UP Alco FA's sealed the fate of 65 CPR Steam Locos stored for strategic reserve

[Miningman]

Not so sure about that. The water tank is clearly visible. A awful lot of infrastructure to support steam was still intact because it needed to be matched to the strategic reserve. 

I can see this as a decision by management, in their 1964 suits, smoking away like madmen, greasy slicked back hair trying to wash their hands from the past. 

Can you imagine if the steam decision was made.. we would still be talking about that famous time. 

[Overmod]

Miningman

I despised these covered wagons that were dug out of the scrap line in Cheyenne, Wyoming, since their lease prevented the return of steam to handle a huge increase of traffic exporting wheat to Russia during a failed crop season there.

And today we'd see railfan pilgrimages, likely from many sources that know or care little about Canadian steam, to see matched sets of FAs in service...

I suspect by 1964, when the pictures are dated, there was no longer enough established 'infrastructure' to support 65 steam locomotives in ordinary for-profit freight service.

Pity Canada was an affluent country, unlike Poland under the Warsaw Pact where large "reserves" of steam locomotives could be indefinitely justified as part of national policy...

[Miningman]

So what if the CPR activated their strategic reserve of 65 steam locomotives instead of leasing this junk from the UP. 

Well they would have been the darlings of the media for quite some time. Railfans and average folk would throng to the tracks in scores. Passenger service, what was left, would see a marked boost, just out of gratitude and remeberance. No amount of advertising or goodwill could have matched that decision. 

I think it would have been very easy to do. Roundhouses were still intact, water and coal towers still intact, a skilled and very excited workforce was still around. I'm sure there would be some clitches and gremlins at the start but soon ironed out. 

It's too bad this didn't happen. They kept the strategic reserve for a reason. There is your reason. You think the CPR would know what they are doing. I say they chickened out. 

If only! I say they made a tactical error and missed a golden opportunity to make history. 

[Miningman]

I despised these covered wagons that were dug out of the scrap line in Cheyenne, Wyoming, since their lease prevented the return of steam to handle a huge increase of traffic exporting wheat to Russia during a failed crop season there. No others could be found anywhere. They had to be kept together and not m.u ed with other units due to their having manual transition something our engineers were not familiar with causing them difficulties. Furthermore, they were well-worn and had to be given a 10% tonnage reduction even in summer! It would have to be a pretty bad winter in southern Ontario to apply a tonnage reduction to our power. About 65 steam engines were held from scrapping as a strategic reserve. Sad! -- CPR Engineer

Leased power 

UP_1616_1601 with engineer looking back. 

 

UP 1627

UP 1641 

1637 with 3 B units and a fifth unit likely another A unit.

Note Water Tank Tower in background .. one pic shows full the other pic empty

This was a MLW/Alco stronghold 

Alco 4003 FA1 sits next to Locomotive Department office building. 
MLW FA1 4021 with an RS-3 behind it on another shop track. 
Water tank indicates full. Bunkhouse is hidden next to it. 

Alco FA1 4006 (76858 6/1949) and MLW FA1 4017 (77312 8/1950) with other diesels on the shop tracks. 
Note the float level indicating an empty water tank in the background. The CPR is dieselized. 
7/06/1961 Peter A Cox