While surfing the internet for something different I came upon this picture:
Picture is CN001212 of the Canadian Science and Technology museum. It is of CN number 1000, a diesel-hydraulic locomotive build by MaK of Kiel Germany. It is builders number 800010 of 1953.
MASCHINENBAU KIEL, A. G.
About 1956 MaK (Maschinenbau Kiel, A. G.) sent a demonstrator to North America which operated on the Canadian National in CN colors before being returned to the manufacturer and leaving the continent. The unit had 750 hp. for traction (800 gross), 49-inch wheels, hydraulic transmission; was equipped with an 8-cylinder inline, 9.1 x 11.8, 4-cycle engine.
It is one of the few times that European diesel locomotives have been send to continental North America. From the info at loks-aus-kiel it seems it was send as a demonstrator or maybe it was returned to the builder because it was found lacking?
I appreciate all information on this locomotive, where it operated, experiences of the crew, etc.
Quite a few were build. In size ranging form 240 B (2 axle) to 1200 D (4 axle) locomotives. They were build with standard components. It was the first standard series for this builder. Now they are on their fourth series. The Germans had little or no experience with trucks / bogies at that time so they used a system with rods coupling the axles via a blind axle.
Export ranged from Cuba, Canada to Nigeria and South Africa as well as Scandinavia, Turkey and Ireland.
Most went to German “private” railways and industrial railways. A total of 310 locomotives were build (all types) between 1953 and 1967.
CN tried out this locomotive on Prince Edward Island and then back to Montreal and home to Deutschland. They liked it at first then they tried it in Montreal, where it was found to be too light for the jobs it was “best” suited to. In CNs opinion the effort paid off when EMD/GMDL (GMD1,B-B and A1A-A1A) and Alco/Montreal (RS 23,RSC24) built custom machines for the light railed lines CN was still saddled with. The most interesting reaction was from CLC, which designed and built light diesel hydraulics bought by CP!
Who said those Canadian guys weren’t right up there with their new technology, just look the way those wheels are connected, now that’s the way to get power to those other wheels eh?
I’ve been told that this unit is the one that ended up in Cuba. It would make sense, since Cuba would also require the same coupler and brake arrangements. It may have gone direct to Cuba from Canada.
