Comments on: Do not recall if I ever posted a photo of CN 70-tonner #35 before. Anyway, here it is, sitting out back of the diesel shop (along with #30) in Charlottetown PEI on a rather dull afternoon. This and the rest (4?) of the 70 tonners left on the Island in 1977 were gone by late 1983. No idea where #35 ended up. Perhaps the scrapper? In the fall of 1977 I recall #’s 30, 35, 40 and 41 were still toiling for CN, but never did see 41. It might have departed by then. Rails have been silent on PEI since 1989. What a shame.

By: harricottbay

harricottbay — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 12:48:07 +0000

These were considered for replacing the Pacific steam engines when the CNR was dieselizing the Newfoundland Railway branchlines but later chose to go with GMD’s narrow gauge G8 in 1956. We did however have a fleet of three GE 70-Tonners that operated on the industrial 22 mile Grand Falls Central Railway.

By: awmooney

awmooney — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 12:17:52 +0000

Thanks, Ken. I was relieved when I found this image in my files. Thought I somehow missed it.

By: harricottbay

harricottbay — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 01:47:57 +0000

Great that you captured this when you did Arnold! Like the Rock only 15 months earlier, PEI’s trains made their last stand in December of 1989.