The CPR built the 6256 in July 1912 as class "U 3d". The engine and tender combined only weighed 110 tons and its small boiler carried 200 lbs. steam pressure but unlike newer power, this coal generated steam was not superheated nor was the firebox equipped with a brick arch to divert the hot flames back toward the rear of the combustion chamber to properly burn all the coal gases. The short eight wheel tender held only 4 tons of coal and 3,000 gallons of water and, at deck level, the narrow cab was not even wide enough to have room for an air operated firebox door. The firebox itself sat down low, just above the frame and between the rear driving wheels. This firebox interior was 8 feet long and 43 inches wide to give a total grate area of 28 square feet.
The upper floor level of the cab, where the seats were placed, was nearly three feet above the firing deck so steps were installed, on each side to enable the engine crew to climb up or down from the seat level. Very good visibility was possible both to the front and rear because of the narrow boiler and the fact that the rear of the tender was sloped down. The back of the cab was very open but in the cooler weather a lower partition was installed which reduced the visibility but made the cab much warmer especially when the attached canvass curtain was pulled across the opening. The rear face of the boiler was not covered with lagging and insulation, which made the cab interior too warm in the summer weather but kept it quite comfortable in wintertime.
The "derailing incident I'm going to describe, happened somewhere in the fall of 1945 or early in 1946 when I was working the fireman's spare-board and was called for a midnight yard assignment with engineer Jack Mitchell. Our locomotive was a small 0-6-0 class "U" 3 like the one pictured.
Just before dawn, when our shift was almost completed we were required to pick up a car of sheep from an incoming freight train and take it from Alyth yard out to a meat packing plant located nearly three miles to the north of Alyth yard, on the Red Deer subdivision. This was a backing up movement and the stock car was coupled to the front end. Upon arriving at the packing plant the car had to be "dropped" into the short spur track at the stock-unloading chute. This was done by having the switch foreman stationed at the spur switch and ready to throw it when the time was right.
The locomotive and car moved at least a quarter of a mile ahead. Then with one switchman stationed on the engine's front foot-board ready to pull the pin and uncouple when the speed was sufficient and the other man riding on top beside the stem-winder hand brake Mitchell opened up the throttle. As soon as we had enough speed the air brake was set momentarily to allow the slack to run in so that the uncoupling pin could be pulled then the throttle was opened wide and that little loco. flew up the main line. As soon as it cleared the switch points the foreman quickly threw the switch to route that car of sheep into the stock spur.
When it cleared the main the switch was lined for the 6200 loco. to proceed south over it then back into and couple the tender onto that stock car. At that time it was just a matter of spotting the car opposite the chutes where the livestock could be unloaded. When the hand brake had been set and the pin pulled the engine was moved out to the main track and the switch behind us was relined. When the foreman (Conductor) had climbed up to share the engineer's seat and the other two switchmen occupied my seat on the left side of the cab we took off for the Red Deer Sub. Junction at Bengal where there was a level crossing with the CNR.
Those "U" 3 locomotives had to be fired frequently but because of the very small fire box. When working, very little coal could be put in at a time so about every quarter of a mile I had to shovel in a bit more coal to maintain the steam pressure at close to 200 lbs. I remember putting in a fire as we rattled over the multiple span through truss bridge that crossed over the Bow River then the next thing I knew that engine was bouncing off the track and running along on the crossties just south of the "interlocking signal" that controlled that level crossing with the CNR. It was a rough ride until we came to a stop.
I looked out from between the engine and tender and saw that all the six driving wheels were on the ground and up ahead a CNR locomotive, with several cars, was going over the "Diamond" crossing. The tower man had put the signals against us and had set them for the CNR thus setting the "Derail" to put us off the track if we went by the "STOP" indication. If I had been up in my seat as we came off that Bow River bridge I could have seen that stop signal just like engineer Mitchell and the three yard men should have. I believe that they were too busy visiting instead of paying attention to where we were going.
Now what! First the CPR tower-man, at 12th east had to be phoned and notified not to let any other trains out of the terminal on the track we were on. Then we tried to re-rail those six driving wheels by spiking down "Re-railers" beside the track just behind the last set derailed wheels. The tender was OK; it was still on the rails, we had stopped just in time. Mitchell tried moving backwards but it was no go. Then he tried rocking that loco. back and forth but that wouldn't work either. Nothing to do but to phone the Alyth yardmaster and ask him to send out a larger engine to help push ours back over the re-railers and back onto the track. He mentioned at that time that he wanted to see the five of us after we had completed re-railing that 6200 and had turned our locomotive in on the shop track. I guessed as much!
Before long a nearly new (Sept. 44) one hundred and fifteen ton class "DES" 3a, 1,000 horsepower Alco diesel switcher. (Not unlike the WCRA's 6503, but with 400 more horses under the hood) showed up and it nudged up against the coupler on the pilot beam at the front of our derailed 6200 then, with all the power we could muster, and with the desired slow, steady push that the diesel was exerting the little 0-6-0 started to bounce along the crossties and slowly, carefully climbed up onto the re-railers. As each 52 inch driving wheel reached the apex of the replacer it slid sideways and back onto the high iron. We were amazed at the power of that Alco diesel and I thought at the time that they could easily replace the type of steam power that we were assigned to. The diesel was only 16% more powerful then our engine but its steady power far surpassed the unsteady fluctuating power of the steam locomotives that I was used to working on.
We all helped to put the heavy steel replacers back up on the hooks on each side of the tender then we ran our locomotive back to Alyth shop-track and requested the shop staff to check for any damage to the running gear caused by the derailment. Engineer Mitchell and I then reported to the yardmaster to make out written statements as to the cause of the mishap. I don't know what the three members of the switch crew got but Mitchell and I each received ten "Brownies" (demerit marks) for our part in the affair. I knew that if I kept my record clean for one year that my slate would be cleared so the discipline did me no harm but, from that day on, I sure as hell didn't let my engineer pass any stop signals. Nor did I give up my seat to anyone who wouldn't keep a good look out along the track ahead for signals.
