Канадалық 6060 локомотивін сақтау және қалпына келтіру қоғамы

Steam locomotive preservation group
The Rocky Mountain Rail Society (RMRS) is a registered nonprofit organization of volunteers dedicated to the preservation of Canadian National Railway steam locomotive 6060, The Spirit of Alberta. Their goal is to ensure that The Spirit of Alberta remains in full and complete operating condition for the enjoyment of steam rail fans.

The Rocky Mountain Rail Society operates under a board of directors and a varying number of directors. The key mechanical positions that make up the Mechanical Committee are chief mechanical officer, assistant to the chief mechanical officer and rolling stock operations officer. All planning for repairs, modifications and maintenance of any RMRS equipment must be done in consultation with and under the approval of the Mechanical Committee. A volunteer coordinator is also appointed to manage all volunteer resources and scheduling.

Chief mechanical officer – Responsible for the planning, scheduling and expenditure of all repairs and maintenance. Reports to the board of directors. Assistant to the chief mechanical officer – responsible for the planning, scheduling and expenditure of all repairs and maintenance when the chief mechanical officer is not available to fill these duties. Reports to the board of directors. Rolling stock operations officer – responsible for the planning, scheduling and expenditure of all repairs and maintenance required on RMRS rolling stock. Reports to the board of directors. Volunteer coordinator – responsible for managing volunteer resources with respect to training and scheduling. Volunteer workers – responsible for conducting work on the locomotives and rolling stock under the direction of the Mechanical Committee and Volunteer Coordinator.

From 1998 to 2011, the society's excursions consisted of providing 6060 as steam power to a number of runs of Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions (APRE) tourist trains which were operated on a regular weekend schedule from mid May to mid October. (Special event runs also occurred at other dates in the year). The railway normally used its own steam locomotive, number 41, or a diesel for these runs but on 12 days each summer RMRS provided 6060 as power. The trips occurred along a line built by the Canadian Northern Railway between Stettler and Big Valley in Alberta, Canada. The length of this run is round trip. As there was no capacity to turn locomotives at Big Valley, 6060 ran in reverse to that location, and then returned in a forward direction to Stettler.

Canadian National 6060 (affectionately known as Bullet nosed Betty) was assembled in Canada's Montreal Locomotive Works in October 1944 under builder's number 72757. In 1959, 6060 was retired from active service and was subsequently placed on static display in Jasper, Alberta, in 1962. Ten years later, Canadian National Railway restored 6060 to operating condition, and used her to haul steam excursions out of Toronto, Ontario. In 1980, to commemorate the Province of Alberta's 75th anniversary, No. 6060 was presented to the people of Alberta as a gift. After more than five years of retirement, she was restored a second time with the help of the Province of Alberta and, most notably, volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Rail Society. No. 6060 travelled under her own power to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1986 to participate in the SteamExpo 86, part of the World's Fair. In November 1991, No. 6060’s Alberta owners announced that they could no longer take care of the locomotive, and they sought to move No. 6060 to a park for permanent static display, while the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway made an offer to buy it for their steam program. The Rocky Mountain Rail Society was determined to keep No. 6060 from leaving Canada and to become a static display piece, so they launched a campaign for the Provincial Government to reconsider No. 6060’s future.