Excursion to Rawdon © 2005 Glenn F. Cartwright Photos by Doug Brown (Andrew Brown Collection from R.D. Brown  Transportation Library)

---

 

It was a sunny autumn day on October 2, 1955, and the Canadian Railroad Historical Association ran its first  steam excursion, from Montreal to Rawdon, Quebec, on Canadian National Railways using steam locomotive 674.  The  scenes here were photographed by Mr. Doug Brown.

Engine 674 had an interesting history. Though it was the sister engine of 713, one was built in the 1800s and the other in the 1900s. That is to say, 674 was constructed around November, 1899 and her sister 713 in February 1900.  Later, it was engine 674 that was the locomotive selected to haul the Museum Train in the 1950s. Still later, it  was assigned to snow plow service.  It was involved in a serious accident and scrapped.
On arriving at Rawdon, the locomotive separated from the train and proceeded towards the "Armstrong" turntable (so called because of the strong arms needed to manually turn the engine), to be turned in preparation for its return trip to Montreal.   

Passenger Doug Brown, one of the organizers of the trip, remembers that "To satisfy requests for photos, the turning of the turntable with the locomotive was stopped at the mid-point of the turning circle and then the water in the tender shifted which caused the tilt and subsequent jamming of the centre "king" pin. "

"With only a few feet of track available on the turntable the engineer moved 674 "back and forth" to get the water in the tender horizontal which in turn caused the tender and turntable to resume their normal positions. The turntable was then moved to complete it's turning circle and 674 proceeded off the turntable as if nothing had happened."   Doug's complete set of slides photographically documenting this excursion can be found here.  

Once off the cantankerous table, the locomotive  ran around the train, and coupled up.  

With Henry Hannah's house and barn presiding over the autumn scene, engine 674 pulled out of Rawdon, steamed across the Rawdon Trestle over the Ouareau River, and  headed for home. 

The C.R.H.A News Report  No. 60 of October 1955 has a short article about the trip.  To read the original article, click here.