GMD GMD1
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 Canadian National 1002 in Port Mann in September 1987 | |||||||||||||||||
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The GMD GMD1 is a diesel locomotive originally produced by General Motors Diesel (GMD), the Canadian subsidiary of General Motors Electro-Motive Division, between August 1958 and April 1960. This road switcher locomotive is powered by a 12-cylinder EMD 567C diesel engine, capable of producing 1,200 horsepower (890 kW). The GMD1 was built on either Flexicoil A1A-A1A (for light-rail prairie branchlines) or Flexicoil B-B trucks. One hundred and one were built, Canadian National (CN) purchased 96 and Northern Alberta Railways (NAR) the remaining five, which later became part of CN's fleet when they acquired majority interest in NAR.[1]
As the light branches were abandoned or rehabilitated, the bulk were upgraded with new fuel tanks and Flexicoil B-B trucks and assigned to yard and transfer service. In 1988/89, 39 GMD1s were remanufactured by CN as GMD 1Us, 12 emerged with B-B trucks and continued to run long-hood-forward, while the others retained their A1A trucks and were converted to shorthood-forward operation.[2] On April 19, 2021, CN's last GMD-1 was retired from revenue service.[3]
Original owners
| Road | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian National | 78 | 1000–1077 | A1A-A1A trucks |
| Canadian National | 18 | 1900–1917 | B-B trucks; fitted with steam generators |
| Northern Alberta Railways | 5 | 300–305 | A1A-A1A trucks (to CN 1078–1082) |
Second-hand users
A number of GMD1 units were sold off in the 1990s and 2000s to rebuilders, leasers, regional and shortline railways. Twenty were acquired by Ferrocarriles de Cuba.[4] Oregon Pacific Railroad acquired CN No. 1413, and is now numbered OPR No. 1413.[5] Cando Rail Services acquired CN 1401, 1434 and 1435 in late 2018. CN 1401 is now CCGX 1009, CN 1435 is CCGX 1010. Waterloo Central Railway took donation of and restored a GMD1 in 2021.[6]
References
- ^ Distinctive GMs get second lives Trains December 2010 page 18
- ^ GMD1's reign on the plains comes to an end Trains August 1999 pages 32/33
- ^ "CN's final GMD1 locomotives retired, but one goes to preservation group".
- ^ "GMD-1 Canadian prairie locomotive".
- ^ "Pictures of OPR 1413".
- ^ "WCR puts restored locomotive into service". 10 March 2022.
http://rapidotrains.com/gmd-1-master-class/
External links
Media related to GMD GMD1 locomotives at Wikimedia Commons