Essex Terminal Railway 9

Essex Terminal Railway No. 9 is a preserved 0-6-0 steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in 1923. Originally purchased by the Essex Terminal Railway, the locomotive was in active service until 1960. It is currently owned by the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society, and it is operated as a tourist attraction, as part of the Waterloo Central Railway, in St. Jacobs, Ontario.

ETR 9
ETR No. 9 in the Waterloo Central Railway shop in St. Jacobs, Ontario
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer American Locomotive Company Builder Montreal Locomotive Works Serial number 64276 Build date February 1923
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0  • UIC C Driver 2nd coupled axle Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 4 ft 3 in (1.30 m) Length 57 ft 10-3/8 in (17.64 m) Width 10 ft 4-3/4 in (3.17 m) Height 14 ft 3-1/2 in (4.36 m) Loco weight 146,100 lbs (66,329 kg) Tender weight 98,600 lbs (44,764 kg) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 16,000 lbs (7,264 kg) Water cap. 3,700 gal (14,006 ltr) Boiler pressure 180 psi (827 kpa) Cylinders 2 Cylinder size 20 in (508 mm) diameter x 26 in (660 mm) stroke Valve gear Walschaerts
Performance figures Power output 1400 hp (1044 kw) Tractive effort 31,800 lbs (14,437 kg)
Career Operators Essex Terminal Railway St. Thomas Central Railway Waterloo Central Railway Retired 1960 Restored October 1997 Current owner Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society Disposition Operational

History

First career

The No. 9 locomotive was built in February 1923 by the Montreal Locomotive Works, and it was based on a design created by its parent company, the American Locomotive Company. As an 0-6-0 switcher, it was purchased by the Essex Terminal Railway, (ETR) a shortline operator in the Windsor, Ontario area. The locomotive saw active usage until 1960.

Between 1960 and 1963, No. 9 was used as an external boiler to provide heat for a building, before it was put into storage. In 1971, No. 9 was loaned to the Ontario Railway Association for restoration. The association moved the locomotive into storage in Milton, Ontario, but otherwise performed no restoration work.

Restoration

In April 1986, No. 9 was leased to the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society (SOLRS). In July 1986, it was moved to the Ontario Hydro generating station at Nanticoke, Ontario, where restoration work began. In December 1993, No. 9 was moved to St. Thomas, Ontario, where SOLRS had acquired a portion of the Elgin County Railway Museum, located in the former Michigan Central Railway (MCR) locomotive erecting shop. By October 1997, restoration work was completed, and the locomotive was re-certified to operate under its own power.

St. Thomas Operation

In July 1998, SOLRS began to operate ETR No. 9 as a tourist attraction, naming it the St. Thomas Central Railway, and running on the Canada Southern Railway line (CASO), which at the time was owned and maintained by both the Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific (CP) Railways.

In October 2001, SOLRS was granted ownership of the No. 9 locomotive. During its time in St. Thomas, ETR No. 9 was given the name “Pride of Elgin.” In September 2002, the locomotive briefly returned to the Windsor area, to participate in the Essex Terminal Railway's 100th anniversary celebrations.

CN and CP had purchased the CASO line from MCR in 1985, primarily to acquire the railway's tunnel under the Detroit River, and their bridge at Niagara Falls. But the companies had little interest in maintaining the rest of the line, and gradually began to abandon it, section by section. Unable to afford to maintain the track as well as the locomotive and its rolling stock, SOLRS eventually decided to move their operation to St. Jacobs, Ontario.

St. Jacobs Operation

ETR No. 9 operating on the Waterloo Central Railway’s Scotch Line, near Elmira, Ontario, on May 20, 2019

Beginning in 2007, SOLRS began to run ETR No. 9 as part of their operation in St. Jacobs, which is named the Waterloo Central Railway (WCR). The former CN Waterloo Spur is used, which is owned and maintained by the Region of Waterloo, and it is also used by the Goderich-Exeter Railway for freight operations.

SOLRS also owns three diesel locomotives, which are the primary motive power used for their tourist train service between St. Jacobs Farmers' Market Station and the station at Elmira, Ontario. No. 9 is also used frequently on Saturdays and long weekends, and for specially named theme excursions.