Caption: During spring 1994, CP had re-activated 33 big MLW’s from retirement, which included a mix of C-630M’s, M-630’s and M-636’s. By winter 1995, only 27 remained active, some of which had their cab windows boarded over as they were mainly trailing units only. By 1995 as the months ticked by, their numbers would shrink less and less as they were retired following major failures. Also, by spring 1995 CP had a group of rebuilt SD40-2’s delivered from Morrison–Knudsen. Plus, the railway had their first order of GE units ever, in the form of 83 new AC4400CW’s due for a late summer arrival. Additionally, the railway would go on to purchase several yellow GATX SD40-2’s that they were leasing. All these acquisitions would ultimately see all the Big M’s retired by the end of August 1995.
Here, CP M-636 4743 is viewed at CP’s Toronto Yard in Scarborough, Ontario along with leased Conrail SD40 6340. The Conrail unit would eventually be acquired by Helm Leasing and became HLCX 6064. The big MLW was eventually retired a few months later on August 28 and was sold to the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad in 1997.