A Canadian National steam locomotive on display in Guelph, Ontario, must be moved — for the second time.
CNR No. 6167, which was moved in 2010 to its current location next to Guelph Central Station, faces another move after Metrolinx, the parent organization for GO Transit, served notice that it must give way to allow for station upgrades.
The locomotive must be moved by December 2020. The City of Guelph has budged C$800,000 for the move. The preferred option is for a move by the Guelph Junction Railway to city property in John Galt Park, not far from the current site but down a substantial grade. Other possibilities include donation to another organization — considered unlikely, given the timeframe — or removal from the Guelph Museum collection and dismantling, with some artifacts kept for the museum.
The city, facing a budget crunch, has not yet voted on the issue. It is expected to make a decision by this December.
The locomotive, widely known for powering CN excursion trains in the 1960s, was moved to its current location on June 16, 2010 to make room for the multimodal transit terminal shared by VIA Rail Canada and bus service. [See “New home for CN 4-8-4 No. 6167,” “Preservation,” September 2010 Trains.]
When Tom Payne moved his (then )Reading 2100 steam engine from St Thomas ON Canada to the west coast..He had the local welding shop ,weld rail (only 2″ X 2″ I believe) to the deck of a standard four truck heavy duty flat car.Hired a crane ,placed it on the flat car without the tender.As the tender went on a second unit and second water tank the third item.
At the above photo; just place the four truck flat car beside CN 6167 and crane it on the flat car (with the tender on a second flat car ).
Then move it to a community that wants this historic engine.
Just went to YoutTube to play “Old and in the Way”. C’mon Metrolinx/Go//Guelph, railroads were so uniquely important to Canadian history. Celebrate that history. Don’t leave it in the dust. Make something great happen and at the station’s site.
December 2020, and they’re talking not likely to give to another organization because of time frame…that’s over 14 months from now.
That engine needs to be to operation. Come on, Canada, you can do this!
Stupid question, but does dismantling really mean potentially scrapping the locomotive? Would Canadian preservationist and city council really allow such a thing?