Confederation locomotive

CN 6153 Class U-2-c on display at the Canadian Railway Museum in Delson/Saint-Constant, Quebec

The Confederation type was a large locomotive type with a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement used on Canadian railroads. Most were built by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in Montreal, Quebec, and the Canadian Locomotive Company (CLC) in Kingston, Ontario, for the Canadian National Railway (CNR). The "Confederation" type was later given the more common designation "Northern" type. They were the backbone of the CNR locomotive fleet from the 1930s to the 1950s.^[1] Eight locomotives of this type have been preserved from the CNR and 2 CPR fleets.

CN 6400 used roller bearing boxes on all running and tender axles, with bearings made by SKF of Sweden.^[2] CN ordered 155 U-2 Classes from 1927-1944 . CN also ordered 5 U-4a’s in 1936 and the GTW ordered 36 U-3 Classes from 1927-1943. The GTW ordered 5 U-4b’s in 1938 . In total of 203 were built for CN and the GTW. All 203 locomotives remained in service until they were retired between 1953 and 1959 . A few have survived into preservation which are CN 6153, CN 6167, CN 6200, CN 6213, CN 6218 and CN 6400 and two from the GTW survived as well which is GTW 6323 & GTW 6325 .

List Of Sub Classes

U-2-a : Built : 1927 were numbered 6100-6119

U-2-b : Built : 1927 were numbered 6120-6139

U-2-c : Built  : 1929 were numbered 6140-6159

U-2-d : Built  : 1936 were numbered 6160-6164

U-2-e : Built  : 1940 were numbered 6165-6179

U-2-f : Built  : 1940 were numbered 6180-6189

U-2-g : Built  : 1943 were numbered 6200-6234

U-2-h : Built : 1944 were numbered 6235-6264

U-3-a : Built : 1927 were numbered 6300-6311

U-3-b : Built : 1943-1944 were numbered 6312-6336

U-4-a : Built : 1936 were numbered : 6400-6404

U-4-b : Built : 1938 were numbered : 6405-6410

CP built its own K1a 4-8-4's in 1928 at their own Angus Shops they were numbered 3100-3101 the only two built . Both remained in service until both retired in 1955 and both are preserved .

Preservation

CN 6153 : On display at the CNR Museum .

CN 6167 : On display at downtown Guelph .

CN 6200 : On display at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa .

CN 6213: On display at downtown Toronto at the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre .

CN 6218 : On display at Fort Erie Railroad Museum at Fort Erie, Ontario .

CN 6400 : On display at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa .

GTW 6323 : On display at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois .

GTW 6325 : Owned by the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio .

CP 3100 : On display at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa .

CP 3101 : On display at EVRAZ (formerly IPSCO Steel) Regina, Saskatchewan .

In fiction[]

The character Vinnie (voiced by John Schwab) from the popular series Thomas and Friends is based on a Canadian National U-4-a, using the number of a GTW U-4-b.

Gallery[]

• 

  CN 6167 Class U-2-e on display at Guelph, Ontario

• 

  CN 6400 Class U-4-a on display at the 1939 New York World's Fair "Railroads on Parade" exhibit

• 

  CN 6218 pulling an excursion train out of Chicago, Illinois in 1966

• 

  CN 6213 Class U-2-g on display at Roundhouse Park in Toronto, Ontario

References[]

External links[]

• CN "Confederations" at Steam Locomotive.com - retrieved 11 May 2008
• CP "Confederations" at Steam Locomotive.com - retrieved 11 May 2008
• CN 6153 at Steam Locomotive.info - retrieved 11 May 2008
• CN 6167 at GHRA.ca - retrieved 25 May 2008
• CN 6200 at Railpictures.net - retrieved 19 May 2008
• CN 6218 at the - retrieved 19 May 2008
• CN 6400 (and others) photo gallery - retrieved 12 May 2008
• CP 3100 at Railroadforums.com - retrieved 19 May 2008
• CP 3101 at Railarchive.net - retrieved 19 May 2008