I wonder if they did some preliminary rolling at the steel plant.

If they formed it into a U shape it might be easier to handle.

And fit the clearances.

-Hudson

Thanks for the update. Why does the crew dislike her?

They simply do not like Heislers. They all like their Shays. That's all there is too it. I have a publication where the most senior engineer there states he "would rather take a whipping than run that piece of $%^&".

I kind of liked it, but then I have always like the underdog. It does make some distressing noises running around the yard at light throttle - mostly related to the huge, heavy U-joints clunking around. I found the harder you worked the engine the better it ran and once you put a load on the running gear it quieted down. It like to be hooked up nice and tight and run wide open, like any good engine does - something that the other engineers simply did not want to do.

This has probably been discussed before, but are there any documents available from Montréal Locomotive Works, ALCO or Canadian Pacific Railways on the service life of the two welded boilers that were installed at construction in the 1200 series Pacifics?
Thank you.

Greetings:
The first two CPR G-5 locomotives had all welded boilers.
The production models had high nickel, riveted boilers.
See the thread "Canadian Pacific Steam" page 1 for a bit more about these...
J.David

Heislers have hot cabs. The cabs are closed in and set forward on the boiler and the engineer bakes. Shays have more ventilation and the cab is set behind the backhead.

I had been told a long time ago that the Big Trees crews dislike their heisler in the summer for the same reason.

At the risk of derailing the thread topic, any boiler with an unlagged and jacketed backhead is going to hot and uncomfortable in the summer. The worst day I spent at Cass last summer was running #5. Even though the bare back head was closer to front of the cab, it was still unbearably hot. Adding to the heat is the cylinders fed by nearly 400 degree steam just behind that sheet metal fender in front of you.

Most any geared engine is hot inside the cab. You don't get much of a breeze at 6-8 mph.

I beg to differ with J. David; the CPR G-5s with welded boilers were 1216 and 1231, both G-5c class from the 1946 production run.

I believe the 1200 and 1201 had boilers fabricated from a special alloy steel, different from the production runs (which were 70,000# tensile steel).

Howard P.

I have to disagree with this statement as certainly not all Heislers have hot cabs.

Pickering Lbr. Corp had 4 3-truck Heislers and they all had open cabs. I spent a summer running their number 10 for pay on a tourist line in northern CA and it was a pleasure, especially when backing as the roof line acted as a scoop and really funneled the cooler air into the cab.

It depends on the actual model. What were really hot were locomotives with the extra capacity raised fuel tank that went as high as the roof in the middle as they tended to block more of the air from circulating through the cab, that and all weather cabs, those were real bears. Pickerings Pacific Coast Type 11 was such an example and crews were known to write her up with questionable defects so that they could then get Shay 6 instead.

FWIW, a number of the high seniority Pickering engineman took the jobs on the lower division where the 3T Heislers ran and part of that reason was that they enjoyed a more cooler ride. I got this from the late Bill Scott. Manny Marshall said the same thing.

An apology to Mr. Conrad if this got too far afield.