| "ITWAS
PURCHASED BY CROWN FOREST LTD AROUND 1979 AND WAS USED IN THEIR RAIL LOGGING OPERATION IN
LADYSMITH HERE ON VANCOUVER ISLAND.THE WESTERN VANCOUVER ISLAND INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE
SOCIETY IN PORT ALBERNI ACQUIRED IT AROUND 1994/95 AFTER LOGGING OPERATIONS CEASED AND A
BID TO START A RAIL/LOGGING MUSEUM IN LADYSMITH FAILED. I BELIEVE THIS UNIT TO BE
THE LAST SURVIVING EXAMPLE OF A CP RS-3. AND WOULD APPRECIATE ANY INFO YOU HAVE TO
CONFIRM IT. THE UNIT IS PRETTY MUCH ORIGINAL OTHER THAN ITS CHOPPED SHORT HOOD AND
ORANGE PAINT JOB.THE WVIHS IS HOPING AT SOME POINT TO RESTORE THE UNIT BACK TO THE
ORIGINAL TUSCAN AND GREY WITH A SHORT HIGH HOOD." -WAYNE MERLO. "Our Society, based out of Port Alberni on
Vancouver Island, has restored six locomotives (two steam, two gas and two diesels). One
of the locomotives is an operating MLW Alco. Enclosed is a photo taken adjacent to our
restored 1912 Esquimalt and Nanaimo (CPR) train station. The locomotive was outshipped in
March of 1954 as CPR #8427. It started it's life in eastern Canada. One of it's original
engineers has moved to Port Alberni and occasionally operates the locomotive almost 50
years later. The #8427 served some time in Winnipeg in the rail yards. It eventually ended
up on Vancouver Island in the small logging town of Ladysmith. It worked for Crown
Zellerback which later became Crown Forest Company. This is the colors it is now painted
in. It hauled logs from the woods to a large log dump in Ladysmith. It was retired and
became a historical locomotive for the Ladysmith Historical Railway Society. The Ladysmith
Society ran into financial and political problems. They wanted the #8427 donated to our
Society because they knew we would look after it. In 1995 E&N attached the locomotive
to the back of it's regular freight into Port Alberni and pulled it into town. The
locomotive operates on the most westerly portion of all of CPR's Canadian line. The tracks
are now owned by RailAmerica. We use the locomotive as a back-up to our #7 1929 2-8-2T
Baldwin steam locomotive. We operate our own train company called "Alberni Pacific
Railway" to the McLean Mill National Historic Site, which is Canada's last operating
steam sawmill (see picture). For a nominal rental Norske Canada also operates the #8427 as
it's backup locomotive, when it regular switcher is down.We would like to restore the
#8427 to it's original configuration and CPR colors. According to the "experts"
this is the last remaining MLW Alco built in a certain series for CPR. If that is the
case, then it is a very historic locomotive. We are very proud of the #8427 and
envision it looking as it originally did in 1954." Kevin Hunter - President
Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society |
