The GMD-1 built circa '59-'60 sure isn’t going to win any beauty contests. There are still a couple operating on CN in southern Ontario and one has migrated to the US, ex CNR # 1045 now Oregon Pacific Railroad #1413. A few were sold to Cuba’s state railway.
I like this picture, nice broadsides and a pretty setting. It kind of goes full circle, the loco is ugly enough to be beautiful.
I preferred these with 539.
Some donated their trucks to kitbash these. HP derated as trucks had Switcher TMs
http://www.railpictures.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/CN-1764-R.jpg
A set going under PGE 561 to return it to as-built appearance.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7364/27025439623_3a09093e64_b.jpg
And then there were these. Built new with 244s from 4 FPs which received new 251s. Electrical cabinet in short hood.
CN ran a rare mileage trip over the M&SC electric using CN 1800 to Waterloo, Quebec, the wire ending at Granby until 1951.
Back in the day these were used beyond the wire. Later renumbered 1600s. CN 7615-17 had S/Gs to eliminate electric operation Marieville/Granby 1951. Idlers smaller = lower journal box.
CN had 96 of these brand new. Northern Alberta Railway had 5 new. That’s the production. All made by GMD London, Ontario.
Used across the entire system and the whole country Atlantic to Pacific.
Wonder why they never had an application and sale Stateside?
I don’t recall ever having seen the postwar incarnation of the first real mainline diesel-electric – Canada only, built with Beardmore airship-quality engine – here it is, nice and clear:
9000 was given armour plating in 1943 for a unique secret 6 car World War II military armed train operating on the remote northern CNR line to Prince Rupert, BC not far from Alaska. This on account of Japanese action in the nearby Aleutian Islands. At this time it was re-engined (4/43) with an EMD 16-567A rated at 1440 HP and weighed 326,000lbs. The re-engining of 9001 was cancelled. Following the end of the secret armoured train operation 9000 was transferred to Montreal at the end of December 1943. In 1945 the armour plating was removed and the unit returned to passenger service, this time in New Brunswick until 5/46 when both units were retired and tragically were scrapped. Canada’s first diesel locomotives are just a memory.
Edmundston, NB. 1945 Canadian National
J.Norman Lowe
Early history of these locomotives before the war
Canada’s first diesel locomotives were also North America’s first passenger road locomotives, a unique pair of single end box cab units tota
We had the RS1325 but only two were built, both for the Chicago & Illinois Midland. They were better looking due to the sloped short hood.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wrongmain/8401460738/in/gallery-117697723@N02-72157651402916103/
Still going too! Part of Genesee & Wyoming nowadays.
CN 1000-1077 were lightweight freight units with small fuel tanks and A1A trucks. 1900-1917 were passenger units with B trucks, steam generators and 90 mph gearing right from the factory.
Northern Alberta bought two more from CN, 1072 and 1077 became NAR 311-312.
Passenger units on an excursion:
http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=17673
Switching. 1900 has been preserved at the Winnipeg Railway Museum, and repainted into her original green, yellow and black:
http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=31742
https://www.traingeek.ca/gallery2/v/tourist/wpgrwymuseum/cn-1900.jpg.html
None of the NAR’s units had steam generators, but could still be found on passenger trains:
302 today, at the Alberta Railway Museum. The NAR caboose on the right in the first photo has since been repainted:
http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=20003
http://www.atrrm.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Alberta-3-1.jpg
All the NAR’s locomotives were given names for the Company’s 50th anniversary in 1979.
Very nice photo essay Dude. Important to tell our story.
Did you say NINETY mph gearing on units with fabricated Flexicoil trucks? Do me a favor and cite the gear ratio as delivered, just so I can confirm this. (Nominally corresponding to 92, if I remember correctly, which is even a bit worse!) Not that it will relieve my terror.
Not that I think the units would be operated fast enough in service to stress the TMs – just that folks might be tempted to do so, forgetting temporarily that there’s more to going fast than just attaining the speed.
On the other hand, there would be the acceleration from intermediate stations with the high gearing, which with the horsepower involved might have required periodic use of a calendar to compute…
CN 1900s.
CN Data Book 1964
Scroll down here to 1900s. Gear Ratio on some in 1964 shown as 58:19 83 mph.
http://www.cwrailway.ca/cnrha.ca/sites/default/files/databook-1964-09(1).pdf
Later Diagrams. Dec. 1974.
From Here.
http://www.cnrphotos.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=18406
CN 1900 was the Passenger Protect locomotive usually found switching at CN Winnipeg Station for years.
Thank You.
At some point the 1900s were geared for 65 mph. There is a issue of CN Lines (the CNR Historical Society’s magazine) stating this and some of the operational issues it caused, but I forget which one. Thanks for catching my mistake, I must have confused them with some of CN’s other roadswitchers that were geared for 89 mph, like some of the 4100-series GP9’s.
http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/photos/cnr_diesel/GP9.htm
Apparently the 1900s got extra lettering to remind crews that they were not good for the higher speeds, despite being assigned to passenger service:
GMD1s.
Back in the day it was possible to travel west from Montreal on a Toronto train, often having at least one of the CN CLC CPA/B-16-5 in the consist.
Detrain @ Brockville and travel to Ottawa via Smiths Falls, usually two 2 1900 S/G B-B GMD1s up front.
Back home to Montreal on CP No. 2, FP9s via Vankleek Hill-Rigaud. ( Steel now gone btwn Rigaud/Ottawa .)
We got a cab ride Ottawa/V Hill and the speedometer was just under Ninety 90 much of the way.
The CP ran a wayfreight ex Ottawa to Rigaud using CP 6538 and rode that, too.
http://www.mountainrailway.com/Roster%20Archive/CP%206500/CP%206538-1.jpg
AFAIK this locomotive went to scrap with it’s FACTORY paint, never repainted.
Note louvres in cab visor to vent smoke. Watchman Heater.
A few miles beyond Rigaud was a Banjo Signal, one of the few left, even then.
Memories.
FWIW.
Now A1A-B in Cuba.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f5/c8/63/f5c8633e2217e68a413a27bbb3ad5c81.jpg
Also B-A1A. Near their end. White Flags. No D/B.
According to the 1964 data book NDG linked, at that time only 1900-1903 were 65mph; the rest were ‘presumably’ 83mph and i would expect that was how they were built.
To put this in perspective, the MR-18s (in the same data book) were only 80mph geared… and only the special Tempo units got 92mph gearing along with vastly more capable trucks later…
And yes, GMD-1s did run in the United States, on the Columbiana & Pennsylvania. Not very long, but enough that ‘only in Canada’ doesn’t apply…
At least two were rebuilt before being repainted and renumbered:
http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=28250
3860 became 3153:
http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/photos/cnr_diesel/tempo.htm
Class lettering is too small to read but should say MRE-18g. As far as I know GO Transit’s units were the only others in the CN classification scheme with HEP, and they also bore the “E” initial.
The passenger GMD1’s were class GRG-12n, indicating that they were a roadswitcher with a steam generator.
The others, “ten-hundreds” as they were known out in the field, were of course ordered to operate on light-duty prairie branchlines with 60 lb rail. Many subdivisions contained the same footnote found here:
http://www.cwrailway.ca/cnrha.ca/Timetables/Prairie/Saskatchewan/Turtleford.pdf
This one provides an example of just how easy on track the Budd RDC was. Note the unit restrictions and the Railiner speed limit:
The line from Stettler to Big Valley is now operated by Alberta Prairie, and is still 60 lb steel. A small shop at Warden is now the home of CN 6060.
