Railway acquires diesel locomotive
Crews lift a diesel locomotive onto the tracks on Friday afternoon. The newly acquired 1956 diesel locomotive will be a backup unit for the Kettle Valley Steam Railway.
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Updated: October 14, 2009 4:25 PM
The Kettle Valley Steam Railway has acquired a diesel locomotive to use as a backup unit.
On Friday, the locomotive was unloaded in Summerland and taken to the railway station.
It is a 1956 S6 Model 251B, built by the American Locomotive Company in the U.S.
The bright green locomotive was purchased from Neptune Terminals in North Vancouver, where it had been used to transfer raw materials such as potash, copper concentrate and coal from CN and CP for export by ships.
The 900 horsepower locomotive is 13.6 metres long, 4.57 metres high and 3.12 metres wide with wheels 100 centimetres in diameter.
It has a capacity of 2,271 litres of diesel fuel, 551 litres of lubricating oil and 719 litres of engine cooling water.
Before its time in North Vancouver, the locomotive had been used for similar purposes in Portland, Oregon.
Ron Restrick, general manager of the steam railway, said the diesel locomotive is in good operating condition.
“There’s not a lot of work involved,” he said. “It’s just a matter of hooking everything up and starting it.”
It is one of two units purchased from Neptune Terminals.
The second locomotive, a 1966 model built by the same company, will be stored in New Westminster until the steam railway determines what to do with it.
The price was $5,000 for each of the locomotives.
In addition to providing backup services when the steam locomotive is not in service, the diesel locomotive will also be used for yard work and for other service at the railway.
Restrick said the railway society is hoping to do some work to prepare service to Faulder.
He added that the railway will make repairs to the 1912 steam locomotive next year. While these are part of normal maintenance, the diesel could be used if additional work is required or if the repairs take longer than anticipated.
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