Canadian National 3254 is a class "S-1-b"

2-8-2 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 two trailing wheel ...

Mikado Mikado may refer to: * Emperor of Japan or Arts and entertainment * ''The Mikado'', an 1885 comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan * ''The Mikado'' (1939 film), an adaptation of the opera, directed by Victor Schertzinger * ''The Mikado'' (1967 f ...

" 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 ...

built by the

Canadian Locomotive Company The Canadian Locomotive Company, commonly referred to as CLC, was a Canadian manufacturer of railway locomotives located in Kingston, Ontario. Its works were located on the south side of Ontario Street between William and Gore streets on Kingston' ...

for 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 ...

as the fifth member of the Canadian National class S-1-b.

History

Revenue service

Canadian National 3254 was built in December 1917 by the Canadian Locomotive Company for 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 ...

where it was originally numbered 2854. In 1918, the Canadian Government Railways was merged with 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 ...

to create the

(CN). During a subsequent renumbering process within the locomotive fleet, No. 2854 was renumbered to 3254. The locomotive had considerable pulling power, could climb grades without incident, and was used to pull heavy freight trains. No. 3254 had a mostly uneventful career, the locomotive continued to pull freight trains for CN, until its last major class 3 overhaul was completed in Allendale,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, and it was retired from revenue service in February 1958.

Preservation

After being stored for three years, the locomotive was sold in November 1961 to

motel A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central lobby. Entering dictionaries ...

owner Willis F. Barron, who moved it to

Ashland, Pennsylvania Ashland is a borough in Schuylkill County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, northwest of Pottsville. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. A small part of the borough also lies in Columbia County, although all of the population resided in ...

, and he had intentions to run the locomotive on the

Reading Company The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail. Commonly called ...

's abandoned branchline that served the town. The rails in Ashland were ripped up before Barron's planned venture could begin operation, so he had No. 3254 disassembled, moved via truck, and reassembled at his Ashland Court Motel to be used as a static display. During the 1970s, Barron lost interest in restoring No. 3254 to operating condition, so it was sold to the Adirondack Railroad in Lake Placid,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, but it was never delivered there.

Gettysburg Railroad

In 1982, it was sold again to the

Gettysburg Railroad The Gettysburg Railroad was a railway line in Pennsylvania that operated from 1858 to 1870 over the 17-mile (27 km) main line from the terminus in Gettysburg to the 1849 Hanover Junction. After becoming the Susquehanna, Gettysburg & Poto ...

, who disassembled it to be hauled by truck to Gettysburg. It was subsequently reassembled and restored to operating condition in 1985, and then it began pulling

excursion train 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 ...

s between Gettysburg and Mount Holly Springs. It also participated in that year's

National Railway Historical Society The National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) is a non-profit organization established in 1935 in the United States to promote interest in, and appreciation for the historical development of railroads. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsyl ...

(NRHS) convention alongside

Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad (H&BTM) is a former short line railroad company operating passenger and freight service on standard gauge track in south central Pennsylvania. Operational headquarters were in Huntingdon and Saxton, wit ...

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. ...

No. 38. During its time at Gettysburg, however, the locomotive proved to be oversized and overpowered for the railroad's needs, so it only operated there for a year and a half until it was once again put into storage in 1986.

Steamtown

Meanwhile,

Steamtown National Historic Site Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The museum is buil ...

Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

needed a larger locomotive to meet the demand for greater motive power to pull their longer excursion trains. In August 1987, No. 3254 was moved to Steamtown after they traded

Canadian Pacific 1278 Canadian Pacific 1278 is a class "G5d" 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Canadian Locomotive Company for the Canadian Pacific Railway. History Revenue service Just like sister engine Canadian Pacific 1293, the engine was built ...

and $100,000 for the locomotive. The locomotive was repainted as

Delaware, Lackawanna and Western The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad) was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey (and by ferry with New York City), a distance of . Incorporated in ...

(DLW) No. 1271, and it was put into service that same month. After the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

(NPS) acquired Steamtown, No. 3254 was reverted to its CN appearance. In 1995, the locomotive participated in the grand opening of Steamtown's main roundhouse alongside multiple other locomotives, including

Canadian Pacific 2317 Canadian Pacific 2317 is a class "G-3c" 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works for the Canadian Pacific Railway. History Revenue service After the end of World War I, the Canadian Pacific Railway began re ...

Baldwin Locomotive Works 26 Baldwin Locomotive Works 26 is an 0-6-0 " Switcher" type steam locomotive, it is one of several "stock" switchers equipped with a slope-backed tender. It is currently a part of the operating fleet at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scra ...

Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad 425 Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad 425 is a 4-6-2 light "Pacific" type steam locomotive originally built in 1928 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad. After the GM&N was consolidated into the Gulf, Mo ...

, Susquehanna SY

No. 142, and

Milwaukee Road 261 Milwaukee Road 261 is a class "S3" 4-8-4 " Northern" type steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in Schenectady, New York in July, 1944 for the Milwaukee Road. It was used for heavy mainline freight and passenger work ...

Disposition

Steamtown also owns

Canadian National 3377 Canadian National 3377 is a preserved class " S-1-d" 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive currently on display at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania. History Canadian National 3377 was built in 1919 by the Canadian L ...

, which became a spare parts provider for the locomotive. The tender from No. 3377 replaced No. 3254 original tender in 2010 due to rust leaks; the original tender would later be scrapped. As a result of issues with either the

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...

firebox Firebox may refer to: *Firebox (steam engine), the area where the fuel is burned in a steam engine *Firebox (architecture), the part of a fireplace where fuel is combusted *Firebox Records, a Finnish 8101705801record label * Firebox.com, an electro ...

or the

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

, combined with other needed maintenance which made further operation impractical, the locomotive made its last run on December 2, 2012. It was taken out of service after the 2012 holiday season, and it was subsequently awaiting its 1,472 day inspection and rebuild. Steamtown later decided to officially retire it from excursion service indefinitely due to its poor condition. The early retirement is likely attributed due to its bent

of its 1941 collision, it has frequently been described as a "rough rider," and had been chewing up bearings at an accelerated rate. It also consumed a staggering amount of

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

compared to the amount consumed by

. As of 2022, the engine still remains on static display, with no plans on returning to service anytime soon, due to its poor condition and bent frame.

Boston and Maine 3713 Boston and Maine 3713, also known as the "Constitution", is the sole survivor of the "P-4a" class 4-6-2 "Heavy Pacific" type steam locomotives. It was built by the Lima Locomotive Works for the Boston and Maine Railroad in December 1934. As of 202 ...

will be replacing No. 3254 as Steamtown's main line excursion locomotive once restored to operation. Additionally, despite being used for parts, sister locomotive No. 3377 will be the next candidate restoration.

1941 accident

On July 24, 1941, the engine collided head on with Great Northern Railway

1351 Year 1351 ( MCCCLI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 14 – Edward III of England institutes the Treason Act 1351, defining tre ...

at North Road cut near

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

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, ...

. The accident caused the engine's

horns to be bent with the frame itself also being bowed to one side, causing the cab to sit off-centered. Despite being badly damaged with a bent frame after the accident, CN loosely repaired the locomotive and it continued service.

Gallery

File:EM DSC 0862 (2733431120).jpg, No. 3254 inside the Steamtown roundhouse in 2008. File:Steamtown NHS-27527-6.jpg, No. 3254 at

in June 2011. File:Steamtown NHS Train.JPG, No. 3254 with a

at Steamtown. File:Full Steam Ahead (in color) (6118321010).jpg, No. 3254 hauling an excursion train in September 2011. File:The Souvenirs and Food are Ready (6117784123).jpg, No. 3254 when it slowed to a stop in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

weekend, 2011. File:3254 in the yard.jpg, No. 3254 at the Steamtown yard.

References

{{Reflist 2-8-2 locomotives Individual locomotives of Canada 3254 Preserved steam locomotives of Canada CLC locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Standard gauge locomotives of Canada Railway locomotives introduced in 1917 Preserved steam locomotives of Pennsylvania