Canadian National 4-6-4T No. 47Canadian National No. 47 was originally built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in September 1914 for the Grand Trunk Railway as its No. 1542, but became a Canadian National locomotive after the creation of the Canadian National Railway in 1923. It is one of only three preserved CN 4-6-4Ts (No. 49 at the Canadian Railway Museum in Delson, Quebec and CN No. 46 at Vallée-Jonction, Quebec) and is the only Baltic-type suburban tank locomotive remaining in the United States.
No. 47 was based in Montreal and was used exclusively in commuter service. Following retirement in 1959, No. 47 was sold to F. Nelson Blount, where it later became a part of the original Steamtown collection in Vermont. No. 47 was the first locomotive to run as a Steamtown excursion locomotive, and was intended to become the primary excursion power. It had been given a fresh overhaul in 1958 and was in excellent mechanical condition when acquired. However, it steamed for only five weeks in 1961 as the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) denied its boiler certification. The maintenance records had been lost in a roundhouse fire in Canada, and it was not possible to verify her boiler condition to government inspectors without an expensive overhaul. She did put on a good show (and looked much better) in 1981, however, as seen in this photo shoot in 1981.
