Canadian National 6060

Canadian National 6060 is a 4-8-2 “Mountain”-type steam locomotive built in 1944 by the Montreal Locomotive Works as the first of the U-1-f class for the Canadian National Railway (CN).

Canadian National 6060
Canadian National No. 6060 at the Spadina roundhouse, preparing to pull an excursion train in 1977
Type and origin
References:[1]
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 (0.864 m)
Driver dia.73 in (1.854 m)
Trailing dia.43 in (1.092 m)
Wheelbase
  • Coupled: 19 ft 0 in (5.79 m)
  • Loco: 42 ft 2 in (12.85 m)
  • Loco & 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 pounds (107.48 tonnes; 105.78 long tons)
Loco weight355,700 pounds (161.3 tonnes; 158.8 long tons)
Tender weight281,840 pounds (127.84 tonnes; 125.82 long tons)
Fuel typeOriginally coal, later oil
Tender cap.
  • Coal: 18 tons coal, 11,700 gal water
  • Oil: 5,000 gal oil, 11,000 gal water
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		70.2 sq ft (6.52 m2)
Boiler8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) diameter ×
42 ft 4 in (12.90 m) length
Boiler pressure260 lbf/in2 (1.79 MPa)
Heating surface3,584 sq ft (333.0 m2)
 • Tubes and flues3,198 sq ft (297.1 m2)
 • Firebox386 square feet (35.9 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
OperatorsCanadian National Railway
Alberta Prairie Railway
ClassU-1-f
Number in class1 of 20
Numbers
  • 6060
Nicknames
  • "Bullet Nose Betty"
  • "The Spirit of Alberta"
Retired1959
Preserved1962
Restored1973
Current ownerRocky Mountain Rail Society
DispositionUndergoing overhaul, based in Stettler, Alberta

History
6060 operating on the Alberta Prairie Railway in 2004

6060 was constructed in October 1944 by the Montreal Locomotive Works in Montreal, Quebec, as the prototype locomotive of the Canadian National Railway's (CN) U-1-f class 4-8-2 "Mountain types".[1] It was initially assigned to pull main-line passenger trains until 1959, when it was retired and sat in storage on a siding outside in Winnipeg, Manitoba, awaiting to be sent to the scrap yard, but was eventually rescued for preservation by CN engineer Harry R.J. Home, and was put on static display at the Jasper station in Jasper, Alberta, during 1962.[1] Ten years later, CN reacquired 6060, and they restored it to operating condition for excursion service in 1971, as a replacement for U-2-g Confederation 6218, and after being restored by CN in 1973, hauled excursions for their steam excursion program until 1980, when CN ended the program.[2]

That same year, to commemorate the Province of Alberta's 75th anniversary, 6060 was presented to the people of Alberta as a gift. After more than five years of retirement, it was restored a second time with the help of Harry Home, the Province of Alberta and volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Rail Society. 6060 travelled under her own power to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1986 to participate in the Steam Expo, part of the Expo 86 world's fair, alongside several other steam locomotives, including Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) 4-6-4 2860, CPR 4-6-2 1201, CN 4-6-0 1392, and Union Pacific (UP) 0-6-0 4466. After Expo 86 ended, the 6060 and 2860 doubleheaded back to Alberta, though when they got there, 6060 developed a mechanical failure, forcing it to be taken off the excursion, while 2860 returned to Vancouver.[3]

After several years of storage at the Alberta Railway Museum near Edmonton, 6060 was moved to Stettler in 1998 to operate regularly in the service of Alberta Prairie Steam Tours (APST). More than a decade later, it continued to transport thousands of excursion passengers every summer until it went out of service in 2010. Several years later, the APST began performing an overhaul on the locomotive, and as of 2023, the overhaul is still under way.[4]

See also

References
  1. 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. 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.
  3. "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.
  4. "Restoration work begins on CN 6060". Trains. Kalmbach Media. June 30, 2020. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.

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