MLW M-420: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Canadian diesel locomotive}} |
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{{More citations needed|date=May 2022}}{{Infobox locomotive |
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| name=M-420 |
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| name = MLW M-420 |
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| powertype=[[Diesel-electric]] |
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| image=St Laurent and Atlantic Railway M420W no 3569 front.jpg |
| image = St Laurent and Atlantic Railway M420W no 3569 front.jpg |
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| caption=M420W #3569 of [[St |
| alt = |
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| caption = M420W #3569 of [[St Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad]] |
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| powertype = [[Diesel-electric]] |
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| builder=[[Montreal Locomotive Works]](MLW) |
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| designer = |
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| aarwheels=B-B |
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| builder = [[Montreal Locomotive Works]] |
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| builddate= May 1973 - February 1977 |
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| ordernumber = |
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| primemover= Model [[ALCO 251|251C]]<ref name="engine">{{cite web| title = M420W Data Sheet | url = http://www.thedieselshop.us/DataM420.HTML | accessdate =2009-02-27}}</ref> |
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| serialnumber = |
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|enginetype=[[Four-stroke]] [[Diesel engine|diesel]]<ref name="engine"/> |
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| buildmodel = |
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| cylindercount=[[V12 engine|V12]] |
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| builddate = May 1973 - February 1977 |
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| poweroutput={{convert|2000|hp|MW|2|abbr=on|lk=on}} |
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| totalproduction = 90 A-units<br/> 8 [[B-unit]]s |
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| gauge={{track gauge|ussg|allk=on}} |
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| rebuilder = |
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| maxspeed={{convert|67|mph|abbr=on}} |
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| rebuilddate = |
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| locale=[[North America]] |
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| numberrebuilt = |
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| totalproduction=90 + 8 [[B-unit]]s |
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| website = |
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| length= {{convert|61|ft|0|in|m|2|abbr=on}} |
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| aarwheels = B-B |
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| height= {{convert|15|ft|6|in|m|2|abbr=on}} |
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| uicclass = [[Bo-Bo]] |
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| width= {{convert|10|ft|3|in|m|2|abbr=on}} |
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| Britishclass = |
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|locoweight= {{convert|272000|lbs|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=in}} |
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| driver = |
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| gauge = {{track gauge|sg|allk=on}} |
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| trucks = Zero Weight-Transfer |
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| bogies = |
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| leadingdiameter = |
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| wheeldiameter = {{convert|40|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} |
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| trailingdiameter = |
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| minimumcurve = 30° |
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| wheelbase = {{convert|9|ft|4|in|1|abbr=on}} |
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| engine total = |
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| leading = |
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| drivers = <!-- USA terminology --> |
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| coupled = <!-- British terminology --> |
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| trailing = |
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| truck = <!-- USA terminology diesels and electrics --> |
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| bogie = <!-- British terminology diesels and electrics --> |
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| tender total = |
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| tendertruck = <!-- USA terminology --> |
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| tenderbogie = <!-- British terminology --> |
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| pivotcentres = <!-- Garratts, diesels and electrics --> |
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| wheelspacing = <!-- bogies or coupled wheels with asymmetrical wheel spacing --> |
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| length = {{convert|61|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} |
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| over couplers = |
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| over bufferbeams= |
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| body = |
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| width = {{convert|10|ft|4|in|1|abbr=on}} |
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| height = {{convert|15|ft|6|in|1|abbr=on}} |
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| axleload = |
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| leadingbogie/pony= <!-- load on leading bogie or pony wheel --> |
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| weightondrivers = |
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| trail bogie/pony = <!-- load on trailing bogie or pony wheel --> |
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| locoweight = {{convert|272000|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} |
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| fueltype = [[Diesel fuel|Diesel]] |
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| fuelcap = {{convert|2500|usgal|l|0|abbr=on}} |
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| lubecap = {{convert|216|usgal|l|0|abbr=on}} |
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| coolantcap = {{convert|260|usgal|l|0|abbr=on}} |
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| watercap = |
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| sandcap = {{convert|56|cuft|0|abbr=on}} |
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| powersupply = |
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| consumption = |
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| watercons = |
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| primemover = [[ALCO 251|ALCO 251C]] |
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| rpmrange = |
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| rpmrange low = |
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| rpmrange idle = 450 |
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| rpmrange max = 1050 |
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| enginetype = [[Four-stroke]] [[Diesel engine|diesel]] |
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| aspiration = (1) [[Turbocharger]] |
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| displacement = {{convert|10.95|l|cuin|1|abbr=on}} per cylinder |
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| alternator = [[General Electric|GE]] Exciter GY2P7 |
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| generator = ''Main'' [[General Electric|GE]] GTA17<br/> ''Auxiliary'' [[General Electric|GE]] 553 GY27 |
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| tractionmotors = (4) [[General Electric|GE]] 572 |
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| t/m amps 1 hr = <!-- Power output rating per motor --> |
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| t/m amps cont = <!-- Power output rating per motor --> |
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| headendpower = |
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| cylindercount = 12, [[V engine|V-arrangement]] |
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| cylindersize = Bore x Stroke {{convert|9|x|10.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} |
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| transmission = [[Diesel–electric powertrain|Diesel-electric]] |
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| gear ratio = 74:18 |
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| multipleworking = Yes |
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| trainheating = |
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| locobrakes = |
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| dynamicpeakeffort= |
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| locobrakeforce = |
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| trainbrakes = |
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| reservoircap = |
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| compressorcap = |
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| exhaustercap = |
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| coupling = |
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| maxspeed = {{convert|67|mph|kph|0|abbr=on}} |
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| poweroutput = {{convert|2400|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} |
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| poweroutput start= |
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| poweroutput 1 hr= |
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| poweroutput cont= |
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| tractiveeffort = |
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| t/e starting = {{convert|60400|lbf|kN|2|abbr=on}} |
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| t/e 1 hr = |
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| t/e continuous = {{convert|35000|lbf|kN|2|abbr=on}} |
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| factorofadhesion = |
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| f/adh starting = |
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| f/adh 1 hr = |
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| f/adh continuous= |
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| safety = |
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| operator = |
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| operatorclass = |
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| powerclass = |
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| numinclass = |
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| fleetnumbers = |
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| officialname = |
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| nicknames = |
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| axleloadclass = |
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| locale = [[North America]],<br/> [[Venezuela]] |
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| deliverydate = |
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| firstrundate = |
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| lastrundate = |
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| retiredate = |
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| withdrawndate = |
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| preservedunits = |
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| restoredate = |
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| scrapdate = |
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| currentowner = |
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| disposition = |
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| notes = Main Technical Reference<ref name="Tech">{{cite web| title = MLW M-420 Data Sheet | url = |
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https://www.thedieselshop.us/DataM420.HTML| accessdate =2023-07-16}}</ref> |
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}} |
}} |
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The |
The '''MLW M-420''' was a [[diesel-electric locomotive]] manufactured between 1973 and 1977 in [[Montreal]], Canada by the [[Montreal Locomotive Works]]. A total of 88 units were built for Canadian railways, including eight [[B unit]]s built for the [[BC Rail|British Columbia Railway]]; most of production went to [[Canadian National]].<ref>{{cite web| title = M420W Production | url = http://www.thedieselshop.us/MLW_M4.HTML | accessdate =2009-02-27}}</ref> Only seven units were sold outside of Canada, to the [[State Railways Institution]] in [[Venezuela]] and the [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] in the United States. |
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The M-420 was one of the first locomotive models (along with the |
The M-420 was one of the first locomotive models (along with the [[EMD GP38-2]]) to use the wide-nosed [[Canadian comfort cab]], pioneered by Canadian National. By the early 1990s, variations on this cab design had become the standard of the industry. As with wide-nosed [[General Motors Diesel]] units from the same period, references to the model commonly add a "W" at the end of the model name, but it is not part of the official model designation. Most M-420 units rode on MLW ZWT (Zero Weight-Transfer) trucks. |
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== |
==Variations== |
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Other variations of the M-420 were the '''M-420R''', the '''M-424''' built for service in Mexico and the '''M-420TR''' switcher. |
Other variations of the M-420 were the '''M-420R''', the '''M-424''' built for service in Mexico and the '''M-420TR''' switcher. Five examples of the slightly different M-420R were built for the newly-independent [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] (P&W) from 1974 to 1975 using trade-in parts and Type B trucks.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |last=Hartley |first=Scott A. |date=June 1994 |title=Yankee Independence: How Providence & Worcester grew from being an obscure branch of the New Haven into today's 400-mile regional |url=https://www.trains.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/june1994_5664.pdf |magazine=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]] |pages=57–64 |oclc=30498667 |access-date=December 15, 2021}}</ref> The M-424 was an M-420 with [[Dynamic braking (locomotive)|dynamic brakes]] uprated to {{convert|2400|hp|MW|2}}. The M-420TR was built in two variations, with two M-420TR units sold to [[Roberval & Saguenay]] and fifteen slightly different units (sometimes referred to as '''M-420TR-2''') sold to [[Ferrocarril del Pacífico]]. Both M-420TR variations bore little resemblance to the other models, with a lowered hood, shorter frame and end-cab design. A cabless design, the '''M420B''' existed. British Columbia Railway was the only consumer of this variant. |
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==Operating history== |
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== Service with CN and BCOL == |
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The first [[Canadian National]] M-420 was delivered in 1973.<ref>CN gets its first M420 diesel ''[[Railway Age]]'' 11 June 1973 page 37</ref> They provided service on the eastern side of Canada until their retirement in the late 1990s. By the time they were retired, many units were over 20 years old, and major Canadian railroads were purging their rosters of MLW and [[Alco]] locomotives to replace them with newer [[Electro-Motive Diesel|EMD]] and GE units. [[Bombardier HR-412]]s, purchased by CN and designed as successor to the M-420, were retired at the same time.<ref>{{cite web | title = CN Locomotives - Retired | url = http://cnlines.ca/CNcyclopedia/loco/loco_r.php | accessdate = 2009-07-07 | url-status=dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090913184851/http://cnlines.ca/CNcyclopedia/loco/loco_r.php | archivedate = 2009-09-13 }}</ref> The Providence and Worcester Railroad sold off its M-420Rs in 1994.<ref name=":0" /> |
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== Service as power generators in Winter 1998 == |
=== Service as power generators in Winter 1998 === |
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During the winter of 1998, a severe ice storm cut off power to many homes and businesses in Ontario and Quebec. CN M-420 3502 was hoisted off the rails by crane and rolled along a street in Boucherville |
During the winter of 1998, a severe ice storm cut off power to many homes and businesses in [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]]. [[Canadian National 3502|CN M-420 3502]] was hoisted off the rails by crane and rolled along a street in [[Boucherville]] in order to provide power in the community. The engine was driven approximately {{convert|1000|ft|m|0}} under its own power to the city hall, where it then became a portable power generator.<ref>{{cite web | title = M-420W derailed | url = http://cnlines.ca/CNcyclopedia/loco/mlw/#CN3508 | accessdate = 2009-03-04 | url-status=dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090225131145/http://cnlines.ca/CNcyclopedia/loco/mlw/#CN3508 | archivedate = 2009-02-25 }}</ref> M-420 3508 was also lifted from the tracks to provide power to a school being used as a shelter, but problems prevented this from happening, and 3508 remained on standby. Both engines suffered minor gear case damage and carved grooves in the pavement. |
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== |
=== Secondhand owners === |
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[[File:M420Thunderrail.JPG|thumb|A [[Thunder Rail]] M-420R in 2010, still wearing [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] colors]] |
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Following their retirement from CN and BC Rail, some M-420 units were scrapped, but many were sold to shortline railways across North America for continued service. Omnitrax purchased several units, including some of the M-420B units from BC Rail. Larger shortlines such as Omnitrax have begun to scrap or sell their MLW units as a result of increased maintenance and reliability issues. The [[St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad]] used a fleet of eleven former CN M-420 units as road power from 1998 to 2001. The [[Great Western Railway (Saskatchewan)|Great Western Railway]] in Saskatchewan used an entire roster of MLW M-420s until 2017 when they announced that they are replacing the MLW fleet with GE fleet.<ref>{{cite web| title = Great Western Railway | url = http://www.greatwesternrail.com/equipment.html | accessdate =2009-02-27}}</ref> |
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Following their retirement from CN, P&W, and BC Rail, some M-420 units were scrapped, but many were sold to shortline railways across North America for continued service. [[Omnitrax]] purchased several units, including some of the M-420B units from [[BC Rail]]. Larger shortlines such as Omnitrax have begun to scrap or sell their MLW units as a result of increased maintenance and reliability issues. The [[St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad]] used a fleet of eleven former CN M-420 units as road power from 1998 to 2001. The [[Great Western Railway (Saskatchewan)|Great Western Railway]] in Saskatchewan used an entire roster of MLW M-420s until 2017 when they announced that they are replacing the MLW fleet with GE fleet.<ref>{{cite web |title=Great Western Railway |url=http://www.greatwesternrail.com/equipment.html |url-status=dead |accessdate=2009-02-27 |archive-date=2009-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090405213455/http://www.greatwesternrail.com/equipment.html }}</ref> |
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Due to the high cost of painting, many M-420s on shortlines still retain their CN livery with the CN logo painted over. West Tennessee Railroad acquired three M-420s (3510, 3560, and 3576); 3510 was wrecked and scrapped, while the other two units remain in service in an maroon-and-gray paint scheme. Additionally, two M420 units operate under the ownership of Genesee Valley Transportation ((GVT) www.gvtrail.com), one of which starred as No. 642 in the 1999 TV drama “Atomic Train”. Interestingly, this is the same number that the locomotive had while it was working for BC Rail. This locomotive currently wears its original BC Rail red, white, & blue paint scheme but the logos and company heralds have been painted over and replaced with the name and reporting marks of the Mohawk Adirondack & Northern (a subsidiary of GVT) It is numbered 2042.. The other GVT-owned M420 operates out of Scranton, PA on the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad (also a GVT subsidiary) as No. 2045 (former BCOL 645) and wears GVT's corporate scheme. |
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== Original owners == |
== Original owners == |
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! Railroad !! Quantity !! Road numbers !! Notes |
! Railroad !! Quantity !! Road numbers !! Notes |
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|- |
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| Canadian National |
| [[Canadian National]]<ref>{{cite web | title = CN Roster | url = http://cnlines.ca/CNcyclopedia/loco/mlw/ | accessdate = 2009-03-08 | url-status=dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090225131145/http://cnlines.ca/CNcyclopedia/loco/mlw/ | archivedate = 2009-02-25 }}</ref> |
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| 80 |
| 80 |
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| 2500–2579 |
| 2500–2579 |
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| |
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|- 3502 and 3508 were used as generators during an ice storm in 1998. |
|- 3502 and 3508 were used as generators during an ice storm in 1998. |
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| British Columbia Railway |
| [[BC Rail|British Columbia Railway]]<ref>{{cite web| title = BCOL Roster | url = http://www.trainweb.org/rosters/BCOL.html | accessdate =2009-03-04}}</ref> |
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| 16 |
| 16 |
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| 640-647 & 681-688 |
| 640-647 & 681-688 |
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| 681-688 are cabless B |
| 681-688 are cabless [[B unit]]s |
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|- |
|- |
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| [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]]<ref name=":0" /> |
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| Ferrocarriles del Estado |
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| 2 |
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| M001 & M002 |
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|- |
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| Providence & Worcester |
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| 5 |
| 5 |
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| 2001–2005 |
| 2001–2005 |
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| M-420R |
| M-420R |
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|- |
|- |
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| Roberval & Saguenay |
| [[Roberval & Saguenay]] |
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| 2 |
| 2 |
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| 26,27 |
| 26, 27 |
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| M-420TR |
| M-420TR |
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|- |
|- |
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| Ferrocarril del |
| [[Ferrocarril del Pacífico]] |
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| 15 |
| 15 |
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| 522-536 |
| 522-536 |
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== |
==See also== |
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* |
*[[List of MLW diesel locomotives]] |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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== |
==External links== |
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{{commons category|MLW M-420 locomotives}} |
{{commons category-inline|MLW M-420 locomotives}} |
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{{reflist|3}} |
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{{MLW diesels}} |
{{MLW diesels}} |
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Latest revision as of 05:58, 10 January 2024
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2022) |
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 M420W #3569 of St Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Main Technical Reference[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The MLW M-420 was a diesel-electric locomotive manufactured between 1973 and 1977 in Montreal, Canada by the Montreal Locomotive Works. A total of 88 units were built for Canadian railways, including eight B units built for the British Columbia Railway; most of production went to Canadian National.[2] Only seven units were sold outside of Canada, to the State Railways Institution in Venezuela and the Providence and Worcester Railroad in the United States.
The M-420 was one of the first locomotive models (along with the EMD GP38-2) to use the wide-nosed Canadian comfort cab, pioneered by Canadian National. By the early 1990s, variations on this cab design had become the standard of the industry. As with wide-nosed General Motors Diesel units from the same period, references to the model commonly add a "W" at the end of the model name, but it is not part of the official model designation. Most M-420 units rode on MLW ZWT (Zero Weight-Transfer) trucks.
Variations
[edit]Other variations of the M-420 were the M-420R, the M-424 built for service in Mexico and the M-420TR switcher. Five examples of the slightly different M-420R were built for the newly-independent Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W) from 1974 to 1975 using trade-in parts and Type B trucks.[3] The M-424 was an M-420 with dynamic brakes uprated to 2,400 horsepower (1.79 MW). The M-420TR was built in two variations, with two M-420TR units sold to Roberval & Saguenay and fifteen slightly different units (sometimes referred to as M-420TR-2) sold to Ferrocarril del Pacífico. Both M-420TR variations bore little resemblance to the other models, with a lowered hood, shorter frame and end-cab design. A cabless design, the M420B existed. British Columbia Railway was the only consumer of this variant.
Operating history
[edit]The first Canadian National M-420 was delivered in 1973.[4] They provided service on the eastern side of Canada until their retirement in the late 1990s. By the time they were retired, many units were over 20 years old, and major Canadian railroads were purging their rosters of MLW and Alco locomotives to replace them with newer EMD and GE units. Bombardier HR-412s, purchased by CN and designed as successor to the M-420, were retired at the same time.[5] The Providence and Worcester Railroad sold off its M-420Rs in 1994.[3]
Service as power generators in Winter 1998
[edit]During the winter of 1998, a severe ice storm cut off power to many homes and businesses in Ontario and Quebec. CN M-420 3502 was hoisted off the rails by crane and rolled along a street in Boucherville in order to provide power in the community. The engine was driven approximately 1,000 feet (305 m) under its own power to the city hall, where it then became a portable power generator.[6] M-420 3508 was also lifted from the tracks to provide power to a school being used as a shelter, but problems prevented this from happening, and 3508 remained on standby. Both engines suffered minor gear case damage and carved grooves in the pavement.
Secondhand owners
[edit]
Following their retirement from CN, P&W, and BC Rail, some M-420 units were scrapped, but many were sold to shortline railways across North America for continued service. Omnitrax purchased several units, including some of the M-420B units from BC Rail. Larger shortlines such as Omnitrax have begun to scrap or sell their MLW units as a result of increased maintenance and reliability issues. The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad used a fleet of eleven former CN M-420 units as road power from 1998 to 2001. The Great Western Railway in Saskatchewan used an entire roster of MLW M-420s until 2017 when they announced that they are replacing the MLW fleet with GE fleet.[7]
Original owners
[edit]| Railroad | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian National[9] | 80 | 2500–2579 | |
| British Columbia Railway[10] | 16 | 640-647 & 681-688 | 681-688 are cabless B units |
| Providence and Worcester Railroad[3] | 5 | 2001–2005 | M-420R |
| Roberval & Saguenay | 2 | 26, 27 | M-420TR |
| Ferrocarril del Pacífico | 15 | 522-536 | M-420TR |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "MLW M-420 Data Sheet". Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- ^ "M420W Production". Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ a b c Hartley, Scott A. (June 1994). "Yankee Independence: How Providence & Worcester grew from being an obscure branch of the New Haven into today's 400-mile regional" (PDF). Trains. pp. 57–64. OCLC 30498667. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ CN gets its first M420 diesel Railway Age 11 June 1973 page 37
- ^ "CN Locomotives - Retired". Archived from the original on 2009-09-13. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
- ^ "M-420W derailed". Archived from the original on 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ "Great Western Railway". Archived from the original on 2009-04-05. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ "Roster". Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ "CN Roster". Archived from the original on 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
- ^ "BCOL Roster". Retrieved 2009-03-04.
External links
[edit]
Media related to MLW M-420 locomotives at Wikimedia Commons