Ottawa Railway History Circle

Finding No. 55    Bytown and Prescott Railway Locomotives

Notes prepared by David Jeanes supplemented by research of Maj. Robert Elliott provided by David Knowles
No.NameMfgr [1]c/nwheelweight (ton)driver (in)cylinders [2]In serviceOut of service CPR No.
1:1OxfordHinkley5150-4-01848 (46)11.5x208 May 18541875-
Ottawa Citizen 13 May 1854. Heads Up.
The first locomotive for the Bytown and Prescott Railway company arrived at the depot in this village last evening.  The name of this locomotive is the "Oxford", and it was manufactured at the "Boston Locomotive Works" of Hinckley and Drury.  It is a beautiful piece of workmanship and we long to see it hitched on to a train of cars, steaming and whistling away between Ottawa and the St. Lawrence. Republican (Ogdensburg) May 9.  Also in the Brockville Recorder 18 May 1854.
Ottawa Citizen  27 May 1854  On the 19th inst the new locomotive "Oxford" for the Bytown and Prescott Railway crossed the St. Lawrence and was placed upon the track.  It is said that this iron steed is one of first rate workmanship and those who are competent to give an opinion and who have seen the other engines and cars now at Ogdensburgh, declare that they are superior to anything in America. A number of gravel and lumber cars have also been ferried over and the iron is being laid as fast as circumstances will admit of.  In the month of August next we shall have the iron coursers snorting and pawing the Bytown.
First train to Ottawa, Christmas Day 1854 (as reported in 1954), replaced later by "New Oxford"
Presume scrapped.
1:2OxfordPortland3270-4-0244413x18 May 1875May 1895328
Sold ($1,000) to J.W. Howey & Son, Fenelon Falls.5/1895. To Victoria Harbor Lumber #2:1. Presume scrapped
2St. LawrenceHinkley5264-4-0305414x228 July 1854December1887327
Ottawa Citizen  15 July 1854.  On Saturday, two splendid locomotives, named St. Lawrence and Ottawa, together with several gravel cars, were brought over the river and placed upon the track of the Bytown and Prescott Railway.  Prescott Telegraph.
Ottawa Citizen 26 August 1854  Detailed account of an excursion to Kemptville 16 August 1854, exerpt:
At the depot at Prescott, we found the locomotive St. Lawrence most gaudily dressed in holiday clothes, trimmed with flowers, evergreens and flags. The stars and stripes, on equal footing with the cross of St. George, floating on either side of engine and tender.  Three passenger and three platform cars, capable of carrying over one hundred passengers each constituted the train.
First engine across the Rideau River after the bridge had been stabilized. Brockville Recorder26  April 1855 . The railway bridge over the river at the east end of the city is now in a condition to allow the trains to pass over it.  The "St. Lawrence," one of the Company's heaviest locomotives, passed over it several times yesterday.  The work is firm and secure.  The passengers by the mail train this evening will be landed in the city, near Carleton street, and hereafter, passengers will not have to pass over the Rideau to get to and from the cars.  Citizen.
 Scrapped Montreal.
3:1OttawaHinkley5254-4-0305414x228 July 18541881?
Last reported in service12 May 1881. Ottawa Free Press 12 May 1881 The headlight of the locomotive "Ottawa" caught fire last evening at the St. Lawrence & Ottawa Railway yard, owing to it being overfull of oil.  The blaze was extinguished before any damage of consequence could result.
See also Ottawa Citizen note for No. 2

Desribed wrongly in 1924 as the first engine on the Bytown & Prescott, (erroneous report in 1979 that #2 was first to McTaggart Station on Christmas Day 1854).
Lavallee says disposed December 1887

LAC C 5288
The man standing beside the engine is Robert Graham, the engineer. A brother of Robt. Graham was proprietor of the old Grand Union hotel, the well known John Graham. The figure standing between the engine and tender is Mike Mahar, the fireman. The picture was taken in August 1861 near the King street crossing in Lower Town. It was taken by G. W. Edmondson.
Picture from Mr: J. E. Dolman. 78 Elm street. (Ottawa Citizen 6 September 1924)
3:2GrenvillePortland?4-4-0?6215x2417 December 1881Dec 1887325
Named for county of Grenville?  Scrapped October 1894. Boiler to Windsor for heating
4:1Bytown Later Colonel ByHinkley5414-4-0306614x20October 18541875-
The Times, Ottawa, 22 February 1875, A new locomotive arrived on Saturday for the use of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Railway.  It will replace the "Col. By," and will retain the same name.Last reported in service November 1880?
4:2Colonel ByPortland?4-4-0?6816x22February 1875May 1895323
Ottawa Free Press, 6 February 1875 The St. Lawrence & Ottawa Railway Company, with their wonted enterprise, are having a new passenger engine built at the Portland Locomotive Company's works.  It will be called the "Colonel By" and will take the place of the old engine of that name.
5:1PrescottHinkley?4-4-0266614x20November 18571875-
Presume scrapped
5:2Countess of DufferinPortland?4-4-0?6916x229 September 187528 March 1891324
Named after the wife of the Governor General 1872-1878
Ottawa Free Press, 9 September 1875 A fine new passenger locomotive, called the "Countess of Dufferin," was placed in the St. Lawrence & Ottawa R.R. this morning.  It is a handsome piece of workmanship and was attached to the ten o'clock train.
Ottawa Free Press, 8 October 1881
The splendid locomotive Countess of Dufferin, belonging to the St. Lawrence & Ottawa Railway, which has been in the Grand Trunk workshops for some time past, getting reconstructed, returned to the city last evening, bringing in the 855 train from the east.  Engineer Hiram Loomis assumes  control of the Countess once more.
Sold ($3,000) to Great Eastern Railway No. 4.
6Thomas ReynoldsKingston534-4-0?6015x225 September 1869December 1887330
Ottawa Citizen, 6 September 1866 Another new locomotive has been turned out of the Canadian Engine and Machinery Company's Foundry at Kingston, which for beautiful construction is not equaled in Canada.  It is named the "Thomas Reynolds" after the manager of the Ottawa and Prescott Railway.  This engine makes the tenth completed in the foundry this year.  We had a look at the locomotive yesterday at the station here and must pronounce it a beautifully constructed one and apparently of great power.
Converted as first coal burner in August 1875,
Royal Trains 1869, 1878
Ottawa Free Press 1 June 1881 The Countess of Dufferin, Hi Loomis' locomotive, is still in the G.T. shops in Montreal, but will be on the road next week.
Scrapped in Montreal

Photo Kemptville 1874 (LAC PA-207337)
7Jos. RobinsonKingston544-4-0?6215x2226 October 1866December 1877329
Ottawa Citizen, 27 October 1866 Yesterday, Mr. T.S. Detlor, superintendent of the Ottawa and Prescott Railway, along with Mr. Dame of the locomotive department of the road, came in from Prescott with a new engine, the "Jos. Robinson", manufactured at Kingston, for the purpose of testing her power and speed.  They expressed themselves as highly satisfied with the trial.  They left with her again for Prescott at four o'clock in the afternoon, having twenty-eight loaded freight cars attached.
Named after major shareholder of Ebbw Vale Company, mortgage holder of the railway which aquired the railway at auction in November 1865
Scrapped in Montreal. Lavallee says disposed December 1887
8Lady LisgarTaunton5204-4-0?6316x2420 December 187023 December 1889321
Named after wife of the Governor General 1868-1872
The Times, Ottawa, 16 December 1870 The Taunton locomotive and new car will be placed on the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Railway track on the 20th instant, and we believe the event will be celebrated by a dinner.  The car will be entitled "The Ottawa" and the engine "Lady Lisgar"
Ottawa Free Press 1 June 1881 The St. Lawrence & Ottawa Railway locomotive Lady Lisgar, has been entirely reconstructed at the Kingston workshops, and is now one of the best on the road.  The Lady Lisgar in charge of George Brackenbury, a practical engineer. 
9Lucy DaltonTaunton5964-4-0?6316x2415 January 187321 July 1890322
Ottawa Citizen 14 February 1872 A new locomotive has been ordered for the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Railway, to be named "Lucy Dalton", as a mark of respect to Lady Lisgar's niece.
L
ady Lisgar was the wife of the Governor General
The Times Ottawa 12 February 1872 A new locomotive has been ordered for the St. L. & O.R.  It will be named "Lucy Dalton".
The Times Ottawa 15 January 1873 A new engine for the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Railway arrived at Ogdensburg and will be brought across the River today.  It is named the Lucy Dalton, and was built in Taunton, Mass.  It is a splendid piece of workmanship, and will be running in the course of this week.
Canadian Tribune 8 Februart 1873 We have much pleasure in noticing the new Engine just arrived for the St. L. & O. RR., which is very appropriately named "Lucy Dalton" after Miss Dalton, the Governor-General's niece.  It is a very fine looking engine and promises to be a very good one.
Rebuilt at Kingston 1880-1881
Sold to Parry Sound Colonization Railway as No. 1

First locomotive on the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway.

Photo Kemptville 1879 or 1881.(LAC MIKAN #3623266)
Ottawa Citizen 29 November 1924 Steamboat Express
The picture of the steamboat express (photo also enclosed by Mr. Dolman) was taken at Kemptville about the year 1879. The engine was a wood burner of the later type and was considered a great engine. It was built at Taunton, Mass. in 1872 and was all covered with brass and beautifully painted and varnished, as all the engines were in those days. This engine was named Lucy Dalton.
The engineer standing between engine and tender is Geo. Wallace, who afterwards ran on the C.P.R. and is now dead.
Fireman Norman Bertrand is in the cab window; conductor, Con. O'Leary.
10Calvin Dame (not Darne)Kingston2084-4-0?6215x248 July 1876November 1881326
Calvin Dame was superintendent of the locomotive and car works at Prescott.
Scrapped at Montreal Laballee says disposed December 1887.
11Chaudiere (not Chaudleie)Slaughter4384-4-040.7 (45)6417x2419 November 1881May 1892320
Built 1861 as North London Railway No. 101
Ottawa Free Press, 21 November 1881 The new freight engine, built in England for the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Railway, arrived here yesterday morning, having made a satisfactory run.
Scrapped in Montreal, boiler to McNeill coal mines, Alberta, 23 May 1892
?Turtle KingstonDecember 1881
Ottawa Free Press 12 December 1881 The new St. Lawrence & Ottawa Railway locomotive, Turtle, built at Kingston came into the city the first time today.  She will draw freight.
11 locomotives on the roster at the CPR acquisition in 1882.

[1] Manufacturers
Hinkley and Drury, Boston, MA
Canadian Engine and Machinery Company, Kingston, ON
Portland Company, Portland ME
Slaghter, Gruning and Co. Bristol England
Taunton Manufacturing Company, Taunton, MA

[2] Cylinders in inches, bore x stroke


This Page Updated 5 November 2020