Historic Locomotive

Our club owns this locomotive and as part of the 100 year centennial project, is restoring it. Here is a brief history of the locomotive: The C.N.R. engine No. 2616 was presented to the community on October 1, 1960 by the Canadian National Railways and the Rotary Club of Haliburton. The cost to place the engine on location was $1,952.00 which includes $827.57 transportation from Belleville to Haliburton. Maintenance costs are a continuing responsibility of the Rotary Club. The following are the remarks of Mr. A. R. Wilson, superintendent, Belleville, Canadian National Railways, at the presentation of CNR locomotive No. 2616 to the Rotary Club of Haliburton on Saturday, October 1, 1960. "It is indeed a great pleasure for me to be present in this beautiful resort area of Haliburton, and I appreciate greatly the warmth of your hospitality on this as on former occasions. "With the presentation of this locomotive to your Rotary Club today, we are, in effect, marking the end of an era in both Canadian and CNR history. "This veteran engine, No. 2616, technically known as class N4A, came out of the Brooks Locomotive Co. shops in Schenectady, N.Y., for service with the Grand Trunk Railway in 1911. With her original number of `767, she represented the last word in motive power and transportation at that time. "She has had a varied history. Originally she was in mainline service on our eastern lines. In 1926 she went into service at Allandale and in 1929 came into action at Lindsay where she was assigned to the Belleville-Lindsay wayfreight. "She was certainly a familiar sight to residents along that line, for she served there continuously for 17 years, except for periods when she went into the shops for a `sprucing up'. "There are several things that are unique about her. For instance during the major portion of the 17 years she pulled the Belleville-Lindsay wayfreight she was operated by engineer Fred Varcoes of Lindsay. Of particular interest is the fact that during the approximately 30 years she was in service and operating out of Lindsay, there is no record of her ever having a breakdown in service or losing time because of mechanical failure - an exceptional record for a steam locomotive over such a long period of time. "At the end of her career, locomotive No. 2616 made her last trip in service from Lindsay to Belleville on train No. 456, January 7, 1959. "Now, here she stands, a proud symbol of an era in which steam was queen of the rails. We hope the things she represents will stand as a constant reminder to ourselves and our children of the forces that turned Canada from an adolescent nation into an agricultural and industrial giant. "It gives me great pleasure, therefore, on behalf of the Canadian National Railways, to present this scroll covering the transfer of No. 2616 from the roster of the Canadian National Railways to the Rotary Club of Haliburton."