Canadian National 1551

Canadian National 1551
No. 1551 on display at Steamtown, U.S.A., in Bellows Falls, Vermont, August 1970
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderMontreal Locomotive Works
Serial number50778
Build dateApril 1912
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-6-0
 • UIC2′C
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.63 in (1,600 mm)
Wheelbase54.25 ft (16.54 m) ​
 • Engine24.83 ft (7.57 m)
 • Drivers14.50 ft (4.42 m)
Length63 ft 6+1⁄2 in (19.37 m)
Width10 ft 8 in (3.25 m)
Height14 ft 10+1⁄2 in (4.53 m)
Adhesive weight133,000 lb (60 t)
Loco weight173,000 lb (78 t)
Tender weight124,000 lb (56 t)
Total weight297,000 lb (135 t)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity10 long tons (10 t)
Water cap.5,000 imp gal (23,000 L; 6,000 US gal)
Boiler pressure180 psi (1,200 kPa)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size22 in × 26 in (560 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gearWalschaerts
Loco brakeAir
Performance figures
Tractive effort30,560 lbf (135.9 kN)
Factor of adh.4.64
Career
Operators
ClassH-6-g
Numbers
  • CNoR 1354
  • CN 1551
  • OHCR 1551
Retired
  • 1958 (revenue service)
  • 2003 (1st excursion service)
PreservedSeptember 1961
RestoredOctober 1988
Current ownerAge of Steam Roundhouse
DispositionOn static display, awaiting restoration
Reference:[1]

Canadian National 1551 is a H-6-g class 4-6-0 "Ten-wheeler" type steam locomotive, built in 1912 by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) for the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR). It is preserved at the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

History

Revenue service

The locomotive was built in April 1912 by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) as Canadian Northern Railway No. 1354.[1][2][3][4][5] It kept that number after the CNoR merged into the Canadian National Railway (CN), but when diesels arrived, it was renumbered as No. 1551 in October 1956.[2][5] The locomotive hauled heavy freight and passenger trains throughout Ontario and Montreal until it was retired from revenue service in 1958.[3][4]

In September 1961, No. 1551 was purchased by F. Nelson Blount, who sent it for display at the Edaville Railroad in Massachusetts, United States, then added it to his collection at Steamtown, U.S.A, in Bellows Falls, Vermont.[2][6][4][5] After Blount's death in 1967, the collection was moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania.[1]

Excursion service

In January 1986, the locomotive was purchased by Jerry Jacobson in a trade for Jackson Iron & Steel Company No. 3.[1][3][7][8][9][5] Over the next two years, Jacobson and his crew restored the engine to operating condition, completing the work in October 1988.[3] For the next 15 years, No. 1551 hauled excursion trains for Jacobson's Ohio Central Railroad System (OHCR) and occasionally other lines.[1][3][7][10] One of its engineers described the locomotive as an easy engine to work.[11]

In September 1997, No. 1551 operated for the OC's Steam Fest '97 event alongside the railroad's other steam locomotive, Canadian Pacific 1293. T-1 Reading 2100 also participated in the event but was the only locomotive not to be fired up for the weekend occasion.[12]

In 2003, the locomotive was taken out of service to undergo major repairs.[1] In 2011, the engine, along with the rest of Jacobson's steam locomotive collection, were moved into the new Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio, United States.[13] Today, No. 1551 is on static display inside the roundhouse, where it awaits a planned major rebuild and return to service.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Canadian National 4-6-0 No. 1551". Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "The Business Car" (PDF). Canadian Rail (466). The Canadian Railroad Historical Association: 143. September–October 1998.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e Sanders, Craig (2009). Canton Area Railroads. Images of Rail (1st ed.). Arcadia Publishing. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-7385-6111-0.
  4. ^ a b c "CN 1551 – Ex Canadian Northern 4-6-0 No. 1551". Age of Steam Roundhouse. Age of Steam, Ltd. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d "Quebec" (PDF). Bytown Railway Society: 31. 2014.
  6. ^ "Guide to the Steamtown Collection" (PDF). steamlocomotive.com. Steamtown Foundation. 1973. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  7. ^ a b Kevin P. Keefe (September 14, 2017). "Jacobson, champion of steam, dead at 74". Trains.com. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  8. ^ Chappell, Gordon (1991). "Steam Over Scranton: The Locomotives of Steamtown" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior / National Park Service. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  9. ^ "The Semaphore Rochester Chapter, N.R.H.S" (PDF). The Semaphore Rochester Chapter, N.R.H.S: 10. March 1986.
  10. ^ "Spring railroad excursion slated". News Journal. 1993-06-06. p. 17. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  11. ^ Simon, Ron (1990-06-03). "Steam engines a pull from past". Mansfield (Ohio) News Journal. pp. 74–75. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  12. ^ "Railroad News Photos - Steam Spectacular in Ohio". Trains. Vol. 57, no. 12. Kalmbach Publishing. December 1997. p. 41. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  13. ^ "Age of Steam Roundhouse: Roundhouse Report - Fall 2011" (PDF). Age of Steam, Ltd. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 19, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2026.

Further reading

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