CNR 1985 A Visit to Guelph & 6167

We were vacationing in south-western Ontario and after our early morning departure from Burlington, we stopped in Guelph to see 'an old friend' of mine.

Grainy old prints remain of this reunion ...

Built by Montreal Locomotive Works and added to the CNR roster in March 1940, 6167 was put on display at Guelph in 1967.

This was a beautiful and highly-detailed cosmetic restoration - perhaps employing all the paint embellishments seen only on CNR excursion engines of the 1960s. A touch that I found particularly clever at the time, was the use of silver paint on the head of the rail and on the treads of the wheels.

Sadly, there is never a permanent civic endowment to ensure a roof is kept over 'civic locomotives'. Consequently, they spend a lot of their static outdoor careers as boarded-up ugly black hulks - in the eyes of local citizens. All of this careful and sensitive restoration was washed away by the elements.

The CNR Guelph station is at the left edge of the photo.

This headlight-equipped bike must have been on the road before we were!

Looking left from the view of the station is the local switcher and a train order signal.

The local armoury (that castellated building) was constructed in 1906 during the height of the Canadian volunteer militia period.

from: Dent's Canadian School Atlas; 1936-1956; JM Dent & Sons. 

Above is a circa 1956 map of south-western Ontario showing Guelph - west of Toronto.

Government of Canada topographic map, Guelph 1935 from: Historical Top Map Digitization Project, https://ocul.on.ca/topomaps/collection/

Above, a 1935 topographic map shows the railway lines serving Guelph. 

The abandoned right-of-way east to Acton is probably the 'financially hopeless' Toronto Suburban (interurban) Railway which was abandoned in 1931. 

At one point the TS was owned by Sir William Mackenzie for its 'franchise rights'. 

There is an excellent Wikipedia page about the line if you are interested!

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My original childhood encounter with the 6167 can be seen via the links below.

CNR 1963 CRHA Excursion: 6167, Montreal to Victoriaville

CNR 1963 CRHA Excursion: 6167, Montreal to Victoriaville, Part 2