HEPC 46, a 1920 ALCo Cooke 0-4-0ST at the Niagara Railway Museum Inc. in Fort Erie has started undergoing a cosmetic restoration. An offer was made by a local to fabricate and donate a new wood front pilot beam. It took just over a month, and the new beam was delivered partially assembled and installed on August 19th. It looks great, and really helps make the engine look complete. There were some parts missing, but Derek managed to do a pretty good job making a new spindal for the grab iron, and a new coupler cut lever and mounting brackets. The side running boards along the water tank have also been installed, but will be removed and have some width trimmed off closer to what was originally on there. Steel is being priced to replace the badly deteriorated cab, and a new rear beam will also soon be made and installed.

Really pleased to see work being done on this very important piece of Niagara Railway history, even if it is just cosmetic.

Ken Jones
President - Niagara Railway Museum Inc.
http://www.nfrm.ca

Nice job on the end beam it does look good too! Have to say that is one big compressor for a small tank engine? Bet a number of people are checking that out as we speak. Keep up the good work. Regards, John.

Yeah, it's big and chunky and i have no idea why she has such a big comoressor, but it is definitely a conversation piece. Would have been a pain to access the smokebox having to undo all the piping. Makes her a unique little (Ok, maybe not little) engine, that for sure.

VIVA Hydro Electric Power Commission #46 !!!!!

I've seen a couple of other small tank engines with a humungous air compressor hanging on the smokebox door. It's my guess it was there to provide air to operate some kind of dump cars.

That's pretty much what she did her entire life. When in service on the Queenston-Chippawa Project, and the Welland Canal, that's what her job was, hauling air dumps around. 46 and her sister 47 hauled at least 9 car trains on the Queenston job.