Based on text by Omer Lavallée
Taken from Spanner Magazine, Collectors' Item - 21 by Omer Lavallée
The first 4-6-2 type locomotives in the world were produced shortly after the turn of the century for use in New Zealand; from this first application came the type name "Pacific". Full use was made of the additional length afforded by the trailing truck, over which a wider firebox was placed. The resulting increased boiler capacity made the type instantly popular. Within a decade, all of the major North American railways had fleets of these locomotives.
Canadian Pacific was no exception; 498 4-6-2s were comprised in the five CP Rail classes represented by the letter G. The G-1s, G-2s and G-5s, by virtue of size and service, were light Pacifics. The G-3s and G-4s, on the other hand, were larger engines for heavier duties. The first two series of Pacifics, the G-1 and G-2 classes were outshopped by various builders between 1906 and 1914, and differed from one another in only one major particular, the size of the driving wheels. While the more functional G-2s were given 70" driving wheels,.the less numerous but faster G-1s had 75" wheels, giving them somewhat less tractive effort. Our illustration of the first G-1, No. 1100 (later No. 2200), shows the clean lines typical of the designs of H. H. Vaughan, then in charge of CP Rail motive power.
Practically all of the G-1s and G-2s survived more than forty years, and many saw more than half a century in servicé. That the light Pacifics were in many ways one of CP Rail's ideal types was underlined in 1944 when the first G-5 4-6-2s appeared. Emulating the earlier engines in size, weight and capacity, 102 G-5s were produced between 1944 and 1948 bringing the total number of light 4-6-2s on company lines up to 307.
| Numbers | CP2200-CP2238 (Class G1 series, 1906-1914) CP2500-CP2665 (Class G2 series, 1906-1914) CP2300-CP2462 (Class G3 series, 1919-1945) CP2700-CP2717 (Class G4 series, 1919-1921) CP1200-CP1271 (Class G5 series, 1944-1947) |
| Number of locos built in this class | 498 |
| Builders | Montreal Locomotive works, Canadian Locomotive Co, Canadian Pacific Railway |
| Years Built | 1906 through 1947 |
| Type | Pacific Type 4-6-2 |
| Tractive Force | ##,### kg. (n/a lbs.) |
| Cylinder size | ##x## cm (17 1/4 x28 inch) |
| Driving Wheel diameter | ### cm (70 and 75 in.) |
| Total Weight | ###,###-###-### kg (n/a lbs.) |
| Extreme length (Including tender) | n/a |
| Extreme Height | n/a |
| Original cost | $n/a |
| CP 1201 | On display at the National Museum of Science and Technology, Ottawa, Ontario |
| CP 1238 | Operational but in storage at the VA Central RR (Wharf Dist), Staunton, VA |
| CP 1246 | On dispay at the Railroad Museum of New England, Valley Railroad, Essex, Connecticut. |
| CP 1278 | On display at the
Ohio Central Railroad Sugar Creek, Ohio |
| CP 1286 | Operational but in storage at the VA Central RR (Wharf Dist), Staunton, VA |
| CP 1293 | Operational at the
Ohio Central Railroad Sugar Creek, Ohio |
| CP 2231 | On display at the Canadian Railroad Historical Association Museum in Delson, Quebec |
| CP 2317 | Operational at the Steamtown
National Historic Site, in Scranton, PA |
| CP 2341 | On display at the Canadian Railroad Historical Association Museum in Delson, Quebec |
| CP 2634 | On display at Western Development Museum, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan |
More Photos and information:
CP2222 G-1 type
CP2615 G-2 type
CP2330 G-3 type
CP2717 G-4 type
CP1286 G-5 type
CP1201 G-5 type