Caption: Anyone care for a slightly used EMD F59PH?

The new MP40's had begun to cut into the F59 numbers in a significant way, and a visit to Mimico found over a dozen GO Transit F59PH locomotives out of work and parked in the Willowbrook Yard deadlines. Units visible here are 520, 535, 531, 523 in one group, and 532, 528, 526, 530, 540 in the next. The obvious combo breaker here is 532, which is facing west when all GO's locomotives at the time ran on the east end of trains facing east (see the two trains in the background). It was used as a shop switcher before being retired, since GO usually turned a unit when they needed it for that duty.

While there's nine here, seven others sit in another group behind us to the west (GO 555, 527, 525, 521, 524, 533). Ironically enough, one of the trains in the background ready to head to Union Station sports a still-active F59 of its own.

Even more interesting are the three platform clearance test cars that were pulled out of their usual hiding spot on a nearby spur and spotted right in the yard. The first two are former CN 40' boxes, the last a former CP plug-door insulated-heated 40' boxcar, all with solid/friction bearing trucks and crudely renumbered GOOX 1, 2 & 3.

For the roster keepers: While units 540 and 555 would go back into service for another year or two, the other units (all of which came from the first GO order 520-535, class GCE-430g, built in Jul-Sep 1988 - making them nearly 21 years old) were sold off in the coming months as follows:

March 2009: 520, 523, 531, 535 to RB Leasing (Quebec)
March 2009: 526, 530, 532 to MMA/Railworld (Maine) for rebuilding for SLC (AMT lease in QC)
April 2009: 521, 522, 524, 529, 533, 534 to RB Leasing (Quebec)
May 2009: 525, 527, 528 to Trinity Railway Express (Dallas, TX)