This Day, 23 Years Ago

CP 1201 and the Atlantic


I saw this slide on eBay and had to have it. This great slide by W.A. Gleason features CP 1201 on its eastern tour in McAdam, with the eastbound VIA Atlantic on the right. The date was June 4, 1989.

CP 1201 did a tour of the eastern provinces in 1989... the last time it was in the Maritimes.

This Day, 23 Years Ago

This is a lovely shot of CP 4219 leading a train near Newport, Vermont. This slide was shot by W.A. Gleason on September 15, 1987.

After CP 4219's career with CP was over, it had a second life of sorts with the New Brunswick East Coast Railway as NBEC 4219. It served as a parts source, eventually ending up in Miramichi where it spent its last days before being scrapped.

Dead Line

This is a sad sight. W.A. Gleason caught this scene on slide on August 12, 1997 in Moncton. A dead line of MLW M420 units. I count 6 or 7 units, all apparently missing their prime movers. The closest ones were CN 3527, 3520 and 3525. My 1997 Trackside Guide says those three units were retired in 1996.

CN's M-420s were built by MLW between 1973 and 1976. CN had 80 of them at one point. The units were originally numbered in the 2500 series, but in 1986-7 their sand and fuel capacity were reduced to bring their weight down by 12,000 lbs. and they were renumbered to the 3500 series. In late 1994 some were renumbered back to the 2500 series and the reductions were reversed.