Canadian National 1392 is a preserved

4-6-0 A 4-6-0 steam locomotive, under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, has four leading wheels on two axles in a leading bogie and six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles with the abse ...

"ten-wheeler" type

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

. It was built in 1913 by the

Montreal Locomotive Works Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883 to 1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomotive ...

originally for the Canadian Northern Railway before it was absorbed into the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

. No. 1392 became famous in later years for pulling a plethora of small

excursion trains An excursion train is a chartered train run for a special event or purpose. Examples are trains to major sporting event, trains run for railfans or tourists, and special trains operated by the railway company for employees and prominent customer ...

throughout

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

. As of 2023, the locomotive is owned and operated by the Alberta Railway Museum and is based in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

History

Revenue service

No. 1392 was constructed by the Montreal Locomotive Works in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

in April 1913 as one of fifty-six H-6-g class 4-6-0 "ten-wheeler" type locomotives built for the

Canadian Northern Railway The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. Mani ...

(CNoR). The locomotive was initially assigned to pull

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...

s throughout the

Canadian Province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

of Alberta. In 1918, the CNoR merged with the

Canadian Government Railways Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

(and later the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rai ...

) to form the

(CN), and No. 1392 and its classmates were subsequently relettered under the CN flag. The locomotive was reassigned by CN to pull passengers and mixed

freight trains Rail freight transport is the use of railroads and trains to transport cargo as opposed to human passengers. A freight train, cargo train, or goods train is a group of freight cars (US) or goods wagons ( International Union of Railways) haule ...

throughout various parts of Central and Western Canada. As larger locomotives were added to the roster, No. 1392 was reassigned once more to pull trains on branch lines in Alberta and

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. In October 1954, No. 1392 was converted to burn oil, as opposed to coal. The locomotive was leased to the

Northern Alberta Railway Northern Alberta Railways was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Jointly owned by both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, NAR existed as a separate company from 1929 until 19 ...

(NAR) on May 31, 1957, where it was reassigned to pull short-distance work trains and weed trains throughout Alberta. No. 1392 was retired from revenue service in June 1958, and it was thereafter donated to the City of Edmonton, who decided to move it to the Edmonton Exhibition grounds for static display.

Preservation

During its time on static display, No. 1392 was meticulously maintained by members of the

Canadian Railroad Historical Association The Canadian Railroad Historical Association (CRHA) (french: L'Association canadienne d'histoire ferroviaire (ACHF)) is a non-profit organization established in 1932 in Canada and is "devoted to preserving and interpreting Canada's railway heritage ...

(CRHA) Rocky Mountain Branch, in order to remain as clean and presentable to the general public as possible. In 1970, the locomotive was acquired by the recently-formed Alberta Pioneer Railway Association (APRA), and the locomotive was thereafter moved from the exhibition grounds to the Association's nearby location at the

Edmonton Transit System The Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) (previously known as Edmonton Transit System) is the public transit service owned and operated by the City of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. It operates Edmonton's bus and light rail systems. In , the system had ...

(ETS) Cromdale Car Barn with the hopes of restoring it to operational status, and restoration work began in 1972. Work was completed in 1974, and No. 1392 was fired up and moved under its own steam for the first time under private ownership. The following year, 1975, the APRA relocated their equipment from the ETS car barn to a site that was part of CN's abandoned Coronado subdivision. The site was opened to the public two years later, with No. 1392 being one of the locomotives to be used to pull the museum's regular short-distance tourist trains. CN 1392-1

The locomotive subsequently became one of the most popular attractions in the association's collection, and it was later joined by CN

4-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels. This type of steam locomotive is commonly known as t ...

"Mountain" type No. 6060. No. 1392 subsequently participated in several special events during its excursion career. During the

1986 World Exposition The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo 86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from May 2 until October 13, 1986. The fair, the theme of which was "Transportation and Communicatio ...

, No. 1392, along with No. 6060, was sent to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

to take part in the Steam Expo '86 event, where a plethora of other steam locomotives also participated. Both locomotives returned to Edmonton, once the exposition was over. In 1993, the APRA, which by then changed its name to the Alberta Railway Museum (ARM), celebrated the 25th anniversary of its founding, and No. 1392 participated in the event. The locomotive also participated in the 35th anniversary in 2003. In 2005, during the Centennial of Alberta becoming a Province, No. 1392 pulled a commemorative excursion train through

Slave Lake Slave Lake is a town in northern Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124. It is approximately northwest of Edmonton. It is located on the southeast shore of Lesser Slave Lake at the junction o ...

, McLennan,

Peace River The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in th ...

, Edmonton, and

Boyle Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include: Disambiguation *Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...

. In 2013, the ARM celebrated No. 1392's 100th birthday. In 2017, several events were held to celebrate the Bicentennial of Canada, and the ARM celebrated by sending Numbers 1392 and 6060 to

Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions is a heritage railway originating in Stettler, Alberta. The train runs between Stettler and Big Valley. The trips last five to six hours, with a stopover (all excursions include a buffet meal). Many trains are ...

' (APR) location in Stettler. In mid-June of that year, the No. 1392 and its tender were loaded on two separate flatbeds, and they were shipped by truck, before they were unloaded upon arrival in Stettler. Between June 28 and July 5, No. 1392 pulled commemorative trains between Stettler and Big Valley alongside the APR's own steam locomotive,

2-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels. ...

"Consolidation" No. 41 (formerly Mississippian No. 77), while No. 6060 was put on display. After the commemorations ended, Numbers 1392 and 6060 were both returned to Edmonton. In November 2017, No. 1392 was removed from service and disassembled in preparation for its mandated 5-year inspection. The locomotive passed the inspection with a minimal amount of components required to be replaced. It was thereafter reassembled and repainted, and in July 2018, it returned to service to pull the ARM's tourist trains. In late 2019, however, No. 1392 was removed from service once more, due to leaky tubes being discovered inside its boiler. As of 2023, No. 1392 is sitting out of service, waiting for some minor repairs in order to operate again.

Film history

The No. 1392 locomotive has appeared in a few

feature films A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

and

television shows A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

since its return to service. * No. 1392 was used to pull a freight train during filming of the 1978

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

Days of Heaven ''Days of Heaven'' is a 1978 American romantic period drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick, and starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard and Linda Manz. Set in 1916, it tells the story of Bill and Abby, lovers who travel t ...

'', starring

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...

Linda Manz Linda Manz (August 20, 1961 – August 14, 2020) was an American actress. She made her feature film debut at age 15 in Terrence Malick's acclaimed period drama ''Days of Heaven'' (1978), playing an adolescent girl growing up in rural Texas in 19 ...

, and Brooke Adams, and it was directed by

Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick (born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. His films include '' Days of Heaven'' (1978), '' The Thin Red Line'' (1998), for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenp ...

. The film won four awards after its release. *No. 1392 was seen pulling a short consist in the 1987

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

The Gunfighters ''The Gunfighters'' is the seventh serial of the third season in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 30 April to 21 May 1966. The serial is set in and around the to ...

'', starring

George Kennedy George Harris Kennedy Jr. (February 18, 1925 – February 28, 2016) was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 film and television productions. He played "Dragline" opposite Paul Newman in ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), winning the Academ ...

and

Anthony Addabbo Anthony Addabbo (September 14, 1960 – October 18, 2016) was an American actor and model. Early years Addabbo was born on September 14, 1960, in Coral Gables. He grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Addabbo wanted to become a tree surgeon. He ...

, and it was directed by

Clay Borris Clay Borris (born March 31, 1950) is a Canadian film and television director and screenwriter."Cabbagetown kid makes good". ''The Globe and Mail'', May 18, 1981. He is most noted for his 1981 film '' Alligator Shoes'', for which he was a shortliste ...

. *No. 1392 was briefly filmed for the 1989

Independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

''Bye Bye Blues'', starring

Rebecca Jenkins Rebecca Jenkins (born 1959) is a Canadian actress and singer. Acting She had starring roles in the 1990s CBC series ''Black Harbour'', and the films '' Bye Bye Blues'', '' Marion Bridge'', ''Wilby Wonderful'', ''Whole New Thing'', ''South of W ...

and

Michael Ontkean Michael Leonard Ontkean (born 24 January 1946) is a retired Canadian actor. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Ontkean relocated to the United States to attend the University of New Hampshire on a hockey scholarship before pursuing ...

, and it was directed by

Anne Wheeler Anne Wheeler, OC, (born September 23, 1946) is a Canadian film and television writer, producer, and director. Biography Graduating in Mathematics from the University of Alberta she was a computer programmer before traveling abroad. Her years o ...

. *In 1996, No. 1392 was filmed while pulling a short passenger train for the

CanWest Global Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate name Canwest, was a major Canadian media conglomerate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place. It held radio, television broadcasting an ...

television series ''Jake and the Kid'', and it subsequently appeared in the 19th episode, ''What's Real'', when it aired in June 1997. The series starred

Benedict Campbell Benedict Campbell (born June 12, 1957) is a Canadian actor whose work has consisted primarily of providing voices for television cartoons, video games and acting on stage, particularly at Canada's Stratford Festival between 1965 and 2000. Early i ...

and

Shaun Johnston Shaun Johnston is a Canadian movie and theatre actor best known for his role as Jack Bartlett on the CBC drama ''Heartland'', which debuted in October 2007. He co-founded the Shadow Theatre in Edmonton and made his first professional forays i ...

, and it won a total of five awards. *In 2002, No. 1392 was decorated as a 19th century locomotive to appear in the 2003 Western television film '' Monte Walsh'', starring

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations f ...

Isabella Rossellini Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (born 18 June 1952) is an Italian-American actress, author, philanthropist, and model. The daughter of the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and the Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is noted ...

, and

Keith Carradine Keith Ian Carradine ( ; born August 8, 1949) is an American actor who has had success on stage, film, and television. He is known for his roles as Tom Frank in Robert Altman's film ''Nashville'', Wild Bill Hickok in the HBO series '' Deadwood ...

, and it was directed by

Simon Wincer Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

References

{{reflist 4-6-0 locomotives Preserved steam locomotives of Canada Individual locomotives of Canada Standard gauge locomotives of Canada Steam locomotives of Canada 1392 Canadian Northern Railway MLW locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1913

History

Revenue service

Preservation

Film history

See also

References