History of Locomotive 1001
1959: Waterloo Central Railway S13 No. 1001 was built by Montreal Locomotive Works in January 1959 as Pacific Great Eastern Railway 1001.
1972: PGE was renamed the British Columbia Railway in 1972 and became BC Rail in 1984.
1987: In February the locomotive was renumbered BCOL 501.
1988: No. 501 was retired in May.
1989: In October, the Greater Winnipeg Water District Railway purchased BCOL 501 along with S13 number 503 for use on their shortline railway based out of St. Boniface, Man. Plans to modify No. 501 for use on GWWD (primarily reducing its overall weight) were not implemented and the locomotive remained in storage in St. Boniface.
1994: GWWD sold No. 501 to Ontario Southland Railway in 1994. The locomotive became OSRX 501.
2018: Waterloo Central Railway purchased Ontario Southland S13s 501 and 502 on May 16, 2018.
2019: WCR 501, still in its two-tone green BCR colours, was taken into the shop to prepare it for repainting. A coat of primer was applied but the work was interrupted while No. 501 worked Christmas trains.
2020: In the winter of 2020, our volunteers brought S13 No. 501 back into the St. Jacobs shop for repainting. A thorough mechanical inspection was also performed, and necessary repairs were made. The locomotive was painted in Waterloo Central’s Canadian Pacific-inspired Tuscan and grey colours and its original road number reinstated. Resplendent in its new colours, WCR 1001 made its debut in March 2020.
Specifications
| Road Number | 1001 |
| Type | Diesel - Electric |
| Builder | Montreal Locomotive Works |
| Date Built | January 1959 |
| Model | S13 |
| Serial Number | 82548 |
| Engine | Alco 6-251C |
| Horsepower | 1000 |
| Lineage | Pacific Great Eastern Railway 1001 British Columbia Railway 1001 Greater Winnipeg Water District Railway 501 Ontario Southland Railway 501 Waterloo Central Railway 501 Waterloo Central Railway 1001 |
| Acquisition | 2018 |
The historical information and photos presented on our website are gathered from several sources including historical websites, literature and first-hand accounts of volunteers, staff and industry experts.