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An MTC children's ticket
circa 1949 --
1-2/3 cent each (3 for 5 cents)
Nearly head on view of the
"Countess of Dufferin"
#107 never ran on the real EP&Y tracks that connected the rails
from Strathcona across the Saskatchewan River through Edmonton to
Stoney Plain in 1902. The EP&Y was merged into the Canadian
Northern Alberta Railway in 1910.
You will find a number of items in a state of repair or rebuild – this is done mostly by volunteers so progress is slow. The paint on many freight cars is showing the effects of sun and weather; the contrast between 1994 and 2004 was striking. I hope CRM has not bitten off more than it can chew. Photos below are mostly from 1994, a few from 2004. While in Denver, visit the new Forney Museum. It is mostly autos and carriages, but there is a 4–8–8–4 Big Boy, a rotary plow, and a few other pieces. I saw these outdoors at the old Forney Museum in 1994. They are now under cover but almost impossible to photograph due to their size and dim lighting. The one-eighth scale trains and buildings of Tiny Town, just south of Denver, are also worth a visit while en-route to Colorado Springs, Alamosa, or Chama.
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The
locomotive is a non-operating 1914 Porter-built Mogul (2–6–0)
from a banana company in Guatemala. It is somewhat similar
to Moguls that once ran on the C&S.
There are a number of freight cars and a caboose painted with
DSP&P markings, but the lettering is not authentic in appearance.
The cars themselves are ex-D&RG. In more recent years,
some of the cars have been cosmetically restored and repainted
in D&RGW colours.
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Copyright © 2022 E. R. (Ross) Crain, P.Eng. email |
The
museum operates a heritage streetcar line around the grounds as
well as a heritage railway which pulls a small passenger train
on a former freight spur to Montée des Bouleaux. The streetcar
operates daily during the spring, summer and fall while the
railway operates every Sunday during the same period. The museum
is located on the south side of the St. Lawrence River at St.
Constant, Quebec, south of the City of Montreal. Use your GPS --
the site is hard to find, even though there is a large
locomotive on a pedestal by the parking lot.
The
best part of this visit for me was the ride on the "Gold Car", an
open-air sightseeing streetcar
that used to run in summer in Montreal. This was our favorite
outing when we were kids in the 1940's and 50's. The ride, and the
tour of the Museum, was escorted by Steve Cheasley, the museum
President, who generously provided a personalized commentary on the
background and significance of each exhibit. It was a wonderful
re-visit to the railways of my youth, all the way back to my
grandparents early days, with some of the best restorations in the
world on display. This is a "must see" railway venue.
Montreal Tramways
"Presidents Conference Car" #3517. I rode this one and her
sisters going to grade school
in the late 1940's. Children's tickets were 3 for 5 cents.
Imagine 1-2/3 cents per trip!
Inside the ornate 1911 ex-CPR passenger station in Winnipeg is
one of those hidden gems of railroad history - the Winnipeg
Railway Museum. It has a number of totally unique items, like
the CPR 1946 Packard inspection car, industrial locomotives, and
freight and passenger cars closely related to the history of
Manitoba. Pride of place goes to the "Countess of Dufferin", a
4-4-0 that was the first locomotive to run in Manitoba.
The
"Countess of Dufferin" was built in Philadelphia by Baldwin for
the Northern Pacific and delivered to Breckenridge, MN in 1872.
She worked as Northern Pacific #21 in the Minnesota and Dakota
Territories until delivered to St. Boniface (Winnipeg) in 1877,
by barge down the Red River from Fisher Landing, MN. Here she
worked on Canadian Government Contract #5 constructing the
Pembina Branch, which linked Winnipeg with St. Paul. In 1833,
she was renumbered CPR #151 and helped construct track between
Winnipeg, the Lakehead, and Golden, BC, where she was sold to
the Columbia River Lumber Company. She was returned to the city
in 1909 and put on display. In 1972 the "Countess" was placed on
permanent display in the Winnipeg Railway Museum.
With
more than 200 exhibits and attractions spread over 127 acres of
parkland, Heritage Park Historical Village has a lot to offer
history buffs and railroad fans. Live steam train rides,
restored turn of the century amusement rides, an auto museum,
and heritage buildings offering homemade cinnamon buns, ice
cream, and full meals appeal to everyone. Antique cars, a 1905
bus, a horse drawn bus, a working railroad turntable, a
paddlewheel cruise ship on the reservoir, and a replica of the
first oil well drilling rig in Alberta are just a few of the
operating exhibits.
The
Park is 50 years old (2014) which makes it a historic site that
is itself a historic site. Most of the restored buildings date
back 75 to 100 years ago. The railway equipment covers the
period from open platform passenger cars of the late 1800s to
the 1949 vintage 2-10-4 Selkirk, CPR #5931 on display. The
working steamers are ex US Army 0-6-0 switchers, painted as CPR
#2023 and 2024. CPR 2018 is a
dieselized 0-6-0, used rarely. An operating restored Calgary
streetcar carries passengers from the parking lot to the Park
gates.
CPR 5934 on display in 1968 in downtown Calgary, before she was
moved to the Park. Renumbered to its original #5931 in 1991.
A
diesel powered replica of the SS Moyie, a steamwheel paddle
steamer, cruises Glenmore reservoir beside the Park. The
original paddle wheeler was built in 1898 and sits fully
restored as a National Historic Site in Kaslo, BC. The ride runs
about 45 minutes and is the most peaceful thing you can do in
Calgary, short of canoeing the Reservoir at sunrise in June.
Time stands still in the 150 acre Fort Edmonton Park. Life as it
was lived through four historical periods are brought to life in
distinct groupings of buildings and realistic settings - the
days of the fur trade around 1846 and the pioneer years of 1885,
1905, and 1920. Costumed interpreters bring the past to life and
invite you to experience the best of each period. 
You
can ride on the Edmonton, Yukon and Pacific Railway steam train
or on some beautifully restored streetcars, or spin and twirl on
vintage midway rides. The street cars are run and maintained by
The Edmonton Radial Railway Society. Rides on the train and the
streetcars are free with admission ticket and save a lot of
walking.
EY&P
#107, a 2-6-2 Prairie type built by Baldwin in 1919, was a
Louisiana native for 50 years before the lumber company was
abandoned. She arrived in Edmonton in 1977, was restored, and is
now serving tourists. Not a bad life for a 95 year old lady.
At the Park, she pulls three ex-CPR coaches and a caboose fitted
for wheel-chair access.
The
CRM is one of the most valuable narrow gauge resources
in North America. Begun by Robert Richardson in the early
1950’s
in Alamosa, it was moved to Golden in the late 50’s.
With the help of Cornelius Hauck, the collection grew and the
Museum became a non-profit historical foundation. There are
about 100 major pieces of equipment from ancient steamers,
diesels, and gas powered units to all shapes and sizes of rolling
stock, plus a well-preserved paper archive and book store.
You need a good 6 hours on a sunny day to do justice to the
CRM. Depending on the day, there may be rides behind an old
steam engine, an antique diesel, or an RGS Goose. 
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Breckenridge.
Both towns were major mining centers on the original Denver, South Park & Pacific
Railroad
mainline.
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