C.P.Rail SD-40

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Can someone tell me what the external differance is between a C.P.Rail SD-40 and a SD-40 A . Also what the ‘u’ stands for in G.P.9u. PLS.

2

I would like a cheep little book that tells you all that kind of stuff (diference between locos). Also, I would love to know also what the diference is between a Dash 9 and AC4400CW. thanks

bnsf6733

3

I don’t believe CP Rail owned any SD-40A’s. In the “Second Diesel Spotter’s Guide” it states that SD-40A’s were made for Illinois Central who wanted larger fuel tanks, so EMD used and SDP40 frame. The listing does not include any numbers for Canada, hence my reason for saying CP did not have them. There are no references to this model in “Rail Canada - Diesel Paint Schemes of CPR”.

I don’t recall what the “u” in GP9u stands for, but it usually stands for a unit with a chopped nose.

Bob Boudreau

4

Hi Bob,
Thanks for your input, however the C.P.Roster indicates that 6406 to 6411 were in fact SD40A’s and were originally owned by the SOO Line but if the only difference was the larger fuel tank. would that mean that the overall loco length was the same as a SD40-2. PLS.

5

OK, my reference material is pre SOO days with CP! Whatever the length of an SDP40 is would be the length of an SD40A. Maybe someone else has this info.

Bob Boudreau

6

I believe the “u” in “GP9u” stands for “upgraded”. As Bob noted, the most visible modification in these units is the chopped nose, but the nose job was only part of an extensive rebuild from road to yard service. Part of the rebuild was an upgrade of the electrical components.