Guelphs 6167 Locomotive was originally built in the 1930s, and is classified as a ‘Northern’ or ‘Confederation’ type locomotive. Along with 202 other engines, these models were used to transport both people and supplies around eastern Canada during World War II, and accumulated over one million miles during it career.
In 1943 however, there was a fatal acident where 6167 ran into another locomotive. This accident killed three people on board and damages to both the cargo and the engines themselves exceeded a million dollars. While these trains would typically be scrapped for such an event, Canada was in dire need of more engines and proceeded to repair the locomotive.
The engine continued to run until its retirement in 1959, where it was originally planned to be scrapped for parts. Instead, it was brought back into the Canadian railway system for tourism purposes, and continued to carry passengers around Canada and into the United States for several more years. The train was finally discontinued in 1964 after one more ride in Hamilton Ontario, afterwards was escorted to a storage facility in Toronto.
In 1967, Canadas centennial year, the train was gifted to the city of Guelph where it has been kept ever since. To this day, the train is a part of the Guelph Civic Museums collection and is being maintained with the help of the ‘6167 Restoration Committee’.
https://www.ghra.ca/railway-history/canadian-national-railway-6167
Public History in Practice 