Locomotives of the Irondale, Bancroft & Ottawa The Irondale, Bancroft & Ottawa motive power was typical of many backwoods railways of Ontario. Second-hand 4-4-0 locomotives, typically ex-Grand Trunk power, was the order of the day with the occasional new locomotive. In all, the IB&O only had 3 locomotives before it was acquired by the Canadian Northern. IB&O#1 was of ex-Grand Trunk stock, although very little is known about it's antecedents. Also called the "Mary Ann" as a tribute by it's first engineer, Samuel Edward Hancock, to his wife. It is presumed to have been built in 1855 by Birkenhead of England for the Great Western or the Grand Trunk Railway and sold to the IB&O in 1886. Originally built as a 2-4-0 to broad guage of 5'6". Rebuilt to a 4-4-0 type and standard guage in. It is presumed to have been scrapped sometime between 1905 - 1910.
IB&O #1 is similar in construction to a series of locomotives built for the Great Western Railway. Is it coincidence that GWR 4-4-0 #55 Adam Brown is similar in construction to IB&O #1? GTR locomotive records in the Andrew Merrilees collection, however, don't indicate whether it was one of these locomotives that was sold to the IB&O - possibly through a scrap dealer.
IB&O 4-4-0 #2 was built by Kingston Locomotive Works at Kingston, Ont in 1895 for the IB&O. Scrapped in 1912 - 1913 when the Canadian Northern consolidated and renumbered all of the locomotives belong to the little railway lines that it had acquired in Ontario. In the photo below, IB&O#2 is at Myles Junction. (The gentleman in the big panama hat hanging on to the side of the engine resembles a Howland. This person is seen in many of the other photos in the Howland collection at the Canada Science & Technology Museum.)  |
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IB&O #2 was wrecked in 1902. The IB&O quickly acquired another loco (from the insurance claim or so it is rumoured), IB&O 4-4-0#3, from the Grand Trunk. IB&O#3 is shown below on the turntable at Myles Junction. IB&O #2 was repaired but only after the insurance company paid the claim and IB&O #3 was bought - or so it is rumoured).
The Grand Trunk locomotive records in the Merrilees collection at the National Archives of Canada indicate that the locomotive was built in September 1873 by Manchester Locomotive Company, Builder #596 for the Grand Trunk Railway as their #155. Renumbered in 1898 as GTR #293. Sold to the IB&O in 1902 as their #3. Scrapped in 1912 at Trenton, Ont. Since Trenton was the main CNoR division yards, was #3, along with #2, ever renumbered into the CNoR? The quest begins!! |
