CNR 6167

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     At the moment I have evidence of only a single trip during the month of October and that is the excursion that occurred in Quebec on October 27, 1963. In addition, even though 6167 was quite active during the month of September 1963, none of those trips were in the area of either Caledonia or the Welland Canal. Yet I now have two photos dated November 1963 that show 6167 in action.

     Don McQueen's list has an unconfirmed reference to a possible October 1963 trip, which he thinks may have been sponsored by the York Railway Club. In his list Don quotes a story that appeared in the December 1963 issue of the UCRS Newsletter that recounts the incident where 6167 hit a car on the Grimsby Sub on the way back to Toronto from a Toronto to Niagara Falls excursion. Dave Spiegelman was on the train when this happened, and although he cannot recall the date, he did tell me that the sponsor for the trip was someone other then UCRS. Initially he thought that the accident happened during the Spring of 1963, however, if it did happen at the time, one would wonder why UCRS would wait until December to mention the incident.

     The story is as follows: "Two rather inebriated individuals probably signed pledges after their 1962 model Comet automobile was almost placed in orbit when struck by C.N.'s 6167 at a grade crossing on the Grimsby Subdivision near Jordan Harbour. Fear not, steam fans, damage to the locomotive was about $50, although the automobile was reduced to an unrecognizable pile of scrap iron. So intense was the impact that the auto, thrown against the eastbound tracks, shifted the rails some six inches out of line making the track impassible for eastbound traffic. The auto had been driven off the edge of the crossing planks and the driver and passenger were not able to extricate it before the arrival of 6167 which was hauling the return leg of an excursion from Toronto to Niagara Falls under the sponsorship of the York Railway Club. No one on the train was injured although the wreckage of the auto hit the open express car and showered it and the passengers inside with gasoline which, fortunately, did not ignite." UCRS Newsletter #215, December 1963.

"Here is a shot of 6167 during a photo run past in the big cut near Ohswekon [Onondaga?], Ontario, outside of Caledonia. I don't recall the exact date of the trip, but the photo was developed in November 1963, so the trip was sometime that fall." Photo Courtesy Dan Glenney.

"Attached is a slide that is apparently the same trip crossing the Welland Canal at Thorold.  The date on the slide mount is Nov. 1963, but I think it might have been in late October... On this particular occasion I had not heard anything about a steam trip. I had just coincidently gone to Thorold to watch the ships go through the canal (another passion of mine). Just by dumb luck I happened to be standing near the bridge when the train went through." Photo Courtesy Ken Kraemer.