This Day, 23 Years Ago

Here's a nice slide of CN 1757 in Halifax, NS by Glenn Courtney. This was shot on December 27, 1988, 23 years ago. It looks like it is in the Rockingham yard. Notice the Newfoundland container visible on the left side of the slide, which is interesting since the railway was officially shut down in Newfoundland on September 1, 1988.

CN 1757 was originally built as RS-18 CN 3852 in 1960. It was rebuilt in 1975 as part of the RSC-14 conversion project by replacing the 4-wheel trucks with 6-wheel trucks (center truck unpowered) and reducing the horsepower from 1800 to 1400 HP. She was retired a few years after this slide, on September 30, 1993.

It was converted back to an RS-18 using the trucks from CN 3615 and renumbered back to 3852. It was first leased, then sold, to the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway in 1994. It was named Sir J.S.D. Thompson while on the CBCNS. She was scrapped in March 1998.

This Day, 32 Years Ago

Continuing my fascination with CN 6765, later known as VIA 6765, here's another slide I bought on eBay. VIA 6765 was shot in Halifax by Glenn Courtney on November 5, 1978.

EDIT: Yes, it was *32* years ago, not 22. I'd like to say math wasn't my strongest subject in school... but it was.

CN 1774

CN 3875 was an RS-18 built in 1960 by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW). CN classified it as class MR-18g.

I don't have a photo of CN 3875 but it was on a couple of train orders. It was on two detoured CN freights through Mattawamkeag, Maine (CPR line). The first recording I have was on May 1, 1973 with a westbound extra - CN 3875, CN 3843, CN 3687. Those engines returned at 23:05 on May 4, 1973 with CN 3875 leading and 3687 and 3843 trailing.

CN 3875 was rebuilt in 1975 in the RS-18 to RSC-14 conversion by replacing the B-B trucks with A1A trucks* and reducing the horsepower from 1800 to 1400. It was renumbered to CN 1774 and became part of class MR-14c. Here it is shortly after the rebuild in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia on May 31, 1976 (photo by Walter Matuch. Walter is the owner of Ready Made Trains).


Sometime between 1976 and 1984, CN 1774 was repainted and received the CN sergeant stripes. This slide by Glenn Courtney was shot in Halifax on October 13, 1984. Note sister CN 1782 behind her.


CN 1774 was retired before 1996 and presumably scrapped.

* B-B trucks are four wheel trucks, all powered. A1A trucks are six wheel trucks with the middle pair of wheels unpowered. The idea was to spread the weight of the locomotive over more wheels to allow them to operate on lighter branchline tracks.