Comments on: Trust the high sun to nip behind a couple of ugly clouds to try and spoil such a nice set of power. CN 2033, 3233, 4529, 4567 and 4563 are Fort Erie bound with 82 cars and van #79454 in tow, according to my notes. The image was snapped jut before the train entered the junction itself. The second unit is an MLW C-424, of which I saw very few of even back then.

By: mercer

mercer — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 20:29:44 +0000

ngineered4u – I was referring to the 70s because Arnold claims he didn’t see them very much. But they were there, maybe not in two somes, three somes or whatever ( not impossible). They were always based for maintenance at Taschereau and sure they spent time in northern Quebec etc. But they also saw lots of use into Toronto and then to Ft Erie, Windsor, Sarnia.

By: awmooney

awmooney — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 02:16:28 +0000

Thanks for this, Stuart.

By: Stuart Streit

Stuart Streit — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 02:03:35 +0000

Have a read of the excellent text ‘Canadian National Railways Diesel Locomotives’ – Volume 2. CN rostered 41 C-424′s; 2 (built 1964), 20 (built 1966), 19 (built 1967). The 424′s were offered for lease during off peak periods and toiled for both BCR and Conrail in this capacity. All were disposed of by the end of 1988.

By: Jakob Mueller

Jakob Mueller — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 23:55:12 +0000

An old (’88) CTG lists all of the CN424s as built by MLW. The 3200 and 3201 did have a high headlight and a different fuel tank than the others.

My understanding is that these units were often stored when there were traffic downturns, and reactivated when traffic picked up – so depending on the ebb and flow of the economy, you may or may not have seen them.

By: Snake2

Snake2 — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 22:23:55 +0000

There was 40 of these..but unless you got them in 60′s, 70, they were rarely every paired, unlike the big 6 axles, and were scattered. They were the first to be gradually pruned off the roster…late 70′s and onward – much sooner than the big six axles in the 90′s. Now..here’s a question for the guru’s…weren’t 3200 and 3201 built by Alco?

By: awmooney

awmooney — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 22:10:55 +0000

CTG says 9 of them went to Mexico in ’78.

By: ngineered4u

ngineered4u — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 21:34:29 +0000

@mercer..what time frame are you talking about for these Alcos? From the early 80′s on the big MLW were found in Ontario and eastward as they did not use them heading north or across to the US. As for the C424′s, they were very rare around Toronto as it was way more common to see M420 and HR412′s in service. LOL..i think I was trackside very often

By: mercer

mercer — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 21:19:23 +0000

All through the 1970s the C424′s on CN were assigned to Montreal Yard (Taschereau). It was the C630s and M636s, and the later 2100s and 2500/3500s that were Moncton assigned. The 424s were used for everything – lowly peddlars, merchandise, intermodals. If you missed them you weren’t spending enough time trackside.

By: ngineered4u

ngineered4u — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 21:06:22 +0000

We had the odd C424 kickin around Mac Yrd, but they were rare. Way back in the old days before I became an engineer, I had 3209 as the power on a “snow plow extra” up the Uxbridge Sub which ran ahead of the only semi regular freight job that ran east to Lindsay every other friday.

By: sdfourty

sdfourty — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 19:20:31 +0000

I believe CN 3200′s C424 based in Moncton.

In Ontario seemed that CN 3200′s were assigned to the Marmora Sub ore trains. Whenever I visited Belleville always a couple or more 3200′s at the roundhouse / shop in Belleville yard.