Construction Project

by Don Totten

(Automotive Instructor)

Over many years of my adult life I have had a passion for Canada’s Heritage.  At different times I have asked my colleagues for support in this pursuit to preserve our heritage.  This fall I asked Mr. Flegg and Mr. Raimondi if we could do a restoration of a Railway work equipment cart.  This cart is of a type used by Railway Maintenance crews to transport up to 10 men to a work site along the railway.

In days gone by groups of men called section gangs would be responsible for 15 to 25 miles of track. A section gang was generally made up of 4 –7 men with one section foreman. These men maintained the switches, track, bridge crossings, culverts, railway road bed and any public or private road crossings. 

Canada, as we all know is vast and this job could be a lonely one in many areas of the country.  It was and continues to be an essential part of Canada’s economic well being to have an efficient rail system.  Men from the era when this cart was in general use rode this cart to their work site in rain, blazing sun or freezing winter temperatures. 

Today these workers ride to the work site in pickup trucks fitted with hi-rail wheel sets that allow the vehicle to be driven on rails. The work now requires fewer men as technology has made some of the jobs easier to accomplish.

The Rocky Mountain Rail Society owns the cart.  The society operates a number of pieces of heritage equipment during the summer months at Big Valley, Alberta, south east of Edmonton.  This is just one piece of equipment that will be restored at Central Memorial High School in Calgary.

Restoration of the work cart is now complete and it has been transported back to Stettler. I hope students and their families take the opportunity to travel to Big Valley to see and ride the equipment at special events over the summer.  For information contact: Alberta Prairie Railway 403-742-2811 or www.absteamtrain.com.

The Society also owns the largest operating steam locomotive in Canada. The locomotive was formerly known as the Canadian National Railway locomotive 6060, a 4-8-2 Mountain type locomotive built in 1944 by the Montreal Locomotive Works.

The 6060 is recognized as an Alberta Heritage Resource by the Province of Alberta.  A few years back parts of the locomotive were restored at the school before being returned to Stettler, Alberta where it is stored.  Currently locomotive 6060 is under repair.