Railpictures.ca - Cameron Lonsdale Photo: Here is a photo of QNSL GP-9 #147, one of the group of Quebec North Shore and Labrador locomotives found in downtown Toronto, near Union Station, in July of 1982. Quite a surprise indeed for the teenaged railfan from “south of the border.” I would later visit the QNSL property as a member of the railway supply community. | Railpictures.ca – Canadian Railway Photography

Here is a photo of QNSL GP-9 #147, one of the group of Quebec North Shore and Labrador locomotives found in downtown Toronto, near Union Station, in July of 1982. Quite a surprise indeed for the teenaged railfan from "south of the border." I would later visit the QNSL property as a member of the railway supply community.

Caption: Here is a photo of QNSL GP-9 #147, one of the group of Quebec North Shore and Labrador locomotives found in downtown Toronto, near Union Station, in July of 1982. Quite a surprise indeed for the teenaged railfan from "south of the border." I would later visit the QNSL property as a member of the railway supply community.

Photographer:	Cameron Lonsdale [51] (more) (contact)
Date:	July 1982 (search)
Railway:	Quebec North Shore and Labrador (search)
Reporting Marks:	QNSL 147 (search)
Train Symbol:	Stored power (search)
Subdivision/SNS:	Toronto Union Station area (search)
City/Town:	Toronto (search)
Province:	Ontario (search)
Share Link:	http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=57427

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Photo ID: 56101

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3 Comments

MrDan

September 16, 2025 at 8:25 pm

This 147 is an odd duck, it has lots of early and later spotting features (like two styles of handrails, an early style GP9 hood that 147 wasn’t built with), improper cab numbers for the paint scheme, and a somewhat bent frame.

There’s also photos out there of the proper 147 painted in the later solid grey with yellow stripe scheme. This unit is in the early paint. Some photos of this unit at ONR North Bay show a different number, 129, peeping from under 147′s numerals. I haven’t found any sources for this, but all the evidence suggests one or both units got involved in a wreck, and one good unit was rebuilt from the frame and carbody of 129 (and maybe bits of 147) and renumbered as a new 147. IIRC, this one was never resold and was likely scrapped in North Bay.
Noe

September 17, 2025 at 12:20 pm

Neat photo Cameron.

I remember photographing these in 1994 in the ONR deadline in North Bay as Dan mentioned. There were 3-4 of them if I remember correctly.
mercer

September 22, 2025 at 11:28 am

MrDan, I would agree that some swapping took place between QNSL 129 and 147. I show 5 engines to ONR North Bay, originally to be rebuilds for commuter use ( ahem, that would be Extensive rebuilds!). Of these, 147 was scrapped and the other 4 found new owners such as NorAmPac at Red Rock Ont; NBSR 3700-3701 and Barrie Collingwood 1000.

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