ARCHIVED
Fine Silver Coin - Great Canadian Locomotives: Selkirk (2010)
2010
Mintage 10,000
ARCHIVED
Fine Silver Coin - Great Canadian Locomotives: Selkirk (2010)
2010
Mintage 10,000
$79.95 CAD
Masters Club:
800
Status: CAN & US shipping only
Availability:
Out of stock in stores
About
The 2010 issue in the popular Great Canadian Locomotives Series pays tribute to the Selkirk— a locomotive that embodied ingenuity and determination in railway engineering as it provided travellers with the first—and spectacular—route through Canada's i
Steam conquers Canada’s mountains.
The 2010 issue in the popular Great CanadianLocomotives Series pays tribute to the Selkirk—a locomotive that embodied ingenuity and determinationin railway engineering as it providedtravellers with the first—and spectacular—routethrough Canada’s impenetrable mountains.
Highlights:
This 99.99% pure silver coin celebrates Canada’s rich railroadingheritage by bringing its powerful “mountaineering” locomotive intothe spotlight. Its name “Selkirk” is engraved along the coin’s edge andits design is a highly collectible example of traditional engraving—a unique must-have for train enthusiasts and numismatists alike!
Coin design:
The sleek lines of engine 5935, one of two surviving locomotives fromthe last generation of Selkirks introduced in 1949—on display in Saint-Constant (Quebec).Theme:
From the moment the decision was made to builda railway across Canada, the mountains on thewestern part of the continent have stood as a toweringchallenge to laying tracks and travelling along them.
In 1929, the Montreal Locomotive Works built anew series of massive 2-10-4 engines for CanadianPacific Railway to handle the heavy grades betweenCalgary (Alberta) and Revelstoke (British Columbia).Named for the Selkirk Mountains that they crossed,these non-articulated locomotives tackled the SpiralTunnels, the Field Hill and the Connaught Tunnel;marvels of railway engineering that continue toastound to this day.
The Selkirks carried freight and passengers. Theyburned oil rather than coal to reduce their weight andto eliminate the sparks from coal-burning engines thatcould potentially ignite the heavily forested route.
A total 36 locomotives were built; the 1929 T1-a’s(Nos. 5900 to 5919); the 1938 T1-b’s (Nos. 5920to 5929) that were lighter with increased steampressure; and the 1949 T1-c’s (Nos. 5930 to 5935)with two cross-compound air compressors torecharge the all-important air brakes faster.
With the arrival of diesel locomotives in the early1950’s, the Selkirks began serving other routesin Alberta and Saskatchewan. They were takenout of service in 1959 and only two engines werepreserved; no. 5931 is in Calgary’s Heritage Park(Alberta) and no. 5935 is at Exporail in Saint-Constant(Quebec). While handsome in appearance, theselater, more streamlined models do not have thebulkier, powerhouse appearance of the original T1-alocomotives.
The 2010 issue in the popular Great CanadianLocomotives Series pays tribute to the Selkirk—a locomotive that embodied ingenuity and determinationin railway engineering as it providedtravellers with the first—and spectacular—routethrough Canada’s impenetrable mountains.
Highlights:
This 99.99% pure silver coin celebrates Canada’s rich railroadingheritage by bringing its powerful “mountaineering” locomotive intothe spotlight. Its name “Selkirk” is engraved along the coin’s edge andits design is a highly collectible example of traditional engraving—a unique must-have for train enthusiasts and numismatists alike!
Coin design:
The sleek lines of engine 5935, one of two surviving locomotives fromthe last generation of Selkirks introduced in 1949—on display in Saint-Constant (Quebec).Theme:
From the moment the decision was made to builda railway across Canada, the mountains on thewestern part of the continent have stood as a toweringchallenge to laying tracks and travelling along them.
In 1929, the Montreal Locomotive Works built anew series of massive 2-10-4 engines for CanadianPacific Railway to handle the heavy grades betweenCalgary (Alberta) and Revelstoke (British Columbia).Named for the Selkirk Mountains that they crossed,these non-articulated locomotives tackled the SpiralTunnels, the Field Hill and the Connaught Tunnel;marvels of railway engineering that continue toastound to this day.
The Selkirks carried freight and passengers. Theyburned oil rather than coal to reduce their weight andto eliminate the sparks from coal-burning engines thatcould potentially ignite the heavily forested route.
A total 36 locomotives were built; the 1929 T1-a’s(Nos. 5900 to 5919); the 1938 T1-b’s (Nos. 5920to 5929) that were lighter with increased steampressure; and the 1949 T1-c’s (Nos. 5930 to 5935)with two cross-compound air compressors torecharge the all-important air brakes faster.
With the arrival of diesel locomotives in the early1950’s, the Selkirks began serving other routesin Alberta and Saskatchewan. They were takenout of service in 1959 and only two engines werepreserved; no. 5931 is in Calgary’s Heritage Park(Alberta) and no. 5935 is at Exporail in Saint-Constant(Quebec). While handsome in appearance, theselater, more streamlined models do not have thebulkier, powerhouse appearance of the original T1-alocomotives.
Specifications
Product Number
110154
Mintage
10,000
Composition
99.99% pure silver
Weight
31.39 g
Edge
plain with edge-lettering - Selkirk
Certificate
serialized
Face Value
$20
Finish
proof
Series
Great Canadian Locomotives
Artist
Mint engravers adapted an image provided by the Canadian Pacific
Railway Archives (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)
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