A restored Locomotive 1158 was unveiled Friday at the Western Development Museum in North Battleford. (Tyler Marr/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Tyler Marr

CHOO CHOO!

‘A symbol of the community:’ Restored Locomotive 1158 unveiled

May 17, 2019 | 5:00 PM

In 1913, Locomotive 1158 was one of 50 engines rolled off the line Montreal.

That same year, North Battleford became a city.

The grand old lady was operated by Canadian Northern Railway – a predecessor to Canadian National – for nearly a half-century. It ferried passengers across the prairies for decades before it was relegated to freight and line work.

In 1960, the machine was retired by the rail company. For 60 years, rain, sun, wind and snow took its toll on the locomotive.

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It arrived at the Western Development Museum just over 30 years ago, and in 2017, the organization decided it was time to embark on the largest artifact restoration project in years – Save the 1158.

A large protective cover was placed over the much-loved artifact and fundraising efforts to collect $200,000 ensued.

The first phase of restoration work was completed in 2017 and involved an intense cleaning of the engine’s exterior. In late May 2018, media blasting was used to remove decades of rust and grime. Following, the locomotive was polished and painted to resemble its glory days on the rail.

“This is an incredibly important symbol to the community,” Mayor Ryan Bater said at the locomotive’s unveiling Friday.

He and others acknowledged the critical history and importance of the railroad to Western Canada and North Battleford.

“North Battleford specifically owes it existence to the railway,” he added.

Locomotive 1158 is one of two from its class of 1913 remaining in the country. (Tyler Marr/battlefordsNOW Staff)

The WDM’s Chief Engineer and Restoration Manager Tim Pomeroy was proud of the energy, talent and time sunk into the restoration by many.

Locomotive 1158 is just one of two from its class still in existence. The other, Locomotive 1112, calls Smith Falls, Ont. home and Pomeroy said it is not near the condition of 1158.

The 62-foot long locomotive and abutting cars were donned with Canadian Northern colours and lettering to pay homage to the machines past and regional history. The appearance of the engine was backdated to mirror its original production. The headlight on the car was repositioned, the bell was moved and the front number plate was reproduced using only images as the restoration team could not find an original to measure.

The engine is mechanically complete and could operate once again if more money was directed towards restoring the pressure vessel and machinery, he said.

The 75-tonne oil burning beast could carry about 50 fully loaded grain cars and had a top speed of 60 mph, though given the state of light rail at the time, 30 mph, Pomeroy said, would be plenty.

“It is a link to our past, a link to the heritage of North Battleford, why it is here, and a physical representation of what people worked with back in the day,” he said. “There is not one computer chip on it and I love it that way, too.”

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tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr