89 was originally built in February 1910 by the Canadian Locomotive Company in Kingston, Ontario, for the Grand Trunk Railway as No.

[2] In 1923, the Grand Trunk was merged into the Canadian National Railway (CN) with No.

Most of 89's career on the CN is unknown; it appears that it spent the latter part of its working life in Quebec before being retired in late 1958 and being stored in a deadline of locomotives in Montreal.

89 was purchased by New England seafood magnate and steam locomotive collector F. Nelson Blount and moved to North Walpole, New Hampshire, in the United States.

89 found a home in the former Boston & Maine North Walpole roundhouse and starting in 1965, would begin operating on the Green Mountain Railroad and would be moved to across the Connecticut River to Bellows Falls, Vermont.

89 was stranded when Hurricane Agnes caused the Susquehanna River to flood much of the area.

89 spent several days submerged in the rail yard but emerged with little to no damage.

89 first arrived, it originally faced east when hauling excursion trains, it would remain that way until the turntable at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania was installed in late 1973.

89 was completely rebuilt from the ground up including major boiler and running gear work.

89 was modified and repainted to its 1950s Canadian National appearance with the tilted monogram logo.