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DAR0026
Dominion Atlantic Railway Locomotive No. 26 "President", "Wolfville", "Governor Cox", "Kent"
Wheel Arrangement: 4-4-0
Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in March 1901.
- Builder No. 18998
- 18" x 24" cylinders
- 66" drivers
- 45 ft. 8 1/2 in. wheel base, total engine and tender
- 182,000 lbs. total weight engine and tender
(More design detailed specifications for No. 26 are shown in the article at: The Railway and Shipping World February 1902.)
This locomotive had a long, eventful career and survived to be the last 4-4-0 on the DAR, becoming a much-photographed veteran from the DAR's earlier days during its final years working light duties out of Kentville.
No. 26 was ordered directly from Baldwin in 1901 by the DAR, intended for passenger service.[1] and was a near twin to No. 25.
In 1915, No. 26 with engineer Ben Hartlen fought an epic three day battle against 26 foot snow drifts at Grafton on the North Mountain Line.[2]
On October 12, 1920, No. 26 was being driven by engineer William Rawding and fireman Fred Yould as the lead locomotive in a double headed freight from Windsor to Truro with No. 27. No. 26 struck two cows at high speed at Lower Truro, a mile and a half from Truro. Fireman Fred Yould on No. 26 was killed and William Rawding was badly scalded but recovered.[3] [4] No. 27 was so baldy damaged that it had to be scrapped but No. 26 was rebuilt and returned to service.
No. 26 served for many more years under three different names. On July 19, 1923, No. 26 led a special train from Halifax to Yarmouth for the visit of Massachusetts Governor Channing H. Cox consisting of the DAR business car "Nova Scotia" and a CNR private car.[5] No. 26 was named "Governor Cox" in honour of the special visit. A month later No. 26 assisted DAR locomotive No. 43 "Byng" in moving the large special train for the visit of the Governor General from Windsor to Kentville.[6] Channing Cox made a second visit to Nova Scotia in 1924 and No. 26 again hauled the official train from Halifax through the valley to Digby on July 27, 1924 and on to Yarmouth on July 28 where Cox took the steamer Northland for Boston.[7]
In 1929, No. 26 was renamed "Kent" as part of the DAR's historical theme locomotive names. Working its final days as the DAR’s last 4-4-0 it worked as a switcher in the Kentville Railyard and pulled the school train to Kingsport. It was scrapped in Kentville in 1941.[8]
Names
- "President": uncertain name origin given in 1901
- "Wolfville": named in honour of the town of Wolfville in fall 1922[9]
- "Governor Cox": named after Massachusetts Governor Channing H. Cox in July 1923.[10]
- "Kent": Edward Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria, military commander in Nova Scotia.[11]
Gallery
Builder's Photo of Locomotive No. 26 "President", April 1901.
No. 26 "President", touched-up builder's photo, 1901.
DAR No. 26 "President", circa 1910.
DAR Engine No. 26 "President" at unknown location, circa 1915.
DAR Engine No. 26 at unknown location, possibly the Digby Wharf, circa 1920.
Double header wreck at Lower Truro involving No. 26 and 27 with DAR wrecking crane No. 801, Oct. 12, 1920.
Double header wreck, Oct. 12, 1920 at Lower Truro involving No. 26 and 27.
Lower Truro wreck on Oct. 12, 1920 with locomotives No. 26 and No. 27.
Lower Truro wreck on Oct. 12, 1920 with locomotives No. 26 and No. 27.
No. 26, "Governor Cox" with a Baggage Express Car No. 3858 in official train for Governor of Massachusetts Channing Cox at Yarmouth on either July 21, 1923 or July 28, 1924.
DAR No 26 Governor Cox at the Windsor Water Tower, circa June 1924.
Page from Highlights of Nova Scotia History, showing the history of No. 26's name, "Kent", 1929.
Kent, locomotive No. 26, circa 1930.
No. 26 "Kent" June 18, 1936 at Kentville.
locomotive No. 26 with locomotive No. 547 at Digby with the Digby Water Tower, circa 1937.
Locomotive No. 26, by the Kentville Water Tower with Train No. 13 Train to Kingsport, 1937.
No. 26 "Kent" at Kentville, circa 1937.
No. 26 "Kent" at the Kentville Station, circa 1938.
DAR locomotive No. 26 in the Kentville Scrap Line, circa 1941.
Other Known Images
- Ingenium Archives, Aubrey Mattingly Transportation Collection, MAT-01618, http://collection.ingeniumcanada.org/en/id/MAT-01618/[12]
- Ingenium Archives, Aubrey Mattingly Transportation Collection, MAT-03597, http://collection.ingeniumcanada.org/en/id/MAT-03597/ [13]
- Photo of locomotive on page 43, "A Dominion Atlantic Sojourn." Locomotive Quarterly, Spring 1998., photo collection of Kenneth S. MacDonald.
- M. Allen Gibson, Train Time, Windsor: Lancelot Press (1973) page 22 (leaving Kentville for Kingsport, 1937)
- Bruce Nett, The Dominion Atlantic Railway Times, (Summer 1994) page 3: top (builders photo 1901 lettered "President"); middle (lettered Governor Cox, c. 1920s), bottom (lettered Kent, 1930s)
- Merrilees Collection, Library and Archives Canada, Glass Negative builders photo 1901 C-013768
- George Warden Collection, Musquodoboit Railway Museum, MRM 761.1.816
References and Footnotes
- ↑ The Railway and Shipping World 1902 February
- ↑ George Bishop "Railway Notes", Kentville Advertiser, March 2, 1939.
- ↑ "Train Hit Cows and Left Track", The Morning Chronicle, Oct. 13, 1920, p. 4
- ↑ J. B. King, "Writers Discourse on DAR Old Timers", Halifax Chronicle Herald, undated.
- ↑ Halifax Herald, July 20, 1923. Research by Carfl Riff
- ↑ Halifax Herald, Aug. 8, 1923. Carl Riff research
- ↑ Halifax Herald, July 28, 1925. Carl Riff clippings research
- ↑ Charles McBride DAR Locomotive List
- ↑ The Acadian, Nov. 2, 1922, courtesy Chris Gertridge. Also mentioned in a letter from James O'Donnell to Harold Jenkins April 16, 198
- ↑ Halifax Herald, Aug. 8, 1923. Carl Riff research
- ↑ Highlights of Nova Scotia History, Dominion Atlantic Railway booklet, First edition, 1929
- ↑ Permalink: https://files.ingeniumcanada.org/items/arch/93/MAT-01618_c04bda8cd1d8082a1d588e77670c6f799cb905be.jpeg
- ↑ Permalink: https://files.ingeniumcanada.org/items/arch/95/MAT-03597_d86f3e5a43fd4dd209a74f0211a05368b7f60275.jpeg
- Jim O'Donnell "Dominion Atlantic Railway Locomotive Roster"
- Omer Lavallée, Canadian Pacific Steam Locomotives, p. 348, 352.
External Links
Interesting details about this locomotive at steamlocomotive.com
