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Collectors' Item 17 by Omer Lavallee     The classification letter "K" was used by only two locomotives, the sole representatives of their wheel arrangement on Canadian Pacific lines. These engines were K1a class numbers 3100 and 3101, of the 4-8-4 or "Northern" type, both built at Angus Shops in Montreal in 1928.     Large and impressive in appearance and with a considerable following among railway amateurs and train watchers, the 3100s were not, in fact, particularly successful because of their great weight (364 tons in working order) and lack of speed potential in spite of 75 inch driving wheels

and large boiler capacity. There was also limited use on Canadian Pacific lines for a heavy passenger engine and as a consequence, the K1 class found their niche on the night Montreal-Toronto passenger service, trains 21 and 22. They remained on this assignment for some thirty-five years.     Relieved by diesels, the 3100s worked for a time on the Maritimes service, then were sent west to spend their last days on the Prairies. Retired to Weston Shops in the late 1950s, both locomotives were subsequently preserved for historical reasons - No. 3100 at Ottawa and No. 3101 at Ipsco Park, Regina, Saskatchewan.

SPECIFICATIONS Class Numbers Builder Year Serial Nos. Cylinders (Dia x stroke) Drivers (Dia) Pressure (psi) Weight (Lbs)   K1a 3100-01 Angus 1928 None 25.5 x 30 75 275 728,000