Communications and Public Affairs
P.O. Box 6042, Station
Montreal P.Q. H3C 3E4
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Volume 22 Number 10
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December 1992/January 1993
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Black B Units Have Unusual
High, Short Hoods
By Jonathan Hanna
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The black B units have a long, high hood which distinguishes them from other
units in our fleet.
Last month we touched on CP Rail System's B-unit revival.
Well, for those of you who aren't too tired of the subject, here's a little more information.
Aside from modifying 55 main line SD40-2 red cab units into B units, the system mechanical
department still needed to add to its stable of B units. So, on 15 Jun 1992, CP Rail System
purchased 11 ex-Southern SD40-2 diesel locomotives. Until then, the units were under
lease from GATX.
You may have spotted one of these locomotive already. They are all black and have a white "CP Rail"
reflective decal on either side of the car body.
It's not because these locomotive look like the "black sheep" of the family, but more the way they
act that prompted the mechanical department to relegate them to its pool of B units. It's their distinctive
operating style that makes them more suitable as B units.
The 11 all black SD40-2 locomotives have unconventional high, short hoods. Unlike most other
railroads, the Southern, like the Norfolk & Western (N&W), who later merged to form today's Norfolk
Southern (NS), always ordered their motive power with high, short hoods. On both roads, these locomotives mostly
ran with the long hood leading, although many of their locomotives were equipped with dual controls.
These black locomotives ran as full-fledged cab units - A units - on the Norfolk Southern. But the
crew's reduced visibility from a cab 15 meters (49 feet) behind a long, high hood made them unsuitable as cab
units on CP Rail System. So, the black-bodied Norfolk Southern A units were converted to CP Rail
System B units.
Although the 55 red B units are assigned to Heavy Haul - Canada, and generally run on unit trains in the West,
the black B units can be seen in the East on IFS trains.
Aside from the 55 red B units and the 11 black B units, CP Rail System has three veteran B units, all assigned
to Heavy Haul. One, tied up serviceable at the Shoreham shops in Minneapolis, is a 3,000 horsepower SD40B that
the Burlington Northern sold to the then Soo Line in 1987. It bears the number 6450. Completely cabless, the
unit was used primarily to run off horsepower hours owed to BN in coal train service.
The other two veteran B units serve on the hump at Alyth Yards in Calgary. They are 1,500 horsepower, first
generation, F7B locomotives and are completely cabless, as well. Originally numbered 4445 and 4462, these F7B
locomotive came out of the General Motors diesel plant on 30 Apr 1952, and
28 Feb 1953, respectively. They have since been renumbered 6800 and 6801.
CP Rail System has a total B unit fleet of 69.
Vital
Statistics
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( Black B units )
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Numbers
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3244-3254
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Class
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DRF-30
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Builder
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General Motors La Grange
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Outshopped
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1975
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Builder's Model
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SD40-2
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Horsepower
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3,000
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Cylinders
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16
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Axles
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6
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Maximum speed
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63 mph (105 kph)
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Weight
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390,002 lbs. (176,904 kg)
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Length
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22.9 yards (21 m)
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Height
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5.23 yards (4.8 m)
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Purchase price
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$439,568 US
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This CP Rail News article is copyright
1987 by the Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with
their permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Company.
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