The CNR started it's life in January 1923. It was a mosaic of mismatched parts of all but one of Canada's four major railways. 
It was comprised of the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR),  Intercolonial Railway (ICR) and the
Canadian Northern (CNoR).
The locomotives shown on this page were in some cases inherited from the previous railways and in other's bought by the CNR. The CNR was in need of a lot of new equipment after the merger to enable it to compete with the one remaining private railway, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR).
The rivalry between these two railways continues to this day.
The CNR had the disadvantage of being government controlled and had to support many unprofitable line because of political interference.
This cost a great deal of money which a certain portion was written off by the government each year but the CNR usually showed an annual loss because of it.
Those losses plus a staggering debt load that was inherited from the merger left the CNR in the position of having to ask the government for hand outs each year.

These steam locomotives were operated until the process to replace them with diesel electric engines began in 1950. This was brought on by a serious coal strike in the US that caught CNR with very low reserves of coal and cause the temporary shutdown of some services.
This gave the government the incentive to provide the necessary funding for the conversation.
The process started on the east and west coasts of the country, working towards central Canada.
The first passenger train to be converted was the Ocean Limited, which ran between Montreal and Halifax in 1954. The process was completed by the mid 1950's.

There was a fair amount of opposition from within the CNR to this change but it was necessary because of the lower operating costs of the diesel electric engines.
They didn't necessarily run any faster but could go much further distances between refueling and required service.
 

I was born in Owen Sound in 1947. Buy age 6 my family had to move to London Ontario for my father to get regular work on the CNR. Rail service was dying in the Northern part of South Western Ontario. I do recall very vividly those times when my Dad broke all the rules and took me (at age 4 or 5) with him on a night run from Owen Sound to London, Ont. That was the connecting terminus, via Stratford Ont. Dad would sneak me into the bunk house in London to sleep with him before the return trip to Owen Sound.

I remember his laughter, and that of the Fireman, when they told me I had to shovel coal from the tender into the boiler. I was so small, just lifting the shovel was a challenge; forget having coal on the shovel. I did what I was told and watched the gauges they told me I had to watch. There was so few chunks of coal on each shovel full, it took a while for the gauge to tell me I could stop.

I remember the whistle stop at Palmerston, Ont. in the pre dawn light where he gave me a few coins to run into the station and buy a sandwich and a pop. This was high drama for a young child, because I was told that my Dad could get into big trouble if I was seen in the cab of the train. I was a willing co-conspirator. I would sneak to the far side of the engine to re-enter the cab at these stops for snacks.

After the family moved to London, there were fewer times that my Dad could take me with him. One that sticks out in my mind was a passenger run from London (a shift change point of that era) to Windsor Ont. On the night in question, my father had awakened me just past midnight and asked me if I wanted to go with him on a run. I was about 10 years old, as I recall. I of course said "yes".

I was speechless when I saw the awesome steam engine that I would be riding in on the way to Windsor. It was a 6400 series. If my recollection is correct, it was 6403. Since this was a passenger run, the conductor was back in the coaches. I took his seat in the cab. The fireman and my Dad gave me a job; no shovel this time. I had to watch two gauges and turn a knob to keep the temperature values within set parameters. I was told that there was a conveyor that ran under the cab floor that fed coal from the tender to the boiler. By watching the gauges and turning the knob, I was activating that conveyor when it was necessary.

I handled my assigned tasks for a bout an hour, before I fell asleep. When we got to Windsor, the fireman said I would make a good Conductor. I was so disappointed that we had diesel engine for the return trip to London.

I am trying to remember the whistle sequence for level crossings. Was it two long, one short, then one long? I do remember that my Dad let me blow the whistle at many crossings.

One of my sad memories of my Dad as an engineer was the silences that followed an accident at work. He was very quiet for days after a trip he had been on that had caused death or injury to a person trying to race the train to a crossing and lost. Even though he had no control over the situation, he still felt the loss personally.

There were two situations that rankled him. One, he had released some steam at a stop and some lady had her white gloves stained. The second was a stop on a passenger run that was not as smooth as he wanted, and an onboard CNR dignitary had his soup spill. For both of those MAJOR transgressions he received demerit marks on his record.

After my father's death in 1975; at his funeral, I got an up close, in person view of how my father was viewed as a "railroad man". This view was provided by his co-workers. At the funeral home, I was approached by a man who had only worked with my father for about 3 years. He said to me "Your father was one hell of a railroad man. I didn't always agree with him, but I always respected him".

The next comment came from a man who had worked with my Dad for many years. One would have to understand the relationship between freight and passenger priorities on the rails to understand his comments. He said to me," Your Dad covered more ground in less time than any engineer I ever worked with. He did it within standard rules and boundaries. I still don't know how he managed to do what he did".

I reflect back on a trip our family made to California from Ontario in 1963. I was 15 years old, pre-licensing age; therefore the designated navigator. I had watched my father drive a car and a large locomotive for many years. On our "cross country" oddessy, I was able to predict our arrival time at days end at the chosen destination within 5 minutes, every day, every time. Maybe I was a chip off the old "railroad" block.

I still cherish the memory of that wonderful, talented "railroad man" that was my Dad. I would give anything to re-live the arguments we had about my buying too many muscle cars in the late 60's and early 70's.

My Father was a simple working man who had garnered the respect and love of people from Connecticut to California. I know, because they were ALL there at his funeral. Oh, to be able to walk a mile in the shoes of a Great Man.

I miss him still today, My Father, the Railroad Man."

Sincerely,

James Michael Gowan

http://www.steamlocomotive.info/state.cfm?state=Saskatchewan
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http://www.city.melville.sk.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp?PageID=188 
5114, Class J-4-d, was built by Montreal in August 1919, #61480. 
It was sold to City of Melville, SK, in September 1969. http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr1152.htm

For all you steam fans, this page is a must