Conrad Steeves and Jim O'Donnell - Photos and Conversations

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I Recently had a flurry of emails between Jim O'Donnell and Conrad Steeves over photos that were uploaded so this post to share the digested info with all FYI and for further discussion and to provide a place to link to in reference to this infomation now integrated into the DARDPI wiki.


Steve Meredith asks:
...you have confirmed the conversion of the Pile Driver to the Burro boom car. Jim O'Donnell lists the conversion as done in 1963 FYI. As well, that is an ex-van turned flanger that it is coupled to in front of the Kentville Repair Shop. Do you know why all the siding is off and the windows all broken? Was that when they re-sheathed the building? Was there any incident like a fire or something that precipitated the work or was it just regular maintenance?
http://dardpi.ca/wiki/images/CP_418135_ ... C_1964.jpg

Conrad Steeves answers:
I have nothing official to confirm that the boom car was made from the pile driver - just observing the somewhat unusual design and putting two and two together.
I believe that flanger car was made out of a wooden boxcar. The trucks are at the ends of the car with no room for steps. I am no expert on CP cabooses but I think most cabooses had the cupola offset and not as large as the center one used on flangers. CP had quite a number of them right up to the 1960's.
I don't recall anything about the Repair Shop. It was the first time I had seen it and it just looked like an old building that was no being maintained.

Conrad Steeves asks:
Might anyone know if CP Crane 414292 is DAR Crane 802 renumbered?

Jim O'Donnell answers:
I'm quite sure that CP 414292 is renumbered DAR 802, but have no proof. Like you say, it sure looks like it. In the late 50s they repainted all the remaining DAR equipment to CP numbers, (except the S2s and RDCs), and of course they used vacant CP numbers. In the 1941 MP14, the 150 ton wreck cranes end at #414291 - there was no crane #414292, so it would be logical to use the next available number when renumbering the DAR crane. That's as close as I can come - no proof, but a good case!


Steve Meredith asks:
I couldn't find 402397 in any of the MP14s I have. "Cabin Car" is stencilled on the outside. I assume it's a boarding car but why all the oil on the outside?
http://dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?title=F ... ,_1965.jpg

Conrad Steeves answers:
CP 402397 was an unusual looking car so I took a picture of it. It looks like there might be a couple of oil filler pipes on the side. It would not take much spillage or leakage to make a mess of the wall. On some CN wood sheathed cabooses you could tell where the oil tank was by the stains on the outside. The car could be a combination boarding and fuel car, maybe for the Burro crane operator.


Steve Meredith asks:
Do you have any idea what engine the tender belonged to before it became 415786? Do have any idea what the number of the flatcar is with the wheel sets on it?
http://dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?title=F ... ,_1971.jpg

Conrad Steeves answers:
Tender 415786 came from G5c 4-6-2 number 1251. If I recall correctly there was a plate on the underframe with that number. I did not record the number of the auxiliary flatcar.


Steve Meredith asks:
Was 4042 Burro the same Burro on the DAR always or were there a few? Where did you get that number from? I can't read it from any photo we have of the Burro. Do you know what the flatcar number is?
http://dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?title=F ... ._1965.jpg

Conrad Steeves answers:
The number C4042 was in black just below the white "Burro" on the side of the cab. As far as I know there was only one Burro on the DAR. It was involved in a collision with a Dayliner and I don't know if if survived or not. The flatcar with it is 418150.


Steve Meredith asks:
What's the next gondola number? 352939?
http://dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?title=F ... ,_1964.jpg

Conrad Steeves answers:
The next gypsum car looks like 352939 to me.


Steve Meredith asks:
There was no date on the Herald (photo) and the date on the Annapolis Royal (photo) doesn't agree but is close to the dates on the snowplow. The position of the cars seems identical as does the lighting especially when you look at the reflection off the plow.
http://dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?title=F ... -B0101.jpg
http://dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?title=F ... -B0056.jpg
http://dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?title=F ... -B0089.jpg
http://dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?title=F ... -B0089.jpg

What do you think and what date should we use for them if you agree?

Jim O'Donnell answers:
...as to the correct dates on the plow photos - March 30, "Annapolis Royal" May 11 - I would say they are correct as marked, because although the equipment is all coupled together the same, the Annapolis Royal photo shows a pagewire fence line running alongside, and long grass, while the plow photos show no long grass and no fence. I would say probably the whole string of cars on the storage track was pushed farther along at some point between the two dates.


Steve Meredith asks:
I have also searched the whole web site on the phrase "March 30, 1946" and there are many photos taken that day with no photo credit. Could it be George blew a few rolls of film all on the same say?

Jim O'Donnell answers:
I would say for sure that George would have taken photos of everything in the Kentville yard whenever he got the chance. He was from Truro, so would only get to Kentville once in awhile, and would make good use of the opportunity. It would also be hard to be sure of which date to attach to the plow/parlor car photos because both were on the storage tracks, the plows laid up for the summer, and the parlor car not yet out for it's summer duty, so it would be possible to take photos a month apart and have everything sitting exactly in the same spot as before. I do think it would be a safe bet that all the photos taken on those dates would be George's though. He took a lot of photos, and took a lot of extra shots often, then traded and sold negs all across the country. His photos can come from a lot of different people, and of course can easily come with no credits, wrong locations and dates.

[downeastrailfan]

Steve,

Last time I enquired about George Parks, he was living in the Moncton area. You could contact him directly. If you wish, I might be able to get his phone number. I've never seen him online.

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Great idea. I'll take the info.

[Dan Conlin]

What an interesting flurry of emails. Jim's conclusions make sense to me. I especially agree that Crane 414292 is DAR Crane 802. The wooden cab looks like a custom job and is very close on both cranes.
I am certain however that the repair shop is actually the Machine Shop because of the different windows, siding and the blacksmith shop in the background. Compare to: File:DAR000922a SGM-B0017.jpg.

Dan

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I agree now that I look. I got turned around thinking it was taken from the yard side looking north but I see now it's from the turntable side looking south. The pile driver would be on one of the turntable leads right against the building. That would be the old blacksmith shop and stores in the background. The sand tower is just out of the photo of the left side.
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... -B0017.jpg

That tender turned water tank has got the old block letters. I wonder what engine this came off of. I see from this picture:
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... onnell.jpg
that is is numbered the same as the pile driver 400002! So I guess it's considered the pile driver tender now.