History and details about locomotive CP 811-3485, courtesy Ray Verdone of
cprsteam.org
This locomotive was built by ALCO - The Locomotive and Machine Company of Montreal, later Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) on November 1908. Its builder's plate number was 45714. CP 811 was orginally built as number CP 2611. It entered CPR service as a brand new locomotive in November 1908. In November 1913, CP 2611 was renumbered to CP 811. This locomotive left CPR service and went to the Quebec Central Railway Company (QCR) as QC 811 sometime during 1939. This locomotive was scrapped in March 1956 after 47 years and 4 months of service. Locomotive CP811 was of class D10e.
Dimensions: Complete yoke and cradle assembly is 24" tall and the cradle is 21" wide at its apex. Bells are 13" high and 16" in diameter at the base.
Please note that these bells have been lightly polished but most may have some nicks etc due to decades of use especially around the bottom rims of the bells.
Bell numbered 3485 and 811.
A plausible explanation of how 3485 appears on this Bell
Author: Ray Verdone
CPR stamped every bell with the locomotive number in which it was installed. One can often observe the renumbering history of locomotives reflected on the bell. In this case, at first glance, the history on the bell does not seem to correlate much with that of its locomotives.
What I believe may have happened is the bell was built along with locomotive CP1685 in 1907 but not “stamped”. When the locomotive was renumbered to 3485 in 1912, it was stamped with locomotive number 3495. CP3485 was scrapped in 1950.
CP811 operated as that number between November 1913 until it was scrapped in March of 1956. It was transferred from the CPR and assigned to the Quebec Central Railway in 1939.
Based on the evidence on this bell I surmise that the bell was moved from 3485 to 811 between 1913 and 1950. The 811 stamp mark on the bell in clearly superimposed on an earlier 3485 stamp. My best guess is that the bell was “scrapped” along with 3485 in 1950 but retained at that time. Only then it was then moved to locomotive 811. I cannot imagine a viable scenario where it would have been moved from 3485 to 811 before it’s use on 3485 was completed.
Though not particularly scientific, the 811 stamp seems to show little wear compared to the older 3485 stamp. When 811 was scrapped in 1954 the bell was returned to the CPR where it was stored for potential later, use but was never used again. It was sold in 1975 as part of CPR’s bell disposal program.
Again, the history of this bell I have related is purely conjecture. But it matches the evidence seen on the bell as well as the facts related to the history of those two CPR locomotives.
