DAR0025

Dominion Atlantic Railway Steam Locomotive No. 25, Strathcona, Pontgravé.

Wheel Arrangement: 4-4-0

Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in March 1901.

• Builder No. 18988
• 18" x 24" cylinders
• 66" drivers.

Modifications and Changes (as noted from photos)

• Smoke Stack and Headlamp changed between 1901 and 1907.Strathcona name was on original head lamp.
• Repainted and Strathcona changed to Pontgrave around 1923.
• Marker Lanterns added high on boiler
• Marker Lanterns added on pilot frame
• Curved handrail added on bottom face of smoke box
• Tender Altered 3 times
• Cowcatcher changed

Built new for the DAR, No. 25 was named "Strathcona" for most of its career, but renamed "Pontgrave" in the 1920s. It was a near twin to No. 26. Prior to 1920, No. 25 was driven by engineer Will Taylor and hauled Trains 93 and 94 east of Kentville to Halifax until replaced by the slightly newer No. 27.

It was scrapped in Kentville in March 1940.

The name Pontgravé was also used on locomotive No. 534.

Name Origins:

• "Strathcona": Lord Strathcona, Donald Smith, one of the founders of the CPR.
• "Pontgravé": Francoise Sieur du Pontgravé, member of 1604 Port Royal expedition, completed the Port Royal habitation.

Gallery

• 

  No. 25, "Strathcona" leading the Royal Train at Windsor Station in Windsor NS in 1901.

• 

  Strathcona in South Maintland Truro Bound 21 June 1907

• 

  No. 25 "Strathcona" at the Kentville Station. Estimated to be between 1914 and 1919.

• 

  Gypsum Train being loaded, probably at Mosher Quarry in Newport hauled by DAR locomotive No. 25, circa 1920.

• 

  Gypsum Train from Mosher Quarry shunted by DAR locomotive No. 25 at Windsor Wharves, circa 1920.

• 

  No. 25, Strathcona with a westbound express at the Annapolis Royal Station. Note also the freight shed and the bulk fuel facility behind the station.

• 

  No. 25 "Strathcona" at Windsor circa 1923.

• 

  Pontgravé, locomotive No. 25 after 1923.

• 

  No. 25 "Pontgrave" at unknown location, possibly Digby, 1930s.

• 

  No. 25 "Pontgrave" on shuttle run between Digby and wharf circa 1934.

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  No. 25 "Pontgrave" at the Digby Wharf, 1930s.

• 

  No. 25 in Digby, late 1930s.

• 

  Engine No. 25 (Pontgrave) at Kentville in 1937.

• 

  Locomotives No. 2552, No. 999, No. 544, No. 32 and No. 25 in Kentville, 1937.

• 

  No. 25 stored at Kentville, late 1930s.

• 

  No. 25 at Kentville in July of 1938.

• 

  Number plate from No. 25 on a 1967 Confederation Train brochure.

Other Known Photographs:

• Robert F. Legget Canadian Railways In Pictures, page 60, in Digby, late 1930s, but mistakenly in identified as No. 5, most likely because the 25 on the sanding tower is only partially visible and appears as 5.
• McQuinn Collection, Canada Science and Technology Museum, N-3993 (also Stephens Collection, STR03993a)(in Digby)
  

The museum photo data says: Builder Number: 1059, Builder Date: 1887-07-00, Class: A-1-E, Disposition: SC 1929, Drivers: 69, Cylinders: 17 x 24. (Builder's name not noted.)

• Stephens Collection, Canada Science and Technology Museum, N-8348 (in scrapline, Kentville) and N-19238 (with boxcar, lettered Pontgrave)
  The museum's data for N-8348 says: Photo Date: 1938-07-00, Builder Number: 18815, Builder Date: 1901, Boiler Pressure: 185, Tractive Effort: 19, Disposition: SC 1936, Drivers: 66, Cylinders: 18 x 24. Some of this information doesn't match the information immediately above nor information near the top of this page. The picture is dated 1938, the data says scrapped 1936, and the above data says scrapped 1940 - was it removed from service in '36, photographed in 1938, and finally broken up in 1940?

References and Footnotes

• Jim O'Donnell, Dominion Atlantic Locomotive Roster
• Omer Lavallée, Canadian Pacific Steam Locomotives, page 348, 352