this afternoon train pulled by CN 9454 passed thru town. First of the 9400 series I’ve noticed. Looked it up and found it’s class GP48-2LW and rrpicturearchives show it with the additional designation (GF-430a) Don’t see any info on type 2LW or (GF-430a) in any of my roster books. Can anyone shed light on this particular locomotive.
The GP40-2LW was built by EMD’s Canadian division, General Motors Diesel, Ltd. (GMDD), from 1974-76 for CN. They designated it the GF-430c and received 267 of them. Mechanically, they are the same as the standard cab EMD GP40-2. Besides the Canadian saftey cab, the other main differences are a different front anticlimber and vertical end steps. CN sold off a lot of these locomotives to a number of lines. Some of these are Kansas City Southern, Pan Am Railways/Guilford Rail System, GO Transit, and Helm Leasing. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has had some of these rebuilt to GP40MC standard.
I see GP40-2LWs and GP40MCs all the time since I live near where PAR and MBTA trains run. They excited my when they first arrived circa 1996, then they bored me, and now with Guilford repainting to Pan Am, they’re beginning to catch my interest again.
(Note: Some of the info I got from Model Railroading Magazine’s Diesel Modeler’s Guide Vol. 1)
The GF-430a applies to the first order of 91 units, 9400-9490. The second order were GF-430b, followed by the c, d, e, f, and g subclasses.
Many thanks for the two above postings. This was just what I was looking for. Not that much CN traffic this neck of the woods. I am unfamilier with so many different types of CN locos that I’m making a list of ones that pass here & then copying pix of them, so I can identify them & find out more about them.
One other question if you don’t mind. CN 5678 Identified only as ID 75I Can’t find any info what ID 75I refers to.
GM SD75I. Class GF-644 I believe.
Many thanks tyler What threw me off was rrpicturearchives showed it as ID751 I looked up in Kalmbach field guide to modern diesel locomotives and all the info I was looking for is there. Thanks again.
An SD75i should be a GF-643b on CN. You wont find that designation any where else but CN. CP uses a similar system as well.
Dale, weren’t the GF-430a,b the standard cab GP40s? I think GF430c applied to the first order of GP40-2LW
9400 - 9474.
Good question, I had to look it up.
The 9300 standard/spartan cab GP40 locomotives were GR-430a (9302-9310) and GR-430b (9312-9317).
On CP these would be DRS-30x (Diesel Road Switcher) while 6 axel locomotives are DRF-30x (Diesel Road Freight).