Canadian Pacific 1293

Canadian Pacific 1293 is a class "G5d" 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built in June 1948 by the Canadian Locomotive Company for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Built for passenger service, No. 1293 served an eight-year career until being replaced by diesel locomotives where it was then retired in 1959. Purchased in 1964 by F. Nelson Blount for use at his Steamtown site in Bellows Falls, Vermont, No. 1293 was easily restored to operation for hauling fan trips for the general public. 1293 was later sold to the Ohio Central Railroad in 1996 for tourist train service. Today, the locomotive is out on display at the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

Revenue service
No. 1293 was built in June 1948 by the Canadian Locomotive Company. The locomotive was used by the CP to work passenger and freight trains across branch lines and secondary lines. It was retired in 1959 after only eight years of service when diesel power made it obsolete.

Steamtown ownership
In early 1964, No. 1293 was purchased by F. Nelson Blount, and it was moved to his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection in Bellows Falls, Vermont. Blount would also acquire fellow CP G5 Nos. 1246 and 1278. In the fall of that year, No. 1293 was test ran on Steamtown’s trackage with some assistance from Rahway Valley 15. The Steamtown Foundation subsequently leased the locomotive to the Green Mountain Railroad, until 1973.

In August 1976, No. 1293 pulled the Vermont Bicentennial Steam Expedition train on the Central Vermont (CV) mainline between Bellows Falls and Burlington, Vermont. Leased by the state of Vermont for 80 mi excursions that were scheduled for the entire year, the G5d was proclaimed as "The Spirit of Ethan Allen".

In 1980, No. 1293 was temporarily renumbered as No. 1881 and painted black with silver stripes, and it was leased to a Hollywood company for use in the filming of Terror Train (1980), a horror film starring Jamie Lee Curtis. After filming was completed, No. 1293 was repainted in black, gold, and tuscan red; a color scheme used by CP passenger locomotives in the 1930s. In February 1982, the headlights, handrails and cab roof of No. 1293 were damaged when the roof of a Steamtown storage building gave way to heavy snow. After some repairs were made to the locomotive, it operated multiple excursion trains throughout the 1983 season alongside Nos. 1246 and 2317 to bid farewell to Steamtown's former home of Bellows Falls, before the entire collection would be moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania the following year.

Although the Steamtown Special History Study reasoned that, since this type of locomotive had historically operated in New England, perhaps as far south as Boston, it qualified to be part of the federal government's collection, the Canadian native sat unused for 12 years following the move to Scranton.

Ohio Central Railroad
Ohio Central Railroad System purchased it in 1996 and it underwent a 13-month restoration. On September 18, 1997, the locomotive was restored to operating condition and found itself on a new lease on life by pulling excursion trains out of Sugarcreek, Ohio alongside other locomotives, including Canadian National 4-6-0 No. 1551 (which is also a former relic of Steamtown, USA), Buffalo Creek and Gauley 2-8-0 No. 13, Grand Trunk Western 4-8-4 No. 6325, and Lake Superior and Ishpeming 2-8-0 No. 33. The year 2004 saw a huge event in Ohio Central's steam operations when "Train festival 2004" took place from July 30 to August 1, 2004, in Dennison, Ohio. It was a major event featuring all of the OC's steam locomotives, some historic diesel locomotives as well as rolling stock, and many more rail-related activities, and No. 1293 took part in the event.

No. 1293 was loaned to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to operate between Independence and Akron between 2005 and 2008 and in 2012.

Disposition
Ohio Central Railroad had been purchased by Gennessee and Wyoming, but owner Jerry Joe Jacobson still maintained a small collection of vintage equipment, including No. 1293 and sister engine No. 1278, at his Age of Steam Roundhouse, near Sugarcreek. No. 1293 is currently out on static display as of 2024 and is awaiting its 1,472-day inspection and rebuild after McCloud Railway 2-8-2 No. 19 finishes its rebuild.

Surviving sister engines

 * No. 1201 is currently on static display inside the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada.
 * No. 1238 is currently in storage under private ownership at the Prairie Dog Central Railway in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada.
 * No. 1246 is currently in storage at the Railroad Museum of New England in Thomaston, Connecticut in the United States.
 * No. 1278 is also currently on static display at the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio in the United States.
 * No. 1286 is currently with No. 1238 in storage at the Prairie Dog Central Railway in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada.