Old Time Trains

CPR London Division

Photograph gallery 4

Diesel Engines

Diesels came to the yard first, with "Made in London" GMD SW8 800 HP yard switchers along with ALCO S2 1000 HP switchers 7062 and 7063 in Windsor. The last 0-6-0 anywhere on the CPR, 6275 finished up in Goderich yard at 12 Noon Saturday December 6, 1958 and was replaced by MLW S3 6589 until delivery in early May of 1959 of a new, tiny 500 HP CLC diesel-hydraulic switcher, number 17.

Road freight diesels came in the form of MLW RS-3's and FA2 "covered wagon" A and B units, later MLW RS-10's and RS-18's all of which were maintained at St.Luc (Montreal) as roundhouses everywhere were scaled back or closed down.

UP 1624 Alco FA1 leads eastbound freight at Streetsville. One of 15 (7 A and 8 B) units leased in 1963 from UP to handle unprecedented export grain traffic to Russia. Still equipped with manual transition these units were rated at 10% tonnage reduction and operated only in solid UP consists. These diesels were pulled out of the scrap line at Cheyenne, Wyoming.
They kept steam dead on the CPR. The 1956 green and white Meteor belonged to second hours (afternoon shift) operator Bill Miller. February 4, 1964 William E. Miller/William D. Miller Collection.

There were about 60 steam locomotives (many with low/nil mileage) held for emergency and it had been considered to return many to service on the Algoma Division where steam facilities had been retained. This would have resulted in three pools of motive power (one of steam and diesel on either side) which would have affected utilization. The decision went against steam when these UP units built in 1947 stored for scrapping became available. Thus began a long history of leased diesels from many sources and in varying condition which led to the expression "Rent-a-Wreck".

Other leased power included some surplus SOO Line power including SOO 2224-A and a B unit seen here at Guelph Jct.
February 14, 1964. Bill Thomson

4025_44xx MLW FA1 77320 9/1950
Windsor 1/20/1962

Extra 8147 West with 8026 (a pup and a rocket!) The "Pickup" was a regular pool job not an assignment.
Guelph Junction. April 1964 Doug Page

Note: Only first and second class westward trains were in employee time tables. All others ran Extra.
Eastward had first, second and fourth class trains the latter often runnng in sections rather than as extras.
The reason for this was to aid train dispatchers in arranging the large number of meets on single track.

Extra 8917 East at Sarnia Road, London. Train Masters were not common in Ontario.
4/24/1966 D.R.Mc.Queen

Extra 4215 is making a move to either lift that A unit or has just set it off. See man handling m.u. jumper cable.
Note position of switch at yellow. Superintendent's business car at right. London 8/1968 Wolf Kirchmeir

Hooping up! Looks like the engineer about to grab the hoop. Fireman running 8471?

Hooping Up gallery across Canada

8407_8796 older and newer MLW power with opposite paint schemes.
Older 8407 has newer Script lettering while newer 8796 has older Block lettering!
Sitting on shop track Quebec Street. August 1967 Wolf Kirchmeir

8407 (single 4 unit order 8405-08) RS-2u 1600 HP MLW 76102 4/1950
8769 RS-18 1800 HP MLW 82450 4/1958

6700 switching in Quebec Street Yard. August/1967 Wolf Kirchmeir

8163 SW1200RS Quebec Street roundhouse London October 1969 Bob Heathorh Collection

Woodstock area branch lines were operated by SW1200RS 1200 HP units, a Canadian-only GMD model designed specifically to replace D-10's and other light road engines. The CPR referred to these small road switcher units, and MLW RS-23 1000 HP road switchers officially as BLU's, Branch Line Units. Un-officially they were called "pups"! After their week's work was done on the branch they would be gathered up and sent out on a main line freight to Toronto and back. This increased wear-and-tear on the units which were on a lower maintenance schedule in consideration of their lighter duty compared to the more typical round-the-clock service of the bigger main line road units.

GP35 5024 (GMD A2123 1/1966) and FB2 4468 MLW 79161 9/1953

A pair of MLW M630's 4500-4503 lead a westbound freight through Guelph Junction. October 1969. Dave Burroughs
4500 was preserved and later returned to service on a US shortline.

4501-5018-4221 westbound through the Junction. October 1969. Dave Burroughs

4090 FA-2 1600 HP MLW #79157 9/1953 and 8441 RS-3 1600 HP MLW #81006 5/1954

8488 part of the first order for GP9's that would eventually total 200 units!
This would be the largest model fleet until SD40's came along.
GP9 GMD A686 10/1954 London 3/24/1973

A long ways from home this unit assigned to Winnipeg as part of a batch of GP9's.

A-B-A covered wagons led by 4016 (2nd) near Ayr. 6/22/1973 Greg McDonnell/Joseph Testagrose Collection

On to Gallery 5 CP Rail era

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CPR London Division

Photograph gallery 4

Diesel Engines

Diesels came to the yard first, with "Made in London" GMD SW8 800 HP yard switchers along with ALCO S2 1000 HP switchers 7062 and 7063 in Windsor. The last 0-6-0 anywhere on the CPR, 6275 finished up in Goderich yard at 12 Noon Saturday December 6, 1958 and was replaced by MLW S3 6589 until delivery in early May of 1959 of a new, tiny 500 HP CLC diesel-hydraulic switcher, number 17.

Road freight diesels came in the form of MLW RS-3's and FA2 "covered wagon" A and B units, later MLW RS-10's and RS-18's all of which were maintained at St.Luc (Montreal) as roundhouses everywhere were scaled back or closed down.

UP 1624 Alco FA1 leads eastbound freight at Streetsville. One of 15 (7 A and 8 B) units leased in 1963 from UP to handle unprecedented export grain traffic to Russia. Still equipped with manual transition these units were rated at 10% tonnage reduction and operated only in solid UP consists. These diesels were pulled out of the scrap line at Cheyenne, Wyoming.
They kept steam dead on the CPR. The 1956 green and white Meteor belonged to second hours (afternoon shift) operator Bill Miller. February 4, 1964 William E. Miller/William D. Miller Collection.

There were about 60 steam locomotives (many with low/nil mileage) held for emergency and it had been considered to return many to service on the Algoma Division where steam facilities had been retained. This would have resulted in three pools of motive power (one of steam and diesel on either side) which would have affected utilization. The decision went against steam when these UP units built in 1947 stored for scrapping became available. Thus began a long history of leased diesels from many sources and in varying condition which led to the expression "Rent-a-Wreck".

Other leased power included some surplus SOO Line power including SOO 2224-A and a B unit seen here at Guelph Jct.
February 14, 1964. Bill Thomson

4025_44xx MLW FA1 77320 9/1950
Windsor 1/20/1962

Extra 8147 West with 8026 (a pup and a rocket!) The "Pickup" was a regular pool job not an assignment.
Guelph Junction. April 1964 Doug Page

Note: Only first and second class westward trains were in employee time tables. All others ran Extra.
Eastward had first, second and fourth class trains the latter often runnng in sections rather than as extras.
The reason for this was to aid train dispatchers in arranging the large number of meets on single track.

Extra 8917 East at Sarnia Road, London. Train Masters were not common in Ontario.
4/24/1966 D.R.Mc.Queen

Extra 4215 is making a move to either lift that A unit or has just set it off. See man handling m.u. jumper cable.
Note position of switch at yellow. Superintendent's business car at right. London 8/1968 Wolf Kirchmeir

Hooping up! Looks like the engineer about to grab the hoop. Fireman running 8471?

Hooping Up gallery across Canada

8407_8796 older and newer MLW power with opposite paint schemes.
Older 8407 has newer Script lettering while newer 8796 has older Block lettering!
Sitting on shop track Quebec Street. August 1967 Wolf Kirchmeir

8407 (single 4 unit order 8405-08) RS-2u 1600 HP MLW 76102 4/1950
8769 RS-18 1800 HP MLW 82450 4/1958

6700 switching in Quebec Street Yard. August/1967 Wolf Kirchmeir

8163 SW1200RS Quebec Street roundhouse London October 1969 Bob Heathorh Collection

Woodstock area branch lines were operated by SW1200RS 1200 HP units, a Canadian-only GMD model designed specifically to replace D-10's and other light road engines. The CPR referred to these small road switcher units, and MLW RS-23 1000 HP road switchers officially as BLU's, Branch Line Units. Un-officially they were called "pups"! After their week's work was done on the branch they would be gathered up and sent out on a main line freight to Toronto and back. This increased wear-and-tear on the units which were on a lower maintenance schedule in consideration of their lighter duty compared to the more typical round-the-clock service of the bigger main line road units.

GP35 5024 (GMD A2123 1/1966) and FB2 4468 MLW 79161 9/1953

A pair of MLW M630's 4500-4503 lead a westbound freight through Guelph Junction. October 1969. Dave Burroughs
4500 was preserved and later returned to service on a US shortline.

4501-5018-4221 westbound through the Junction. October 1969. Dave Burroughs

4090 FA-2 1600 HP MLW #79157 9/1953 and 8441 RS-3 1600 HP MLW #81006 5/1954

8488 part of the first order for GP9's that would eventually total 200 units!
This would be the largest model fleet until SD40's came along.
GP9 GMD A686 10/1954 London 3/24/1973

A long ways from home this unit assigned to Winnipeg as part of a batch of GP9's.

A-B-A covered wagons led by 4016 (2nd) near Ayr. 6/22/1973 Greg McDonnell/Joseph Testagrose Collection

On to Gallery 5 CP Rail era