Canadian National No. 3254

Canadian National No. 3254 is an S-1-b class 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built at the Canadian Locomotive Company's Kingston Works of Ontario in 1917, originally as No. 2854.
No. 2854 was used on the Canadian Government Railways hauling freight and passenger trains but, when consolidated into the government owned Canadian National, it was renumbered 3254.
No. 3254 continued service until it made its last run in December 1957 and was placed into storage. When No. 3254 was last shopped by Canadian National at its works in Allendale, ON, it was officially retired from revenue service in February 1958.
In November 1961, Willis F. Barron of Ashland, PA, bought No. 3254, intending to operate it on a Reading Railroad branch that served Ashland, but by the time he had moved No. 3254, the Reading had already abandoned and dismantled the branch.
In 1982, Barron sold No. 3254 to the Gettysburg Steam Railroad in Gettysburg, PA where it was rebuilt and put into service. It operated track between Gettysburg and Mount Holly Springs, PA. Once overhauled and reassembled, however, No. 3254 was too large and heavy to meet the Gettysburg's needs and was later put into storage in 1986.
In 1987, Steamtown needed an operable, heavy-duty locomotive for its mainline excursions. In August 1987, No. 3254 arrived at Steamtown after Steamtown traded Canadian Pacific No. 1278 and some extra cash for the No. 3254, the locomotive was masqueraded as Lackawanna No. 1271 and was put into service that same month where it began hauling passenger trains for twenty-five years. No. 1271 was eventually renamed and renumbered back to CN No. 3254 in the late 1980s. Today, No. 3254 is located at Steamtown.
No. 3254 made its last excursion run on December 2, 2012, and was taken out of service after the holiday season, where it was initially awaiting for its Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) mandated 1,472-day boiler inspection and possible future overhaul. However, No. 3254 is now unlikely to ever run under steam again anytime soon due to its bent frame caused from a collision with Great Northern No. 1351 during its revenue service career along with being a rough rider and other problems. As a result of this, No. 3254 was later officially retired from excursion service at Steamtown and will soon be permanently replaced by the soon-to-be restored Boston & Maine No. 3713.
==Trivia==
*In 1995, 3254 participated in the grand opening of Steamtown’s main roundhouse alongside multiple other locomotives, including Canadian Pacific No. 2317, Baldwin No. 26, Blue Mountain & Reading No. 425, Susquehanna SY No. 142, and Milwaukee Road No. 261.
*In 1987, 3254 was "disguised" as the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad 2-8-2 No. 1271, but it has subsequently reverted to its original Canadian National livery while the tender is lettered Gettysburg Railway.
*3254 was infamously known for its 1980s out-of-tune CN 5-chime whistle sound being used in various movies, TV shows, video games, and other media (most notably in Thomas and the Magic Railroad as the Rainbow Sun's whistle). It was fixed in the early 1990s and the whistle continued to sound until the locomotive's retirement in 2012. After the whistle was fixed, it sounded a bit like Sierra No. 3's whistle rather than it's distinctive whistle. It is rumored that the whistle could wear off and sound exactly like it did back in the 1980s, but nobody can predict about this hence the locomotive never ran since its 2012 retirement. 
*As a result of 3254's frame issues, No. 3254 will soon be officially replaced by Boston & Maine 4-6-2 No. 3713 as part of Steamtown's operating fleet for use on excursion trains.
*Steamtown also owns a Canadian National class S-1-d "Mikado", No. 3377 as a static display piece (and parts source for No. 3254).
*3254 was featured in a few episodes of "Extreme Trains".
==See also==
*Gallery
Category:2-8-2 locomotives
Category:2-8-2 steam locomotives
Category:Eight-coupled locomotives
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Category:2-8-2 locomotives
Category:2-8-2 steam locomotives
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Category:Canadian National locomotives
Category:Built in 1917
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