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G-5 modern light 4-6-2 1201 arrived from Ottawa and its consist of
passenger cars-streamlined light-weight baggage-combination coach(built
1936 for streamlined 4-4-4 Jubilees of the 3000 series. Also in consist
heavy-weight coaches of 1300 and 1400 series, some lettered Canadian
Pacific, Canada Atlantic, and Dominion Atlantic in the tuscan red paint
scheme. 1201 and her consist were on display at Port Coquitlam station,
prior to making a fast run through Port Moody enroute to CP's downtown
Vancouver station and on to CPR's Drake Street yard on the Expo grounds.
1201 was placed alongside former CP "Royal Hudson" 4-6-4 2860. A good
display of "live steam" all types and classes of locomotives, including
a peppy 0-6-0 4400 class former Union Pacific yard engine, a Great
Western lettered 2-8-0 #50. Locomotive whistles blew steady during
"Steam Expo". One could stand beside 4-6-2 1201 and Royal Hudson 2860
and admire their lines. Speaking of 1201, along with 1200 they were
built as proto-types in 1944 at Angus Shops in Montreal, under the
direction of H.B. Bowen Chief of Motive Power and Rolling Stock.
Locomotive 1200 was assigned Winnipeg West usually on freight service,
while sister 1201 was assigned to passenger service out of Montreal
running west on the Smiths Falls-Perth local service. CPR's G-5 Class
1200 series proved so successful, the company ordered 100 more of this
class from the period 1945 to 1948, numbers 1202 to 1301. In the east
from Ontario-Quebec-New Brunswick these locomotives were assigned to
passenger service, while Winnipeg to Alberta some assigned to passenger
others for freight service. CPR's long range plans, if not for the
diesels, were to build a good 400 more to replace ageing 4-6-0's
including the famous D-10 Class. From all records known 4-6-2 1201 was
the only one of her class to arrive on the West Coast. A few 1200's
especially in passenger service could be found in Southeast B.C. For a
day while 1201 was in the Vancouver area, to celebrate the annual
"Golden Spike Days" in Port Moody, the sleek, clean lines G-5 and her
consist were placed on the Imperial Oil spur line for viewing. One of my
sons and myself met the crew-all from down east, and two hours before
1201 and her consist were ready to head back east to Ottawa, all dropped
into my residence to look over some of my CP collection. The CPR Port
Coquitlam Yard was located close-by. During "Steam Expo" steam power all
took their turn, to show "their stuff" beginning at the eastend of CP
yards past the station and working their way back to Expo 86 area. When
"Royal Hudson" 4-6-4 2860 passed by including 1201, they stole the
show. Thousands of spectators. CPR steam was known for their clean
lines, and CP steam a design all of their own.
Don Scott-Coquitlam, B.C.