Everything about Countess Of Dufferin totally explained
The
Countess of Dufferin was the first
steam locomotive to operate in the
Canadian prairie provinces and is named after the wife of the first
Governor General of Canada. The locomotive was built by M. Baird & Co., (builders plate #2660) and delivered to
Northern Pacific Railway as #21 in 1872. It was used in the
Minnesota and
Dakota Territories until 1877 when it was sold for $9700.00 to Joseph Whitehead, a contractor for
Canadian Pacific Railway. The locomotive, along with 6
flatcars and a
caboose were loaded on to barges at Fisher's Landing, Minnesota and propelled by the SS Selkirk, they were shipped up the
Red River to
St. Boniface, now an electoral district of
Winnipeg,
Manitoba, arriving
October 9,
1877, at a cost of $440.00.
Upon arrival the locomotive was used on Government of Canada Contract #5, the first contract issued in the promised rail link that brought
British Columbia into Confederation. The locomotive was used in the completion of Pembina branch to the US border linking Winnipeg with
Minneapolis. Next it worked east from Winnipeg to the lakehead in northwest
Ontario, connecting with contractors from eastern Canada. In 1883 ownership was transferred and it became Canadian Pacific #151. It then worked west from Winnipeg to
Golden, British Columbia (Government of Canada Contract #15) were it was last used as a construction locomotive.
In the mid 1880s, the locomotive was again sold, this time to the Columbia River Lumber Company, owned by
William Mackenzie and
Donald Mann of the
Canadian Northern Railway. They renamed the locomotive as
The Betsy and used it to power the sawmill. In 1909, the City of Winnipeg learned of the locomotive's existence and convinced the owners to donate it to the city. It was transported back to Winnipeg, restored in the Weston Shop and renumbered CPR #1. It was displayed in various locations until 1977, when Mr. George Richardson and the CPR spent a considerable amount of money to fully restore the
Countess of Dufferin. The locomotive now resides in the
Winnipeg Railway Museum located on tracks 1 and 2 in
VIA Rail Union Station in downtown Winnipeg.
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