Steam & Excursion > A Canadian Crew in 1957

I used to ride this CPR N-2A 2-8-0 almost everyday after school. I borrowed my dad's Kodak Brownie a couple of times and took several roles of Anscochrome.

Thankfully, Photoshop has enabled me to restore most of the badly faded and reddened slides.

Here is a pic from 1957. 3647 switched the Robin Hood Flour Mill in downtown Calgary.

The crew is Jack McGinnes, Fireman and L.C. Bowman, Engineer. They were great guys.

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Great picture. Interesting how these steam guys have on light colored "bibs" and very clean looking. It almost appears that the fireman has on a tie???? Was this hand fired or stoker?

Looking at the tender I'd say oil.

3647 was an oil burner. The regular crew were old heads who had enough seniority to hold down a cozy yard job.

This engine was running out the flue time. I was retired in 1958. A brand new FM Trainmaster replaced it, of course I didn't take any pics of the shiny new diesel.

You can see how dirty and tired this engine really was in this pic. This pic is just west of the flour mill next to a team track. The flour mill straddled 4th St. along 9th Ave. The Gulf Tower occupies that location today.

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I didn't know you spent part of your youth in Canada. Were you born there?

Topfuel Wrote:
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> I didn't know you spent part of your youth in
> Canada. Were you born there?

No, my dad worked for Richfield Oil Co. and he was transferred there as Divisional Accountant in January of 1956. The rest of the family moved to Calgary in June after school was out. I had just finished 10th grade and started 11th grade in Calgary. Interesting learning experience. Their version of the American Revolution is quite different than ours, their literature differs, I had taken 1st year Spanish in California, but they didn't offer Spanish so I was placed in 2nd year French. That didn't work out very well, but I did pass and graduate. I came back to California and Joined the Navy in 1959.

Calgary was a great experience and I'm still in touch with a high school train buddy.

Tominde Wrote:
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> Great picture. Interesting how these steam guys
> have on light colored "bibs" and very clean
> looking. It almost appears that the fireman has
> on a tie???? Was this hand fired or stoker?


Back then, guys used to just put their overalls on over their suit and tie. We've had a few guys that used to wear white overalls and never had a smudge on them. Don't know how they did it. I can't even get on the engine without getting dirty.