Vol. 17 No. 4
April, 1987
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Stay Safe in 87
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Last of Stamps
in Railway
Series
are Unveiled
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Omer Lavallee
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One of my involvements during the last four years has been with Canada Post, in
connection with the topical locomotive stamps which have appeared, four annually.
In 1982, I was contacted and agreed to supply graphic references to the artist, Ernst Roch and his associate. Eva
Chrzanowska of Montreal. I also provided technical particulars and wrote the text for the stamp pack which accompanies
the issue.
The last four items of the 16-stamp series appeared on 21 Nov 1986. They were unveiled,
appropriately enough, in the locomotive hall of the National Museum of Science of Technology (NMST) in Ottawa. Two of
the 1986 stamps, as well as two of the 1984 series, are represented by prototype exhibits at the NMST.
The host and emcee was Dr. Bill McGowan, the museum's director. He introduced Stewart Cooke, executive
vice-president of Canada Post, who is a former vice-president of Canadian National. Mr. Cooke
was accompanied by Donald Murphy, Canada Post's executive director, field communications.
Mr. Cooke regaled the audience with reminiscences of his railway career, before presenting souvenir leather folders
containing the new stamps to Dr. McGowan and the other platform guests, which included John Corby, the NMST's
well-known curator of industrial technology, and myself.
I was then invited to say a few words about the designs chosen, including the 1939 Royal Train blue paint scheme which
was carried at that time by Canadian Pacific class H1d, No. 2850, and is depicted on the
68-cent-denomination stamp.
The other 1986 subjects include a Canadian Pacific class T1a "Selkirk" type locomotive, and Canada's first
road diesel locomotive, Canadian National's No. 9000, both on the 34-cent-denomination. The
39-cent stamp shows a Canadian National class U2a 4-8-4.
"Samson" the Oldest
While there were sufficient graphic references for most of these subjects to enable the artist to prepare his
treatments, one of the 1983 stamps, that showing the early locomotive "Sampson", required a trip by Ms.
Chrzanowska to New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, where this early locomotive is preserved. She was given access to the engine,
which is displayed in a glass-fronted building, so that she might measure it in order to depict it
properly.
Incidentally, "Sampson" is the oldest locomotive preserved in Canada. It was designed and built in 1838 by
Timothy Hackworth, of New Shildon, Durham, England, shipped to Canada and put into operation in 1839 on the South
Pictou Railroad at Stellarton, Nova Scotia.
It was one of three locomotives in this order which were the third, fourth, and fifth steam locomotives put into use in
British North America. While the other two were scrapped in the 1880's, "Sampson" was recognized as a relic
as early as 1883 when it was sent to an exhibition of railway appliances at Chicago that year.
Sent back to work in Nova Scotia, it returned to Chicago again in 1893 to be an exhibit at the Worlds's Columbian
Exhibition.
Abandoned after the Fair, it was rescued by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and kept with its own collection of
railway artifacts until 1927. In that year, Nova Scotians became aware of its existence and the B&O graciously
returned it to its home turf.
This CP Rail News article is copyright
1987 by the Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their
permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Company.
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