STEAM RAIL NEWS Rocky Mountain Rail Society www.6060.org Winter 2015/16 Isle of Man Narrow Gauge In the spring of 2015 my wife Susan and I had a wonderful experience visiting various European locations. One of these was the Isle of Man. After catching a ferry in Rotterdam we travelled overnight to Hull in England. We got up early in the morning and moved into position with the many motorcycles, trucks and cars as we off loaded in Hull. Right away we had to adapt quickly to riding our motorcycle on the opposite side of the road. Fortunately it was not too much of an adjustment as we stuck close to other motorcyclists who were traveling west with us. One of the things you get used to quickly is that the roads are not quite as wide as we have them in Canada. Next there are lots of little roads going here there and everywhere. For the most part though it is workable the vehicles are smaller and generally they are kind to motorcyclist. We made good time by following other motorcyclists as they split lanes with the traffic. Once we cleared the city we motored down the highway at a good clip. Our first stop was near Harrogate. Susan s Uncle was a pilot officer on a Halifax bomber. He was killed in early December 1943. He is buried along with many commonwealth airmen in a Commonwealth Cemetery. There are nearly eight hundred Canadian buried with him. It was a very special time for us being in a spot so far from home with so many of our country men that never got to come home. After lunch we got back on the motorcycle and headed west by two pm we were in Liverpool on the west coast of England. In Canada we are used to long distances but in this case we had completed the distance from Hull to Liverpool in good time and with the fuel we had purchased in the Netherlands. Go figure. After booking into our hotel we walked around the town visiting a number of spots near the docks and the downtown. Liverpool is not a particularly big place downtown but there is many old buildings to see. One is the Anglican Cathedral. It is quite huge made of red stone. The next day we made our way to the ferry docks to the Isle Of Man. The Ferry is called Steam Packet and they Douglas Isle of Man 4-4-2 tank locomotive know how to pack us in. I don t know how many motorcyclist got on board but we were packed in but good. The Irish Sea was rough as we made our way to the Isle of Man. It was windy when we unloaded and right away we got lost. The round-abouts are something else however by chance we passed the train station an old Victorian one made of red brick. Whew! A landmark. We made our way to the B&B and parked the motorcycle. Supper went down very well that night. Susan and I had traveled to the Isle of Man primarily to see the TT motorcycle races. This is the holy-grail of pavement racing on a motorcycle in the world. The other reason to go to the Isle of Man is the amazing scenery and the narrow-gauge steam railway. The Railway itself was constructed to serve the citizens and vacationers with passenger service. The railway also provided freight service to a number of mining operations. The passenger operation is the only service that is left today. There is a small electric tram service in the north side of the island but the south runs a steam operation for the capital of Douglas to Port Erin on the south west coast. The locomotives with the exception of one diesel locomotive are all more than 100 years old steamers. All have saturated boilers and are lovingly maintained in a shop that is built of stone. What an awesome treat to be invited into the shop to see the work
Page 2 Isle of Man Narrow Gauge - (cont.) STEAM RAIL NEWS being done on a number of old locomotives and to see others on the ready track awaiting the next assignment. The railway runs a lot like Alberta Prairie running tender first on the return from Port Erin to Douglas. This is fairly easy as the locomotives are tank engines with no tender. The fireman will prep the coal fire just before the train leaves the station. You can hear the blower kick in a little as the coal is strategically placed in the small firebox. The black smoke starts to billow from the stack until the fire catch s up with the new coal. The smell of coal smoke is something to remember. Susan and I took the train on two occasions. Susan wanted to go to Castletown to visit a historic castle there. I chose to visit the museum at the end of the line at Port Erin. We rode in the wonderful coach that loaded from the side of the coach. We traveled with a couple from the USA and had a wonderful conversation about the railway and Susan s interest in the Castle at Castletown. At the museum there was quite a good representation of the railway. It was also important to note the presence of the Royal Navy that operated bases on the island during the Second World War. The area was heavily mined to protect the waters from submarine attack. The railway was vital for the movement of material, munitions and personnel. It reminded me a bit of how important the White Pass and Yukon Railway had been in North America. I got on the train after lunch and made my way to Castletown to meet Susan. We caught a later train and made our way back to Douglas. It was a cool day and it was neat to see the steam floating by the coach windows. It was interesting to see the many young people who were employed during the spring and summer months. Most were students who were studying in the UK but they all seemed to have a passion for the history they were keeping alive. This was great to see. If you ever get a chance to go to the Isle of Man make sure to take the time to ride the steam railway there it is quite a little treasure. Don Totten Railway Days @ Heritage Park Your Rocky Mountain Rail Society is pleased to report that, once again, we were invited to set up our booth @ Heritage Park's roundhouse as the park celebrated Railway Days. The souvenir sales were brisk; we had membership renewals and new member applications. Our volunteers interacted with the public and we received kudos on our efforts to restore the locomotive. The fall weather of September cooperated admiradebly; personally, I have never seen so many strollers. The weekend was truly a family experience. And, of course, the Lego layout was a favourite draw. We are conveniently located in a corner of the roundhouse (pardon the pun) and attract quite a bit of attention. If you wish to volunteer a couple of hours next year for Heritage Park or Supertrain in April, please contact Don Totten or myself. As well. the souvenir committee sets up our sales and information tent in Big Valley for Canada Day, Steam Days (3rd weekend in July),and Rail Fan weekend (August long weekend). Accommodations provided. The souvenir committee thanks Don Totten for organizing the volunteers: Larry Keehborn, Al Watch, Duane Droulliard, John Pinter, Pat Vokes, Anne Hokea, David Duh, John Visser and Bob Leinweber. Jean Brien sends his regards. Duane Droulliard, Anne Hokea, Larry Keehborn Rick Boittiaux Director & Assistant to Souvenir Chairman
Winter 2015/16 Up and Coming Events: Page 3 2016 Canada s Largest Model Train Show This years Supertrain 2016 is scheduled for April 16 & 17, 2016 and again will be held at the Genesis Centre, 7550 Falconbridge Rd. NE, Calgary, Alberta Doors open at 9:00 AM Close at 5:00 PM. If you would like to volunteer please contact; Kevin Quigley @ 403-990-5931 or Don Totten 403-617-6360 or email dontotten@shaw.ca RMRS Membership Get Together There will be a members get together at the Riverbend Station Pub in Calgary on Tuesday February23, 2016. This event will special guests and some video of Ernie Beskowiney s model of the 6060 in operation at Iron Horse Park. In addition, there will be food provided by the society, so bring your appetite. Riverbend Station Pub is located at, 40 Riverglen Dr SE, Calgary, AB We hope all our members can attend. For more info call Don Totten @ 403-617-6360 Alberta Prairie s 2016 Pumpkin Fest Run Everyone enjoying the Pumpkin Fest A couple of tired kids from a hard day of fun
Page 4 STEAM RAIL NEWS First F Units, Now Hedge Funds Submitted by Zac Brewer There has been a lot of talk recently about hedge-fund manager William Ackman s manipulation of Canadian Pacific and E. Hunter Harrison touted recently as the world s greatest railroader into a merger with Norfolk Southern, a railroad trying to shift its core business away from coal. It s hard to say what the possible benefits could be of uniting CP with NS in terms of end to end gains, although the combined system would allow CP interests to be represented in the directorship of the Belt Railway of Chicago. Also, NS has just benefitted from a significant investment of taxpayer dollars, allowing their lines in Virginia and West Virginia to handle double-stack container traffic bound for Illinois and Ohio. The current Ackman-Harrison merger campaign isn t the first time that interlopers have arrived with designs on shaking up the system. For General Motors, in September 1952, it was a Monty Python moment: an A-B-B-A set of F7 locomotives had spent two weeks demonstrating on the Norfolk and Western between Portsmouth, Ohio, and Bluefield, West Virginia. The diesels, painted in UP Armor Yellow and on the way to being delivered to that western power, had gone up against N&W steam. And lost. This was something that had never happened in the unmitigated success story of the F- line of locomotives. In the history of EMD s quest to dieselize every North American railroad, it was something completely different: the GM team had left a heavy-haul carrier without an order for even a single new engine. The N&W mainline, still in operation today as one of Norfolk Southern s major corridors, resembles a sideways S. Terminating at Norfolk, VA, and Cincinnati, OH, it has flatland running on either end of two subdivisions of heavy mountain territory, including the Christiansburg District from Roanoke, VA, to Bluefield, WV, and the famous Pocahontas District between Bluefield and Williamson, WV. The F7s went up against 2-8-8-2 Y6b #2197, only 9 months old at the time of testing, on the Pocahontas. On the water-level Kenova District out of Portsmouth, the F7s faced 2-6-6-4 A #1239, one of the last batch of As constructed in 1950. The results, as I have mentioned, were not all that favorable for EMD. The four-unit diesel in various incarnations was capable of felling all but the largest of steam locomotives in terms of brute force, and in terms of performance it could handily defeat almost all opposition. In terms of what it cost the diesel to move a ton of freight one mile compared to N&W s articulated steam locomotives, the difference was marginal: one quarter of one cent. At the time, N&W had no equipment obligations (i.e. it had not been purchasing engines and cars on mortgage but rather with cash), and it would take a lot of ton/miles to amortize the cost of a fleet of new diesel locomotives at that rate. It was only after the F7s left the N&W that EMD revealed it had altered the locomotives load regulators, essentially super-charging the main generators to produce more voltage than they were designed to and increasing per-unit horsepower to 1700 from 1500. (Counter-allegations of N&W s reciprocal cheating by boring out cylinders and shrinking driver size to increase starting tractive effort were eventually proven false.) The F s had performed admirably in the mountains where they were able to take advantage of their significant low-speed traction compared to the Y. But on the flats, the diesels were massively out-performed by the powerful A. David P. Morgan, in a 1954 Trains article, claimed that the stalemate was, in a sense, a compliment to both EMD and the N&W. EMD s record was so good that it was shocking to see a railroad not buy in. Alternately, the leviathans of Roanoke had faced off against the diesel-electrics of LaGrange and won the day. Norfolk and Western did eventually dieselize by 1960 under the leadership of CEO Stuart Saunders, a revolution that earned him one of his two Railroader of the Year titles as decided by industry magazine Railway Age. Historically, the Norfolk and Western was a railroad with a strong culture that insisted on doing just about everything its own way. Going forward, it will be interesting to see if this approach stands up to shareholder pressure as the softening coal market and cost-cutting, legacy-building ambitions loom over the heart of today s and tomorrow s Norfolk Southern.
Winter 2015/16 RMRS Membership Renewal for 2016 Page 5 Just a reminder that if you haven't renewed your RMRS membership, it s that time of year. You can renew online at www.6060.org, using your credit card or PayPal account or use the form below and send it in. This form may be either scanned and emailed to info@6060.org or mailed with payment to the following address: Rocky Mountain Rail Society Membership Chairman, P.O. Box 81076, LBPO, Calgary, AB T2J 7C9 Canada Note: Renewal fees are due on January 1st of each year - We appreciate your ongoing support! Rocky Mountain Rail Society Annual Membership Application Fees: Adults $30.00 Associate Seniors $8.00 Associate Adult $18.00 Juniors (under 17) $8.00 Seniors (65+) $20.00 *Note: Associate Members are additional members at the same address. Full Membership includes Steam Rail News New Member: Annual Renewal: (Please check appropriate Box) Membership # (if renewal - refer to your membership card or newsletter address label): Name: Address: City/Town/Prov/State: Postal/Zip Code: Telephone: Fax: Email: Membership Type / Quantity (see above) : Payment Type: Cheque Enclosed ( ) Visa ( ) Mastercard ( ) Total Amount $: Credit Card # Expiry Date: Note: Your contact information remains confidential and is only used for member communication purposes only
Page 6 From Our Treasurer - Zac Brewer STEAM RAIL NEWS I m sure that we are all excited about the progress that has been made on 6060 this fall. The Mechanical Committee and our dedicated volunteers have done a tremendous job so far, and no doubt we are all appreciative of the assistance rendered by Alberta Prairie in removing 6060 s superheaters, a tough, heavy job. In financial news, we were able to claim the entirety of our last Alberta Historical Resources Foundation grant ($16,500) for work done to 6060 in 2013-14. The recognition of 6060 as a Provincial Historical Resource in 2009 has been a continued blessing, and I am always amazed at the positive attitude this government agency displays toward our projects. Maybe there is something to be said for being the only PHR that rolls? AHRF has granted us project approval for the current phase of our repairs, and I am awaiting confirmation of our funding support which should be arriving shortly. We are also hopeful that we may pursue federal funding in light of the upcoming 150 th anniversary of Confederation in 2017. A quick note for anyone wishing to renew memberships or donate to RMRS via cheque: please be sure to make your cheques out to Rocky Mountain Rail Society or our bank will not accept them. We continue to receive donations from our membership, as well as those who have made a contribution in memory of Dr. Carpenter, a great friend of our organization. On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you to all our generous donors. K. McKenzie J. McJannet J. Olson V. Stewart J. Cronkhite D. Emmington D. Van Helden R. Boittiaux H. Girvitz C. Little D. Little K. Elsner Beutel Goodman & Co. K. & N. Penne G. Dais E. W. Sayer L. de Groot A. Fischer W. Elliott Alberta Prairie Photos from 2015 Removing the superheater nuts Zac Brewer takes a turn firing #41 on a break in run July 2015
Winter 2015/16 Bill s Notes - January, 2016 Page 7 My wife Lil & I wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope you and your family enjoy great success and happiness in the coming year. To all our volunteers that have helped in 2015, please accept our thanks for the many hours. If you have not received one of our volunteer pins, please let me know and I will be pleased to arrange to give you one. Rocky Mountain Rail is blessed with the many volunteers who contribute so much. We can t thank you enough. To our board of directors, thank you for a job well done during 2015. Thank you to our mechanical committee, who have put in extensive hours to get 6060 back to good health. Recently they have been in the process of removing the super heaters so that they can be tested to be sure they are in good order. Harry Home, Don Totten, Bob Leinweber, Zac Brewer, Larry Potter are especially thanked for their countless hours and weekends they have spent living in Stettler, Alberta. All members are invited to attend our board of directors meetings held the 2 nd Tuesday of every month. Call for meeting location. As always you can contact me any time day or night at Email: billwilliams@telusplanet.net or Telephone 403-803-6805 (Direct) January 4, 2016 Work Party at Warden This years November work party was successfully completed in good weather. We were able to remove the batteries from the RMRS diesel and store them in one of the containers at Warden. All of our equipment was serviced and all the fuel tanks were filled for the heaters in the caboose and the tool car. The heaters have been doing extra duty this fall as there have been a number of work parties visiting Warden to work on 6060. Work on 6060 has been steady the superheaters were removed from the boiler in November and are now stored in the Warden shop beside 6060. We would like to thank the Alberta Prairie staff for their support in this difficult job. Cleaning of the boiler surfaces on the exterior have also been completed. This will allow the testing of that part of the boiler. Further work will need to be done on the interior to clean surfaces and this will be completed in 2016. We look forward to some work parties in the 2016. Work should begin on 6060 in late February to complete the internal cleaning of the flues tubes and tube sheets. Another work party at Warden will be April 30 th when we will begin work on the speeder and other equipment to prepare it for the 2016 running season. If you would like to participate in the Work Parties please contact me, Don Totten at; 403-617-6360 or email dontotten@shaw.ca see you soon.
PO Box 81076 6060, BPO Calgary, Alberta T2J 7C9 www.6060.org RMRS Board of Directors: President, W.E. (Bill) Williams 403-803-6805 billwill@telusplanet.net Vice-President Don Wilson 403-275-2263 djwilson@shaw.ca Treasurer, Zac Brewer 403-808-3081 rmrstreasurer@gmail.com Secretary, Kevin Quigley 403-990-5931 kquigley@shaw.ca Directors, Harry Home 780-852-5818 hehome@shaw.ca Bob Leinweber 403-271-4079 bobleinweber@shaw.ca Mark McNair 403-217-0323 mmcnair@eport.ca Rick Boittiaux 403-968-7545 rboitt@hotmail.com Casino Chairman: John Pinter 403-800-3658 pinterlaptop@hotmail.com Steam Rail News: Glenn Astren 306-452-8253 steamrailnews@gmail.com Alberta Prairie s 41 and New Coach Alberta Prairie Steam Tour s Engine 41 returning to service and also Alberta Prairie aquires a new passenger car, the CPR Lacombe. A story about the car will be featured in an upcoming Steam Rail News issue.