History and details about locomotive CP 3507/2218, courtesy Ray Verdone of
cprsteam.orgCP3507:
This locomotive was built by The Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 1907. Its builder's plate number was 30669. CP3507 was originally built as number CP1707. It entered CPR service as a brand new locomotive on that date (April 1907). CP1707 was changed September 1912: CP1707 was renumbered to CP3507. It was scrapped April 1961 after exactly 54 years of service. Locomotive CP3507 was of class M4g.
CP2218:
This locomotive was built by Canadian Pacific Railway Company, Angus Shops, Montreal, Quebec, February 1910. It was not given a builder's plate number. CP2218 was originally built as number CP1118. It entered CPR service as a brand new locomotive on that date (February 1910). CP1118 was changed November 1910:
- CP1118 was renumbered to CP1018. CP1018 was changed March 1913:
- CP1018 was renumbered to CP2218. CP2218 was changed May 1921:
- Cylinder dimensions were changed from 21x28 to 22.5x28 inches.
- The locomotive was reclassified from G1d to G1s. It was scrapped January 1960 after 49 years and 11 months of service. Locomotive CP2218 was of class G1d.
#3507/2218 was a Consolidation type locomotive (2-8-0), Class M4g and was built for the CPR by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1907.
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CPR usually stamped every bell with the locomotive number on which it was installed. One can often observe the renumbering history of locomotives reflected on the bell. The numbers on this bell are a bit of an enigma. Both number are, dare I say it, “clear as a bell”. The number 3507 is stamped in the standard font and size typical of bell stamps. The number 2218 is quite different. It is smaller and in a font I have seldom seen on bells. However, the tag included in the crate when the bell was packed by CPR also identified it as 2218.
Locomotive 3507, though built much earlier carried that number between September 1912 until it was scrapped in April 1961. CP2218, also built earlier, carried that number between March 1913 until it was scrapped January 1960.
The life cycle of 3507 completely encompasses that of 2218. I cannot imagine a scenario where this bell would have been removed from a perfectly viable 3507 to be installed on 2218. However, the following scenario has been suggested by Mr. Robin Stuber (noted Canadian expert on CPR bells):
“The bell was originally on 3507 and then eventually made it onto 2218 and when the bell was removed from 2218 in 1960 it was stamped using the modern style stamps available at the time. 3507 would have had some other bell on it at it's time of scrapping. The bells did not always get stamped when being removed from a locomotive. Depends on who was in the shop at the time and CPR's practice was to grab whatever bell was available and put it on whatever locomotive was ready for it.”
Ray Verdone, ray@cprsteam.org
