Kingston's iconic Engine 1095 was in active service until 1960. [Photo courtesy the Canadian Science & Technology Museum. ]
Engine 1095: The Spirit of Sir John A.
Engine 1095, known as The Spirit of Sir John A. has been a favourite photo back-drop for tourists visiting Confederation Park for more than 40 years.
It is a reminder that the Tourist Offices' was the K&P Railway station [Learn About the K&P Trail] for more than 75 years — and that Kingston was home for 114 years to the Canadian Locomotive Company. That company built more than 3000 steam, electric and diesel engines. The Spirit of Sir John A. was one of 25 such models built for the Canadian Pacific.
The locomotive was in active service until 1960. In 1966 it was saved by the Kingston Jaycees and given to the City in recognition and celebration of Canada's Centennial in 1967. Though not a railroad custom, the 1095 was renamed 'The Spirit of Sir John A.' and Bob Fray who was Mayor of Kingston at that time, and a sign-writer by trade, painted the name on the side of the coal tender in gold heraldic script.
Restoration work with local partners
The 1095 is now on its new foundation in Confederation Park. Work on the locomotive is being conducted by volunteers, labour unions, associated trades and businesses — all contributing their various areas of expertise to renew this beloved Kingston icon.
- The Cab is being worked on by E.S. Fox Ltd.
- The Tender is at Selleck Mechanical in Maitland, Ontario
- E. Coating Solutions is sandblasting and painting elements of the locomotive that have being removed (the engine will be repainted in its entirety in 2012)
- Pipefitters Local 221 is repairing the tender trucks on-site and is rebuilding the pilot "Cow Catcher" (see picture below) to original design specifications at its shop on Terry Fox Drive.
- The efforts of the Engine 1095 Restoration Volunteer Group have also helped support this project.
(L-R) Bill Cadeau and Greg Hulse of the Plumbers Steamfitters Welders Union 221 volunteered their skills to rebuild the cow catcher for the front of Engine 1095. [Enlarge]
New information panels in English and French have been added adjacent to the project site at Confederation Park to let visitors know more about the Engine's history and this renewal project. For more pictures on the project work, please see the link to the December 2011 newsletter at right.
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Project Timeline (subject to change) |
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Late Summer/early Fall 2012 |
Restoration of engine completed, tender and cab returned to site and final painting completed. |
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August 2013 |
Centenary of Engine 1095 |
Restoration Project: Background
In 2007, an initial Survey of Findings and Recommendations was submitted to Council by a volunteer-led group known as the 'Engine 1095 Restorers' who made a case for its restoration along with a proposed course of action and budget for the necessary work. This initial request was followed by a further Report to Council in May 2010 prepared by City staff requesting full budget and approvals for restoration and relocation of the 1095.
Based on a thorough assessment of the locomotive, it was identified that it must be relocated and restored due to the deteriorating conditions of both the supporting track structure and the locomotive itself.
The City of Kingston is working with Local 221, the Pipefitters Union and a number of other local trade unions and industry partners to restore 'The Spirit of Sir John A.' so that it can continue to be one of Kingston's most popular and photographed landmarks. The City has budgeted $962,500 for this project.
The Historical Significance of Engine 1095
The presence of Engine 1095 in Kingston provides a crucial link to the City's industrial past having been built by the Canadian Locomotive Company Ltd. (CLC), formerly located on the Kingston waterfront. For over a century the CLC was a major supplier of locomotives to the CPR, delivering nearly one-third of its fleet over a number of decades and making it Canada's second largest commercial builder at the time.
Engine 1095 first made its debut in 1913 and was put into service out of Winnipeg and then Southern Ontario before completing its service life in Montreal in 1960. As a symbol of 19th century technology and industry, the continuing existence of Engine 1095 points to a significant period in Kingston and Canada's history that demands to be preserved and maintained. It also helps to illustrate a significant aspect of Kingston's history by positioning it as an important industrial and political hub.
This 1906 postcard shows the lands in front of Kingston City Hall. In the left-hand corner of the rail-yard is the K&P Railway station which now functions as Kingston's tourism office. (Collection of Jennifer McKendry.)
About the "Ten Wheeler" Class Locomotive
The 1095 was one of the last batch of 25 units of "Ten Wheeler" Class D10h 4-6-0, built by the Canadian Locomotive Company Ltd. in October, 1913, builder's serial No 1131. There were some 500 built by CPR at its own Angus Shops in Montreal and by other locomotive builders such as the Montreal Locomotive Works over the previous decade.
Between 1905 and 1913 the D10 became the single largest class of engine to be used by Canadian Pacific. An extremely versatile design, these locomotives were used in passenger, freight, and yard service across Canada right up until the end of the steam era in the early 1960s.
These engines were a transitional design that reflected changes in locomotive engineering while also retaining some features typical of nineteenth-century engines. For example, the engine cabs were of a simple open design. This provided some respite from the high heat generated by the firebox, but in inclement weather, the open design meant that the locomotive crew was protected only by a simple canvas curtain drawn across the back of the cab-even in winter. The engines also continued to be hand fired, except for a few that were converted to oil fuel.
General arrangement of a D10h class locomotive, from the collection of the Canada Science and Technology Museum. [Enlarge]
