ENR3870 wrote:Alberni Pacific RS3 8427 is the last surviving Canadian Pacific RS3. CP chopped the nose in the 1970's and sold the 8427 to the Comox Logging and Railway Co.(Fletcher Challenge) in 1980, CL&R ended rail operations in 1984(truck operations ended a couple months later) and the 8427 was preserved at Ladysmith, BC. The Ladysmith Historical Railway Society disbanded years later and the 8427 went to the Alberni Pacific in Port Alberni. The 8427 is wearing the CL&R orange paint job but the plan is to restore the high hood and repaint it to CPR Maroon and Grey. Incidently, the RS3 at the West Coast Railway Association in Squamish, BC also came from the Comox Logging and Railway Co. It's a former D&H RS3, number 4097. Comox Logging and Railway Co. also had a Baldwin VO-1000, number 7128. It was preserved as well, but was too far gone, and was cut up for scrap in 1994.
The 4097 at Squamish was cut up last year(typical of this organization, no real concern for preservation /restoration whatsoever) It was cosmetically in fairly good shape, but was not operational. The main generator went into the PGE RSC3. This unit was also chopnosed, and had the late long hood(with carbody filters) from the RSC3, with the RSC recieving the early one from 4097, to return it to as built appearance. This was done in the mid 80's. As far as I know pretty much all of the 4097 went to scrap, when it could have easily been saved for use in other RS-3 projects. there was also a large assortment of RS-3 parts there, which had been scavenged from the BCR units left on the deadline after 1985, from hood doors to control stands, you name it, prob enough to help rebuild several stripped units. I am told this was all sent to the scrapper as well!!!!
Incedentally, the short hood from PGE/BCR RS-3 570 was saved by one of the former mech. guys at the "museum", for the eventual restoration of the high short hood on 8427...haven't heard much about that in a while. He also has the rear section of the long hood from BCR RS-18 630, saved for possible future use in restoring the now chopped short hood on BCR RS-10 586(one of only 2 in existance) in the Prince George BC museum.