and some mechanical attention, but otherwise it is in great condition. #4 has Caterpillar engines.
It will, of course, need to be painted. The scheme chosen will be authentic.
Although many people think of the GE 44-ton as an industrial engine, it was actually designed for common-carrier service. The 1937 diesel agreement ruled that any engine weighing over 90,000 lbs required a fireman. The 44-tonner weighed in at 88,000 lbs, just under the limit. Industrial roads had no such restrictions and could run as big a locomotive as they wished without a fireman.
385 of these locomotives were built starting in 1940, with 9 going to Canada and 5 to Mexico. Of interest are 7 units that went to Uruguay, 3 wide gauge units that went to India for a dam project, 2 units that went to Trinidad, 9 that went to various sugar plantations in Cuba and 5 that went to the Arabian-American Oil Company in Saudi Arabia. 239 of these locomotives went to Class I railroads.
They were built in 11 phases with slight changes being made with each phase. A little over 90% of these engines were built with two Model D17000 Caterpillar V8 power plants. Other prime movers included the Hercules DFXD 6 cylinder; the Buda 6DH1742 and the Caterpillar 342 6-cylinder. The first GE 44-tonner was delivered on 4 September 1940, carried s/n #12908, and went to the CB&Q as their 9103. The last was delivered to the Dansville & Mt. Morris in Dansville, NY as their 1 on 19 October 1956 and carried s/n #32664. ....Dave Muma
The locomotive arrived on Wednesday April 18 by truck. Upon inspection it appears to need batteries and some mechanical attention, but otherwise it is in great condition. #4 has Caterpillar engines.
It will, of course, need to be painted. The scheme chosen will be authentic.
Although many people think of the GE 44-ton as an industrial engine, it was actually designed for common-carrier service. The 1937 diesel agreement ruled that any engine weighing over 90,000 lbs required a fireman. The 44-tonner weighed in at 88,000 lbs, just under the limit. Industrial roads had no such restrictions and could run as big a locomotive as they wished without a fireman.
385 of these locomotives were built starting in 1940, with 9 going to Canada and 5 to Mexico. Of interest are 7 units that went to Uruguay, 3 wide gauge units that went to India for a dam project, 2 units that went to Trinidad, 9 that went to various sugar plantations in Cuba and 5 that went to the Arabian-American Oil Company in Saudi Arabia. 239 of these locomotives went to Class I railroads.
They were built in 11 phases with slight changes being made with each phase. A little over 90% of these engines were built with two Model D17000 Caterpillar V8 power plants. Other prime movers included the Hercules DFXD 6 cylinder; the Buda 6DH1742 and the Caterpillar 342 6-cylinder. The first GE 44-tonner was delivered on 4 September 1940, carried s/n #12908, and went to the CB&Q as their 9103. The last was delivered to the Dansville & Mt. Morris in Dansville, NY as their 1 on 19 October 1956 and carried s/n #32664. ....Dave Muma
9000 Locomotive
Specifications:
Model: F3
Length: 50 ft. 8 in.
Height: 15 feet
Tractive effort: 40%
Continuous tractive effort: 44,000 lbs.
Power: 1,500 hp
Engine: EMD 567-B, V-16
Gear Ratio: 62:25
Cooling water capacity: 192 gallons
Lubrication oil capacity: 166 gallons
Sand storage: 16 cubic feet
Class: CN V-I-A-a, later CN GFA-15a
Fuel capacity: 1,000 gallons
Maximum speed: 65 mph
Serial number: 5888
Built: May, 1948
Donated by CN in 1970.
CN9000, the Museum's "signature" locomotive, is a diesel-electric: the diesel engine drives a generator which produces electricity for the electric motors mounted on each of the axles.
9000 is historically significant because it was the first production road freight locomotive built for a Canadian railway. Although CN was a pioneer in some diesel-electric road locomotives in the late 1920s, all the production diesels owned by CN prior to 9000 were used in yard service, including our own switcher, 7944.
In May and June of 1947, the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in LaGrange, Illinois sent an F3 A-B-A set north to demonstrate the advantages of diesel-electric locomotives. Pleased with their performance, CNR ordered two A-B-A sets of their own. 9000 was built in May, 1948 as part of that order for six locomotives. This was the "beginning of the end" for steam locomotives, although it would be another decade before steam totally disappeared from active service.
Model: F3
Length: 50 ft. 8 in.
Height: 15 feet
Tractive effort: 40%
Continuous tractive effort: 44,000 lbs.
Power: 1,500 hp
Engine: EMD 567-B, V-16
Gear Ratio: 62:25
Cooling water capacity: 192 gallons
Lubrication oil capacity: 166 gallons
Sand storage: 16 cubic feet
Class: CN V-I-A-a, later CN GFA-15a
Fuel capacity: 1,000 gallons
Maximum speed: 65 mph
Serial number: 5888
Built: May, 1948
Donated by CN in 1970.
CN9000, the Museum's "signature" locomotive, is a diesel-electric: the diesel engine drives a generator which produces electricity for the electric motors mounted on each of the axles.
9000 is historically significant because it was the first production road freight locomotive built for a Canadian railway. Although CN was a pioneer in some diesel-electric road locomotives in the late 1920s, all the production diesels owned by CN prior to 9000 were used in yard service, including our own switcher, 7944.
In May and June of 1947, the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in LaGrange, Illinois sent an F3 A-B-A set north to demonstrate the advantages of diesel-electric locomotives. Pleased with their performance, CNR ordered two A-B-A sets of their own. 9000 was built in May, 1948 as part of that order for six locomotives. This was the "beginning of the end" for steam locomotives, although it would be another decade before steam totally disappeared from active service.
Picture at right: CN 9000 in Chicago, Ill. 02-Aug-70. Photo by O. Leander. Image courtesy anonymous donor.
The two F3 A-B-A sets ordered by the CNR each consisted of three locomotives, 2 "A" units with control cabs, and a "B" unit without. CNR's two sets were numbered 9000-9001-9002 and 9003-9004-9005. 9001 and 9004 were the cabless units. CNR's six F3's were the only ones owned by a Canadian railway. These six locomotives were ordered for, and normally used only in freight service, although they did occasionally get assigned to passenger trains.
EMD built 1,807 F3's (1,111 A's and 696 B's). Of that number, less than ten survive today, and most of those have been heavily modified over the years
Unit 9000 logged 2.5 million miles in revenue service from 1948 until its retirement from CN in October 1971. Locomotive 9000 spent a good portion of its productive service working out of Calder (now Walker) Yard in Edmonton, Alberta, especially during its last few years.
Thanks to support from the Alberta Museums Association, Acklands-Grainger Limited, LaFarge Construction Materials, DuPont Canada, Crystal Glass, Trimline (Stony Plain), Master Blasters, Canadian Railserv and PMP Productions, 9000 was sandblasted and repainted in 1996. The locomotive ran under its own power on Central Western Railway for a shooting of the movie "In Cold Blood" in July 1996.
Both of the original Canadian National F3B units have been scrapped, but an F3B replacement is being sought so that an A-B pair can be displayed.
The museum's 9000 is the second Canadian National Railways locomotive to bear that number. An historic picture of the first 9000 in service can be found at the Canadian Museum Of Science and Technology website.
The first 9000 has a fascinating history. It was used on an armoured train that operated on the west coast during the Second World War. 9000:1 was camouflaged to look like a boxcar. It pulled a series of flat cars and boxcars that contained guns and ammunition that were intended to fight off an attack from Japanese submarines which were reputed to be patrolling the coastal waters. 9000:1 was scrapped after the war.
The two F3 A-B-A sets ordered by the CNR each consisted of three locomotives, 2 "A" units with control cabs, and a "B" unit without. CNR's two sets were numbered 9000-9001-9002 and 9003-9004-9005. 9001 and 9004 were the cabless units. CNR's six F3's were the only ones owned by a Canadian railway. These six locomotives were ordered for, and normally used only in freight service, although they did occasionally get assigned to passenger trains.
EMD built 1,807 F3's (1,111 A's and 696 B's). Of that number, less than ten survive today, and most of those have been heavily modified over the years
Unit 9000 logged 2.5 million miles in revenue service from 1948 until its retirement from CN in October 1971. Locomotive 9000 spent a good portion of its productive service working out of Calder (now Walker) Yard in Edmonton, Alberta, especially during its last few years.
Thanks to support from the Alberta Museums Association, Acklands-Grainger Limited, LaFarge Construction Materials, DuPont Canada, Crystal Glass, Trimline (Stony Plain), Master Blasters, Canadian Railserv and PMP Productions, 9000 was sandblasted and repainted in 1996. The locomotive ran under its own power on Central Western Railway for a shooting of the movie "In Cold Blood" in July 1996.
Both of the original Canadian National F3B units have been scrapped, but an F3B replacement is being sought so that an A-B pair can be displayed.
The museum's 9000 is the second Canadian National Railways locomotive to bear that number. An historic picture of the first 9000 in service can be found at the Canadian Museum Of Science and Technology website.
The first 9000 has a fascinating history. It was used on an armoured train that operated on the west coast during the Second World War. 9000:1 was camouflaged to look like a boxcar. It pulled a series of flat cars and boxcars that contained guns and ammunition that were intended to fight off an attack from Japanese submarines which were reputed to be patrolling the coastal waters. 9000:1 was scrapped after the war.
7944 Locomotive
Specifications:
Class: CN Class GS10A
Model: GM model NW-2, Diesel Electric
Built: November, 1946
Serial: 4115
Weight: 125 tons
Height: 14 ft. 6.25 in.
Length: 44 ft. 5 in.
Horsepower: 1,000
Fuel Capacity: 500 gallons
Top Speed: 65 mph.
This locomotive was used to shunt or switch cars around the railway yard. Built in 1946, it was retired in 1976 after it was discovered that it had several engine problems, including a warped engine block. About eight Association members worked hard on it through the winter of 1987-88 and at midnight, May 11, 1988, Locomotive 7944 roared to life with a blast of black smoke and then settled down to purr like a kitten. The locomotive was donated by CN in 1977 and painted in the modern Canadian National paint scheme.
A historic photo of 7944 in service is posted at the Canadian Museum of Science and Technology's website.
Class: CN Class GS10A
Model: GM model NW-2, Diesel Electric
Built: November, 1946
Serial: 4115
Weight: 125 tons
Height: 14 ft. 6.25 in.
Length: 44 ft. 5 in.
Horsepower: 1,000
Fuel Capacity: 500 gallons
Top Speed: 65 mph.
This locomotive was used to shunt or switch cars around the railway yard. Built in 1946, it was retired in 1976 after it was discovered that it had several engine problems, including a warped engine block. About eight Association members worked hard on it through the winter of 1987-88 and at midnight, May 11, 1988, Locomotive 7944 roared to life with a blast of black smoke and then settled down to purr like a kitten. The locomotive was donated by CN in 1977 and painted in the modern Canadian National paint scheme.
A historic photo of 7944 in service is posted at the Canadian Museum of Science and Technology's website.
17106 Combine
The origin of this car is somewhat obscure. It was constructed in 1900. The Alberta & Great Waterways Railway purchased it from the railway car dealer Hotchkiss Blue Co. of Chicago Ill. in 1917. Car 17106 is the only remaining passenger car from the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway. 17106 had been used as a parts car and was filled with surplus parts and equipment. The Quonset Hut on the back of the property has been refurbished with packed gravel and shelving so 17106 has been partially unloaded in preparation for repair and restoration. It has gone into "Dunvegan" shop after one of the cars in there is taken out and put on display.
Combine #17106 has had a temporary roof repair and the sides have been scraped and primed to protect it from the weather. After this picture was taken several years ago, 17106 was put under a tarpaulin to protect it.It weighs 110,000 lb. and is 70 ft. 10 in. in length.It was donated by CN in 1983.
Combine #17106 has had a temporary roof repair and the sides have been scraped and primed to protect it from the weather. After this picture was taken several years ago, 17106 was put under a tarpaulin to protect it.It weighs 110,000 lb. and is 70 ft. 10 in. in length.It was donated by CN in 1983.
Entering service on the A&GW as combine #1650 it may have been used on the Lacombe and Northwestern Railway. After amalgamation it became NAR combine #1650. Converted to NAR work equipment as Auxiliary Tool Combine #17106, it is now used for storage of spare parts and supplies.
15029 Rule Instruction
This car was originally built as sleeping car "VILLE MARIE" in 1916, by the National Steel Car Corporation as #1520, a 10 section 2 drawing room car for the Canadian Government Railway.
For more information about rule instruction cars and about 15029, see the feature article.
For more information about rule instruction cars and about 15029, see the feature article.
55245 Snowplow
An all-steel plow with wing elevators and flangers, equipped with ice diggers, this plow was built by the Russell Car and Snowplow Co. of Ridgway, Pennsylvania for the Northern Alberta Railways. The NAR received it on August 13, 1952 and designated it as #16531. After amalgamation it was numbered by Canadian National as #55245. It was donated by Canadian National Railways in 1993. It requires paint and the installation of gauges and some fittings - otherwise it is complete.
When in operation, the snowplow is pushed by several locomotives, depending on the snow conditions and the amount of drifting. As the plow train moves, often at speeds of up to 40 miles an hour, the engineer on the lead locomotive is unable to see the track ahead because of the snow being thrown away from the track by the plow. Before the advent of radios, communication was by whistle signals. The plow operator would use the following signals to tell the locomotive engineer what action to take.
When in operation, the snowplow is pushed by several locomotives, depending on the snow conditions and the amount of drifting. As the plow train moves, often at speeds of up to 40 miles an hour, the engineer on the lead locomotive is unable to see the track ahead because of the snow being thrown away from the track by the plow. Before the advent of radios, communication was by whistle signals. The plow operator would use the following signals to tell the locomotive engineer what action to take.
- One short whistle - stop at once
- One short, one long, one short - move backward
- Long, short, long - move forward
306 Coach Caboose
Coach-Caboose 306 was built by Jackson and Sharpe of Wilmington, Delaware in 1899 for the Boston and Albany Railroad. It was originally built as a day coach. The car was acquired in 1929 by the ED&BC. In the late '30s and early '40s it was one of seven cars converted to half coach and half caboose for branchline service. While in service between Lac La Biche and Ft. McMurray, it was sometimes used as a school car to transport First Nations children to school in Anzac, Alberta.
The coach-cabooses on the NAR were numbered 300 to 307.
The coach-cabooses on the NAR were numbered 300 to 307.
- 303 is now at Ft McMurray, Alberta
- 300 and 304 are at Fort Edmonton Park, Edmonton, Alberta
- 305 is at Dawson Creek, British Columbia
The Alberta Railway Museum received 306 in 1993 as a donation from Mr. Tom Lett of Lac La Biche. No. 306 had been removed from display at the Lac La Biche Cultural Centre after a fire destroyed the building. The car was put on blocks at Mr. Lett's scrap yard and then moved to the Museum. 306 is in storage in the Car Shop and is open to visitors by appointment only.
The Museum plans extensive repairs for 306: repairing and stabilizing the interior and exterior, repairing and installing seats, repainting in authentic colors and adding required furnishings. The Alberta Railway Museum is grateful to Mr. Lett for his help to preserve this important artifact.
About the Coach-Caboose
"The coach-caboose, a combined caboose and passenger car, found a place on the NAR in the late 1930s. Initially it was used for crews who went out on a freight and returned on a passenger train or vice versa. On the passenger train it replaced the need for a standard caboose.
The coach-caboose, sometimes called a 'comboose', provided living quarters for the train crew while they were away from their home terminal. It would be taken out of the train's consist at the end of its crew's trip and parked in the yard where the crew ate and slept until the arrival of their return assignment."
-- Colin Hatcher, Northern Alberta Railways, Vol 1, p.6; Vol 2, p. 21
The Museum plans extensive repairs for 306: repairing and stabilizing the interior and exterior, repairing and installing seats, repainting in authentic colors and adding required furnishings. The Alberta Railway Museum is grateful to Mr. Lett for his help to preserve this important artifact.
About the Coach-Caboose
"The coach-caboose, a combined caboose and passenger car, found a place on the NAR in the late 1930s. Initially it was used for crews who went out on a freight and returned on a passenger train or vice versa. On the passenger train it replaced the need for a standard caboose.
The coach-caboose, sometimes called a 'comboose', provided living quarters for the train crew while they were away from their home terminal. It would be taken out of the train's consist at the end of its crew's trip and parked in the yard where the crew ate and slept until the arrival of their return assignment."
-- Colin Hatcher, Northern Alberta Railways, Vol 1, p.6; Vol 2, p. 21
50800 Load Test Car
Donated to the Museum by Canadian National Railway Company in October 1999, this car was used to test the load capacity of locomotives after mechanical repairs and prior to being released into service. A load test car has a set of heavy duty electrical resistors in it that are connected across the electrical output of a locomotive under test. The resistors put an artificial load on the locomotive so that it can be tested while towing the car. It spent the last years of its service in Walker Yard in Edmonton. The Load Test Car will be put on display when appropriate track space is made available.
CPR 5000 (GP 30 - Canadian Pacific Railway)
This significant locomotive was acquired from the Canadian Rockies Railroad Museum Foundation after the foundation was dissolved. The museum is storing it, although it is not part of our collection plan. Any agency or museum that will restore it either cosmetically or to running condition and has the resources to do so may make proposals to acquire it.
GP30s were built between 1962 and 1963. The GP30 was an attempt to introduce some styling into the cab and locomotive body. It created a unique design, which was not perpetuated, in any later locomotives. The GP30 is easily recognizable due to its high profile and stepped cab roof, unique among American locomotives. For the first time on an EMD hood unit, a low short hood was the default.
Since EMD needed the new locomotive to be visibly modern and updated, they turned to the GM Automotive Styling Center at Troy, Michigan for help. The automobile stylists created the GP30's trademark "hump" and cab roof profile. The hump-like bulge started at the front of the cab and enveloped the air intakes for the central air system and the dynamic brake blister. Units ordered without dynamic brakes were the same shape, but lacked the intakes to cool the dynamic brake resistor grids.
The EMD GP30 was a 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) four-axle B-B diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between July, 1961 and November, 1963.
It was the first so-called "second generation" EMD diesel locomotive, and was produced in response to increased competition by a new entrant, General Electric's U25B, which was released roughly at the same time as the GP30. A number of GP30s are still in service in the US today in original or rebuilt form
948 examples were built for railroads in the United States and Canada (2 only), including 40 cab less B units for the Union Pacific Railroad.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_GP30
GP30s were built between 1962 and 1963. The GP30 was an attempt to introduce some styling into the cab and locomotive body. It created a unique design, which was not perpetuated, in any later locomotives. The GP30 is easily recognizable due to its high profile and stepped cab roof, unique among American locomotives. For the first time on an EMD hood unit, a low short hood was the default.
Since EMD needed the new locomotive to be visibly modern and updated, they turned to the GM Automotive Styling Center at Troy, Michigan for help. The automobile stylists created the GP30's trademark "hump" and cab roof profile. The hump-like bulge started at the front of the cab and enveloped the air intakes for the central air system and the dynamic brake blister. Units ordered without dynamic brakes were the same shape, but lacked the intakes to cool the dynamic brake resistor grids.
The EMD GP30 was a 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) four-axle B-B diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between July, 1961 and November, 1963.
It was the first so-called "second generation" EMD diesel locomotive, and was produced in response to increased competition by a new entrant, General Electric's U25B, which was released roughly at the same time as the GP30. A number of GP30s are still in service in the US today in original or rebuilt form
948 examples were built for railroads in the United States and Canada (2 only), including 40 cab less B units for the Union Pacific Railroad.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_GP30
GT 4520 (GP 9 - Grand Trunk Railway)
“This was the last CN GP-9 left with the high short hood. All others had been either cut up or converted to 4000, 4100, 4600, 7000, 7200 or slugs.
As a bonus it has a 26L automatic brake valve and roof mounted air reservoirs which on passenger Geeps had to be relocated on the roof because a water tank was added under the frame for a steam generator for passenger service.
Nearly all GP-9's had a 24RL air brake system. Very few were built with the 26L. It was brought to Edmonton complete and in running condition. Over the years, the number boards, horn, headlights and bell have been stolen off the locomotive.
It is a rare form of GP-9. It should run if the batteries are replaced and the cooling system doesn't leak” --Lonnie McGowan
As a bonus it has a 26L automatic brake valve and roof mounted air reservoirs which on passenger Geeps had to be relocated on the roof because a water tank was added under the frame for a steam generator for passenger service.
Nearly all GP-9's had a 24RL air brake system. Very few were built with the 26L. It was brought to Edmonton complete and in running condition. Over the years, the number boards, horn, headlights and bell have been stolen off the locomotive.
It is a rare form of GP-9. It should run if the batteries are replaced and the cooling system doesn't leak” --Lonnie McGowan
