It was originally built with 1880's specifications as part of a standard locomotive design to help construct a Canadian National Transcontinental Railway.

1009's last revenue run took place in the spring of 1958, and it was subsequently donated to the Canadian Railway Museum for static display.

Canadian National 1009's design was initially developed by the Pittsburgh Locomotive Works in the late 1880s.

[1] This design was subsequently modified with superheated flues and a larger firebox, in order to create a higher boiler pressure and a greater tractive effort.

[3] The locomotive's last run under CN ownership was a farewell to steam fan trip out of Montreal, Quebec in March 1958.

[3] It was subsequently donated to the Canadian Railway Museum in Saint-Constant, Quebec, where it spent the next twenty-five years on static display.

1009 lost a tire and broke a spoke on the rear driving wheel on the fireman's side, and it was subsequently sidelined for repairs while the S&H's recently restored Canadian Pacific (CPR) 4-4-0 No.

1009 was being stored outdoors at the time, so apart from a broken rear headlight and some blistered paint on the tender, the locomotive was intact.

[7] Although, the locomotive was subsequently put on outdoor display outside of the S&H's Hillsborough depot while the railway continued to operate their trains solely with diesel power.

[8] Thus, some other critical components, such as the air pumps, were unrepaired, and the S&H's diesel locomotives Numbers 1754 and 8245 were used for braking purposes.

[8] The S&H received a $5,000 grant from the Government of New Brunswick, and a group of volunteers worked hard to overhaul the components required to raise the locomotive's boiler pressure.

[8] In August, Federal boiler inspectors inspected a test fire of the locomotive, and they approved of No.

[8] However, the smoke being created went directly through the smokestack and by-passed the cylinders, so the locomotive couldn't move on its own.