Canadian National 7312

Canadian National 7312
No. 7312 with an excursion train at Groff's Grove, July 7, 1979
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 32894 Build date August 1908
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 56 in (1.422 m) Adhesive weight 153,384 lb (69.6 t) Loco weight 153,384 lb (69.6 t) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure 165 lbf/in^2 (1.14 MPa) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 22 in × 26 in (559 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Stephenson Valve type Piston Train brakes Air
Performance figures Tractive effort 31,000 lbf (137.89 kN)
Career Operators Grand Trunk Railway Canadian National Railway Strasburg Rail Road Class O-9-a Power class CN: 30% Numbers GT 118 GT 1708 CN 1708 CN 7157 CN 7240 CN 7312 SRC 31 SRC 7312 Locale Canada/Lancaster County, PA Retired July 1958 Restored September 1, 1960 Current owner Strasburg Rail Road Disposition Undergoing 1,472-day inspection and overhaul
References:[1][2]

Canadian National 7312 is a O-9-a class 0-6-0 "Switcher" type steam locomotive originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in August 1908 for the Canadian National Railway. It is owned and currently undergoing an overhaul by the Strasburg Rail Road outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania.[1][2]

History

Revenue service

The engine was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in August 1908 for the Grand Trunk Railway as No. 118.[1] The No. 118 was renumbered to No. 1708 in September 1919. In January 1923, the Grand Trunk Railway was merged into the Canadian National Railway. Three months after the creation of Canadian National, No. 1708 was renumbered to No. 7157, a number the locomotive carried until February 1952 when it was renumbered to No. 7240. In 1957, the locomotive received its final CN number as No. 7312.[2] In July 1958, No. 7312 was retired at Stratford, Ontario where it had been working as the shop switcher.[2]

Excursion service

In June 1959, No. 7312 was discovered by Strasburg Rail Road Vice President Bud Swearer who was visiting the CN yard at Stratford. The Strasburg Rail Road had intended to purchase a steam locomotive to power freight and passenger excursions and No. 7312 was of appropriate size for the operation. The Strasburg Rail Road negotiated the CN for the locomotive, which was ultimately purchased by a consortium of Strasburg Rail Road officials. Arriving at Strasburg in June 1960, the locomotive was renumbered to No. 31 and placed into service on September 1, 1960, becoming the first steam locomotive to reenter service in the United States.[1][3] The locomotive was purchased outright by the Strasburg Rail Road in 1968.[4]

Disposition

No. 7312 continued to remain in service up until October 2009 when it was taken out of service to undergo its heavy, extensive Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 1,472-day inspection and overhaul.[1][5]

Gallery

• 
  Canadian National No. 7312 as Canadian National No. 7157 (1923–1952)
• 
  No. 7312 pulling a tourist train tender first towards Paradise, Pennsylvania on July 19, 1984.
• 
  No. 7312's smokebox door outside the Strasburg shops in December 2013.
• 
  No. 7312 pulling a excursion train into Strasburg station on July 19, 1984.
• 
  No. 7312 inside the shops on July 18, 2014.
• 
  No. 7312’s tender in storage on May 11, 2016.
• 
  No. 7312's cab outside the Strasburg shops on November 17, 2017.
• 
  No. 7312 seen outside during shop switching in February 2022.

See also

• Great Western 90
• Norfolk and Western 475
• Canadian National 89
• Canadian National 1009
• Canadian National 7470
• Canadian National class O-9 0-6-0
• Wilmington and Western 58

References

1. "LOCOMOTIVE NO. 31". Retrieved December 7, 2021.
2. "Canadian National Ry No. 31". SteamLocomotive.com.
3. "Equipment Roster" (PDF). Retrieved March 17, 2023.
4. Bell, Kurt (2015). The Strasburg Rail Road in Color. Scotch Plains, NJ: Morning Sun Books Inc. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-58248-479-2.
5. "New Strasburg GM packs experience, skills". Trains. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-25.