Canadian National 6060

Canadian National 6060
No. 6060 leaving Toronto Union Station with an excursion train in October 1979
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderMontreal Locomotive Works
Order numberQ-401
Serial number72757
Build dateOctober 1944
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-8-2
 • UIC2′D1′ h2
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Leading dia.34 in (0.86 m)
Driver dia.73 in (1.85 m)
Trailing dia.43 in (1.09 m)
Wheelbase
  • Coupled: 19 ft 0 in (5.79 m)
  • Loco: 42 ft 2 in (12.85 m)
  • Loco and tender: 80 ft 10+3⁄4 in (24.66 m)
Length90 ft 0+1⁄8 in (27.44 m)
Width10 ft 9 in (3.28 m)
Height15 ft 4+1⁄2 in (4.69 m)
Adhesive weight236,950 lb (107.48 t; 105.78 long tons)
Loco weight355,700 lb (161.3 t; 158.8 long tons)
Tender weight281,840 lb (127.84 t; 125.82 long tons)
Fuel type
Tender cap.
  • Coal: 18 short tons (16 t) coal, 11,700 imp gal (53 m3) water
  • Oil: 5,000 imp gal (23 m3) oil, 11,000 imp gal (50 m3) water
Firebox:​
 • Grate area70.2 sq ft (6.52 m2)
Boiler
  • 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) diameter
  • 42 ft 4 in (12.90 m) length
Boiler pressure260 psi (1.79 MPa)
Heating surface:​
 • Firebox386 ft2 (35.9 m2)
 • Tubes and flues3,198 sq ft (297.1 m2)
 • Total surface3,584 sq ft (333.0 m2)
Superheater:
​
 • TypeSchmidt type E
 • Heating area1,570 sq ft (146 m2)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size24 in × 30 in (610 mm × 762 mm)
Valve gearWalschaerts
Train heatingSteam heat
Performance figures
Tractive effort52% (52,315 lbf or 232.7 kN)
Factor of adh.4.5
Career
Operators
ClassU-1-f
Number in class1 of 20
NumbersCN 6060
Nicknames
  • Bullet-Nosed Betty
  • The Spirit of Alberta
Retired
  • 1959 (revenue service)
  • January 1981 (1st excursion service)
  • August 2011 (2nd excursion service)
PreservedMay 23, 1962
Restored
  • July 5, 1973 (1st excursion service)
  • May 29, 1986 (2nd excursion service)
Current ownerRocky Mountain Rail Society
DispositionUndergoing restoration to operating condition
Reference:[1]

Canadian National 6060 is a U-1-f class 4-8-2 "Mountain" type steam locomotive, built in October 1944 by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) as the first of the U-1-f class for the Canadian National Railway (CN) in Canada. It was first assigned to haul premier passenger trains and eventually fast freight trains on the CN until its retirement in 1959. Three years later, CN engineer Harry R.J. Home was able to purchase the locomotive for a cheap price and brought it to Jasper, Alberta, where No. 6060 was put on display near the Jasper station.

In 1971, CN reacquired the No. 6060 locomotive and restored it to operating condition for use in excursion service until it was put into storage in 1980. Six years later, No. 6060 was rebuilt by Home and the Rocky Mountain Rail Society in time for the Expo 86 event in Vancouver, British Columbia. After the event, it stayed in Vancouver, double heading with Canadian Pacific 2860 and 3716.

In 1988, No. 6060 was stored at the Alberta Railway Museum in Edmonton, Alberta, until a decade later, it was moved to the Alberta Prairie Railway, pulling excursions in Stettler, Alberta. In 2011, it was taken out of service due to boiler issues, however, restoration work officially began in 2020 to return it to operation.

History

Design and revenue service

No. 6060 was constructed in October 1944 by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in Montreal, Quebec, as the first of the Canadian National Railway's (CN) 20 class U-1-f 4-8-2 "Mountain" types.[1][2] The U-1-f design was very different to the U-1-a design in mechanical and cosmetic details.[3][2][4] Their 73 in (1,854 mm) driving wheels gave the U-1-fs balancing high-speed with no flaws.[5] They were painted in CN's olive green livery around its running board skirt panels, cab, and tender.[6] The U-1-fs' front smokebox had a bullet-nose cone design mounted, which earned them the nickname Bullet-Nosed Bettys.[6][7] The U-1-fs were the last new design of steam locomotives built for the CN.[8]

No. 6060 was first assigned to pull short freight trains between Montreal, Quebec, and Brockville, Ontario, for three round-trips before entering main line passenger service, pulling the Continental Limited and International Limited trains.[9] In 1955 when diesel locomotives began taking over passenger service, No. 6060 was converted from burning coal to oil.[4] In 1959, it was retired and sat in storage on a siding outside in Winnipeg, Manitoba, awaiting to be sent to the scrap yard.[1][2][4] On May 23, 1962, No. 6060 was rescued for preservation by CN engineer Harry R.J. Home, who purchased the locomotive for $1 and put it on static display at the Jasper station in Alberta.[1][10][2][4]

Excursion service

CN reacquired No. 6060 in 1971, and they began restoring it to operating condition for excursion service in 1972, as a replacement for U-2-g Confederation No. 6218.[1][2][4] No. 6060 made its first fire-up test on June 26, 1973, and made its first movements under its own power on July 5, running to Dorval and return.[11][2] On September 15, No. 6060 hauled its first special train from Montreal Central Station to Victoriaville, Richmond and return.[11] It eventually made its debut hauling excursions for their steam excursion program on October 27.[12][11] On April 29, 1978, No. 6060 hauled a special passenger train on GO Transit’s new commuter route between Toronto and Richmond Hill, as part of that route’s opening ceremony.[13] In October 1980, No. 6060 made its final runs for CN when it ran several Labour Day weekend trains for the Alberta Pioneer Railway Association. After these trips, CN ended their excursion program.[12][14]

That same year, to commemorate the Province of Alberta's 75th anniversary, No. 6060 was presented to the people of Alberta as a gift.[2][4] In January 1981, it was announced that CN would retire No. 6060 from excursion service due to an extensive overhaul would be very costly to return it to service.[4] After its boiler ticket expired in September, it was placed into storage for the next five years.[4]

In early May 1986, No. 6060 underwent a complete restoration to return it to operating condition with the help of Harry Home, the Province of Alberta and volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Rail Society (RMRS).[12] No. 6060 travelled under its own power to Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 29, to participate in the Steam Expo, part of the Expo 86 world's fair, alongside several other steam locomotives.[12][15][2] After Expo 86 ended, No. 6060 and Canadian Pacific 2860 double-headed back to Alberta, though when they got there, No. 6060 developed a mechanical failure, forcing it to be taken off the excursion, while No. 2860 returned to Vancouver.[16] In September 1988, No. 6060 was originally scheduled to run for the "Great Canadian Steam Railway Excursion", but was replaced by Canadian Pacific 3716 in the process.[17]

In November 1991, the government of Alberta announced that it could no longer afford to maintain and operate No. 6060, due to the state of the economy of that time, and the government considered relocating the locomotive to a park for permanent display.[18][19] The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W) of New York State caught wind of this announcement, and they quickly offered to purchase No. 6060 for use in their steam excursion program, but negotiations were subsequently dropped.[18][19] The RMRS was adamant for No. 6060 to continue operating while staying in Canada, and they quickly launched a campaign for the provincial government to reconsider the locomotive's future.[18][19]

Ownership by the Rocky Mountain Rail Society

By February 1992, the Province of Alberta relinquished ownership of No. 6060 to the RMRS.[19] No. 6060 was subsequently moved from a private siding in Calgary to the Alberta Railway Museum near Edmonton for storage and maintenance.[19]

In 1998, the locomotive was moved to Stettler to operate regularly for Alberta Prairie Steam Tours (APST).[12][20][2] More than a decade later, it continued to carry thousands of excursion passengers every summer, until it was taken out of service in the summer of 2011 due to boiler issues.[21][20]

In 2020, restoration work officially began by the Rocky Mountain Rail Society to return the locomotive to operating condition, and as of 2025, restoration is still underway.[21][22][2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Comish, Lloyd; Comish, Elaine (Winter 2002). "Steam Locomotive 6060" (PDF). On Track. Railway and Forestry Museum. pp. 4, 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 7, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Canadian Rail (No. 600)" (PDF). Canadian Rail. February 2021. pp. 45–50. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  3. ^ Lorne (1973), p. 9.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Canadian Rail (No. 348)" (PDF). Canadian Rail. January 1981. pp. 18–20. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  5. ^ Lorne (1973), p. 12.
  6. ^ a b Lorne (1973), p. 15.
  7. ^ McQueen (2013), p. 36.
  8. ^ McQueen (2013), pp. 34–35.
  9. ^ Lorne (1973), p. 21.
  10. ^ McQueen (2013), p. 160.
  11. ^ a b c "Canadian Rail (No. 259)" (PDF). Canadian Rail. August 1973. p. 25. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c d e Vondrak, Otto M. (September 17, 2020). "Canadian National 6060". Railfan & Railroad. White River Productions. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  13. ^ "Railnews - Steam on the GO". Railfan. Vol. 2, no. 6. Carstens Publications. September 1978. p. 14.
  14. ^ "Branchline" (PDF). Baytown Railway Society. October 1980. pp. 4–6. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  15. ^ "Branchline" (PDF). Canadian's Rail Magazine: 17. December 1988. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  16. ^ "May 2021 Marks the 35th Anniversary of 'Steam Expo' Held during Expo '86" (PDF). WCRA News. Vol. 61, no. 2. West Coast Railway Association. May 2021. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 29, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  17. ^ "Branchline" (PDF). Canadian Rail. September 1988. p. 12. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  18. ^ a b c "Chinese 2-8-2 1647". Railfan & Railroad. Carstens Publications. March 1992. pp. 43–44.
  19. ^ a b c d e "CN 4-8-2 6060". Railfan & Railroad. Carstens Publications. June 1992. p. 47.
  20. ^ a b Berger, Eric (June 25, 2020). "Canadian National 4-8-2 Being Restored in Alberta". Railfan & Railroad Magazine. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  21. ^ a b "Restoration work begins on CN 6060". Trains. Kalmbach Media. June 30, 2020. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  22. ^ Franz, Justin (December 9, 2022). "Restoration Work Continues on Canadian National's 'Bullet-Nosed Betty'". Railfan & Railroad Magazine. Retrieved August 24, 2025.

Bibliography

Further reading

  • Canadian Government Railways Employees Magazine. Vol. 30–31. Canadian National Railways. 1944. p. 5.
  • Pepperbox Press (2023). The Illustrated Directory of North American Locomotives: The Story and Progression of Railroads from The Early Days to The Electric Powered Present. Skyhorse. ISBN 978-1510756830.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Canadian National 6060.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.