Gets A Sound Scolding For Railroadin
‘I got scolded by a railroader who calls himself “T.A.” He says I muffed
things when I described the Canadian Pacific’s mountain climbing type, The
Selkirk 5920 series, as “by far the biggest ever to run in Canada”.
‘If you are not a railroader, skip the next
paragraph.
‘T.A. chides me for calling these 5920’s 4-10-4’s
types, when actually their wheel arrangement is o-0000-oo. The Americans
call them Texas Type. Then he notes these 5920’s are the smallest of the
Selkirks. Actually, of course, the first 20 of these engines are the most
rugged, but they are not as handsome as the 5920-5929 class.
‘Then my critical friend asks what became of
the 8000 class. That, I am afraid, is a secret buried in the heart of
President Buck Crump. I well remember the whooping and hollering about
their super locomotive and the CPR then built a wooden staircase up into her
cab, as she stood proudly in Windsor Station. But, alas, somewhere along
the line, the big 8000 must have flopped. For not only did they never
build another, but they actually tore this one to pieces. It is as if she
never existed.
‘I am further told that somebody in the CPR also
ordered destroyed all pictures of the 8000 class. Thus does this Behemoth
join the dead bones of the earlier 2900-2901 class and the 3100-3101 class,
which were spectacular failures. At least, the CPR never built any more of
them.
‘It has always seemed to be strange that the
Canadian Pacific could never develop a high-class engine with four wheels on
both sides. This despite the fact that the CPR’s Pacific’s (oo-000-o) and
Hudson’s (oo-000-oo) were so successful. Yet, the Canadian National rolled
off hundreds of the 6000 to 6200 class with four wheels on each side, thus
oo-0000-oo, as you find them on the 6200’s.
‘Thanks to any non-railroaders who stayed to the
bottom of the column. |