No. 6060 was built in 1944 and was used in mainline excursion service in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, the locomotive is owned by the Rocky Mountain Rail Society and housed at the Alberta Prairie Railway in Stettler, about 50 miles east of Red Deer. The streamlined 4-8-2 last ran in 2011, when boiler issues sidelined the locomotive.
No. 6060 and its sisters were built for passenger service and were dubbed “Bullet Nosed Bettys” for their streamlined noses.
Rich Graydon, spokesperson for the Rocky Mountain Rail Society, says the group recently completed a complete evaluation of the locomotive and found that it needs both boiler and running gear work. The running gear work will happen at the Alberta Prairie and the boiler work will be contracted out. Graydon estimates the work will cost between $750,000 and $1 million.
“If we can raise that money we’ll be able to get her running again,” Graydon tells Trains News Wire.
For more information, go to 6060.org. To donate, visit the group’s GoFundMe page.
BTW there are some fine action pix of “Bettys” in DPM & Phil Hastings Kalmbach published “The Mohawk That Refused To Abdicate…” Out of print, but worth searching for.
“Bullet Nose Betty” is an appropriate moniker for what actually is a semi-streamlined loco.
Wow. That’s a really pretty locomotive. Hope they can raise that money.
She was the first live steam loco I saw in 1976. She came from Montreal to La Malbaie,Qc., on September 25 of that year. La Malbaie is along the old Murray Bay sub. This is where the leaders of the world got together last year during the G-7; for some, and me, the most scenic part of Québec. I also rode behind her in 78, between Toronto and Nisgara Falls. CN ran her at near 80mph. She is really elegant and should run again. Not just in Stettler, but on the main line…now that EHH is gone.
Bertrand Dion, AKA Ferrophile
St-Irénée…along the Murray Bay sub.
It would be great to see it back in steam. I was lucky enough to see it in Spadina Avenue Roundhouse in Toronto in June 78 and was imprssed by it then.
Jamie
CN or someone should also restore CN 6218 or 6167, both of which have sat dormant for far too long. Where’s your corporate pride, CN? EHH isn’t there anymore to hold you back.
CN itself should have some cojones and restore one of the DM&IR Yellowstones now that the Missabe is part of the system…….