Porter Engine #7443, No. 10

Porter on the Algoma Steel Rotary Parade float, 1967

​Most Sault Ste. Marie residents know the H.K Porter engine #7443, No. 10, simply as Porter. Algoma Steel donated the WWII-era fireless engine to the City in 1967 for Canada’s Centennial year after it was retired from service. Porter was paraded through town as part of that year's Rotary celebration, then placed in Bellevue Park with the assistance of Cooper's Crane Rentals. 

Porter isn’t just any train. It holds significant historic importance on several levels. Engine #7443 No. 10 is one of very few fireless engines left in Canada, and one of only two of this make. Fireless engines were built as an alternative to steam engines, using an external source of compressed air or steam to power piston engines. They were desirable in locations where there was a high risk of fire or explosions, and could only travel short distances due to their limited reservoir of compressed air/steam. These factors made fireless engines such as Porter prime candidates for working in industrial settings and in switchyards; A perfect fit for Algoma Steel. In fact, Porter was custom-made for ASC. It carried a storage pressure of 150 pounds per square inch and a working pressure of 60 pounds, stats perfect for shunting coke cars. Porter was one of the last fireless engines used by Algoma Steel before they converted to diesel engines,  the late Lloyd Robinson was the last known engineer to operate the train during its time at ASC. 

After a 24-year career at ASC, Porter started a new life in Bellevue Park as a popular park attraction. For 39 years, Porter delighted children and adults alike. It went through several "facelifts", from its original 1967 paint to several variations of cheery, smiling faces in the 1980s and 1990s. 

In 2006, after 39 years of being played on at the park by generations of children, the City’s insurers determined that the engine was a safety hazard and did not meet the CSA standards for playground equipment. A fence was erected around it, and the original efforts to save Porter from being scrapped began. 

The Sault Ste. Marie Municipal Heritage Committee put forward a motion to preserve Porter under the Ontario Heritage Act. Although Porter itself could not be designated as it is considered an artifact and not a building/monument, the MHC designated the land that Porter is on in 2011. The MHC recommended seeking funding to restore the locomotive to its original paint scheme and proposed a shelter be built around it to preserve this piece of Canadian railroad history. 

The public excerpt from the Municipal Heritage Committee report was published in SooToday on January 25th, 2011.

“This train shuttle engine's cultural value lies as both an example of industrial heritage, as well as, its significance as a cultural icon with community for the last forty years, whilst it was housed in Bellevue Park.

The industrial heritage component is that the engine is an example of the then-growing and vibrant steel industry present in the WWII years and beyond to the early sixties. However, technology and cost efficiencies made the technology redundant thereafter. The engine's cultural heritage also lies in its use as an artifact and play structure in Bellevue Park.

Its new use has provided a play area for children and their families for almost half a century.

From very wide public support when the engine was declared unsafe and possibly be scrapped, it is evident that it was more than just another piece of playground equipment, but something that the public relates as unique to the area and cherished through many generations.

Additionally, it represents a significant technological advancement used in the steel industry.

There are only two remaining engines of this type and from' correspondence with the Canadian Railroad Museum; it appears this example is in better condition than the other remaining engine and a necessity to save for its historic nature.”

Although the initial designation was successful, the City of Sault Ste. Marie City Council voted to override the Heritage Committee and un-designate Porter in 2014, a mere 3 years after the initial designation, leaving the fate of the beloved train hanging in the balance once more. 

The removal of a historic designation sets a dangerous precedent. What does the future have in store for Porter, the 81 year old train has indisputable value as a historic object, and as a culturally significant location to the residents of Sault Ste. Marie? Are the designation of other historic sites in Sault Ste. Marie at risk as well, the monuments and plaques? The heritage buildings and homes? What is the significance of a designation if the protection it provides can be taken away? 

Perhaps the question to be asked is “What else can we do to protect these significant locations and artifacts in the community?”.  An argument can be made that places like Porter in Bellevue Park, a place where families have gathered for generations, donated by a business that helped build the city as we know it, is the very fabric of the community itself. 

Local history is important. Whether it is the physical artifacts or the memories intertwined, these locally significant items, events and stories shape our collective consciousness. Importance should be placed on preserving them for generations to come. 

In the wise words of Joni Mitchell, “You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone”.