Both the 5917 and 5918 worked out of Alyth during the 40's and early 50's before being assigned to Revelstoke, so the one pictured could quite easily have been the locomotive on which I made a trip west with my twin brother Harold as the conductor when we were pulling a hundred and thirteen empty box cars. Also I remember that it was a low numbered 5900 Selkirk on which Bill Williams and I were working on a drag west when we had our train run-away on the "Big Hill". (That story was printed in the W.C.R.A news in July 1995.)

The best thing about working on these large mountain locomotives was that they were all oil burners because of having to work through some of Canada's heavily forested national parks There was always the danger of fires being started from sparks that were frequently thrown out from the smoke stacks of coal burning engines. All these "Selkirks" also had four wheel trailing trucks, under the cab, which carried the extra weight of their very large fireboxes and booster engines. Along with the ten driving wheels, this made them ride much better than all but the 2800 class 4-6-4 "Royal Hudson's" which also had four wheel trailing trucks.

One peculiar feature of these 5900's was the slope of the cab side walls from the window sill up to the roof and the resulting very small front cab window. You can clearly see that, even in the coldest weather, both the Engineer and Fireman had to work leaning out of the side windows in order to see around the large boiler to watch the track ahead. These cabs could have been shaped this way in order clear some of the

narrow tunnel walls in the mountains between Calgary and Revelstoke where all these Selkirks worked until the arrival of the diesels. In the next month (Sept. 46), the 5917 will be fitted with a large rock and snow plough in place of the boiler tube pilot (cow-catcher). These ploughs were capable of clearing the track of heavy snow and also of small rock and snow slides eliminating the necessity of calling out a "Plough Extra" except to clear any deep slides or after very heavy snow storms.

In the picture, a cowling shaped deflector can be seen directly behind the smoke stack . This device can be swung up and over the stack by applying compressed air to the small cylinder seen ahead of it beside the stack. When in this position it directs the exhaust steam and smoke back over the boiler instead of allowing it to blast directly up where, in tunnels, it would then be deflected back down over the locomotive cab making it even hotter and smokier for the engine crew.

Above the front number plate is a barrel shaped cylinder which is an "Elesco Feed Water Heater" , sometimes called the bundle. The cold water pump, on the Fireman's side, and controlled by him, pumps water, at higher then boiler pressure, from the tender up into this heater through which it makes four passes before traveling, by way of a heavy pipe, to the top check valve through which it is sprayed into the boiler. This is to replace the water used when large quantities of steam is required when the locomotive is being worked. Most of the steam from the main cylinders is exhausted up the stack to create a heavy draft for the fire, but part of it passes through the outside of this closed water heater to heat the feed water and be cooled and condensed. This condensed steam (hot water) flows back to the water tender through the pipe which can be seen coming out of the right end (the Engineers side) of the bundle to run along under the running board and to below the cab to a flexible hose which carries it to the tender. It is then directed up to an oil separator from which the oil free water it is added to the tender supply. This hot water (condensed steam) not only adds to the supply but warms the water and keeps it from freezing in the cold weather.

On the Engineer's side there is another heavier pipe leading from the trailing truck to the smoke stack which also passes along side of the firebox and under the running board. This pipe carries exhaust steam from the trailing truck booster engine, when it is being worked, forward and up to be blasted out of the stack to add to the much needed draft for the fire. This exhausted steam doesn't pass through the feed water heater.

The two very large metal tanks suspended from the running board on the Engineers side are the "Main Air Supply Reservoirs" which are supplied with compressed air at 110 p.s.i. by a, steam driven, "Westinghouse No. 150" 8 ½" cross compound air compressor which is mounted, along the running board, on the Fireman's side beside the water pump. This air is not only used to operate the engine and train brakes but is also to power the air reverse, the smoke deflector (up by the stack), the sanders, bell and window defrosters. The whistle is also operated with steam.

That's about enough detail about this large 2-10-4 Selkirk "T"1a but in the picture, ahead of the 5917 and on the next track, can be seen part of the cab and tender of an eight hundred series "D"10. The difference in the cabs of these two locomotives is very obvious as can be clearly seen. The lowly hand fired coal burning "D" 10 has probably just come in from Red Deer to the north and the crew have left it in the care of the Hostler. It must have been a warm day because the canvas side curtains are fastened open and you can see where they have made part of the side of the tender shiny by flapping against it.

What a difference in the working conditions for the two Firemen, the one off the "D"10 would have shoveled at least eight or ten tons of coal over his 100 mile subdivision while the 5917's fireman would not only be a lot cleaner (no coal dust) but would have only had to sit on his padded leather seat and operate valves to feed hot fuel oil and water to his larger hog. He would also have been paid much more per mile because of the Selkirk being the heavier locomotive of the two. Both Engineers and Firemen are paid by the mile and according to the weight on the driving wheels on their locomotives.

The 5917's total driver weight was 156 tons while the old ten wheeler's was only half of that at 78 tons and also the main line crew would have traveled 136 miles from Field B.C. while the crew of the hand bomber's mileage from Red Deer was only 94 miles. Speaking of pay differences, a Fireman on a 375 ton "Selkirk" would not only make more money per mile then each of the two brakemen on the train but also was paid at a higher rate than the Conductor. This didn't sit too well with the guy who was supposed to be in charge of the train.

While the Engineer of the much larger mountain engine is sitting on his seat no doubt making out the "trip ticket", which shows his and the Fireman's wage claim in miles, and also the number of miles the locomotive has traveled since leaving Field and the amount of fuel oil used, the other engine crew have probably left to walk the half mile to the locomotive foreman's office to report any repairs needed on their engine then book themselves in and head for home and a much needed meal and a rest. The 5917's Hoghead has yet to place a heavy metal chain, on the rail, around one of the driving wheels on his side. This chain is to prevent the locomotive from walking away if the air brakes leak off. There were no hand brakes on any of the C.P.R.'s steam locomotives.

In the background can be seen the water tank which straddles the two outgoing shop tracks. The water level in that tank is quite high according to the ball on the flag-pole -the kind of post which sticks out of the top of the roof. Just above the mountain engine's tender can be seen a "Stand-pipe" type of watering plug which can be swung around, when a locomotive is properly spotted and the spout pushed down into the water tank opening to fill it. The 5917 held 12,000 Gals. while the smaller 800 would only hold 5,000 Gals.

Behind the "Selkirk" is a coal burning stoker fired 2300 series "Pacific" 2-6-2 which probably just came in from Medicine Hat, a hundred and seventy four miles east of Calgary. We can't see enough of that locomotive to comment except to say that it's tender will filled with both

coal and water before the fire is dumped and the engine is run westward over the turntable and into an empty space in the 36 stall roundhouse. That "Pacific's" tender will hold 18 tons of coal and 10,000 Gals. of water.