CN5654 in California

[babydot94513]

I decided to hang around the Stockton (California) area today and do some railfanning and one of the engines spotted was the CN5654. We seldom see CN or CP engines in this area and this was a surpise.

Question - this was marked as a GF643A engine. Neither I nor any of the others I was with were familiar with that engine type and I cannot think of any better place to ask the question of what the heck this was.

 

[cobra]

Looks to me like Potash loads , mines or whatever . Is there potash in the Stockton area ( North of San Fran I'm thinking ? ) NEIL

 

[babydot94513]

No Potash mines in this area. The engine (whatever it was) was part of a 3 engine lash-up headed off the BNSF main in Stockton Mormon Yard and using trackage rights on the UP Fresno Sub then to the BNSF Highline to points unknown.

Any idea on the engine type? I was too busy writing down numbers to bother notice anything else other than GF643A.

 

[cobra]

I would say one of the SD40 series but I'm not sure and would like a second opinion . NEIL

 

[nscalesteve]

Originally posted by babydot94513
and one of the engines spotted was the CN5654. We seldom see CN or CP engines in this area and this was a surpise.

sorry, no picture found of CN 5654...

 

[60103]

GF643a

Jeff:
The model designation is CN's internal system, also used by VIA. The following is from the Canadian Trackside Guide, the bible for Canadian trainspotters.
First letter is the builder: E General Electric, G General Motors, M Montreal Locomotive Works or Bombardier.
Second letter is type of unit: F Roaf freight, H Hump, P Passenger, R Road Switching, S Switching, Y Yard.
Third letter (if present): A A Cab Unit, G Equipped with steam generator, L Lead unit of hump set, T Trail unit of hump set.
2 or 3 digits: Horsepower rounded to the lowest hundred or Number of axles followed by horsepower...
Suffix: a lower case letter identifying the order.
5654 is an SD75I built in 1996 and authorized for operation in the US. Last spring, it was based in Toronto.
(Note that CPR and BC Rail have quite different systems.)

 

[Agatheron]

CN5654 is an SD75I marked to be centred out of Toronto.... or at least is maintained there... SD75I's are a variant on the SD70/70 Macs... but I don't know quite what that variance is in terms of specs...

 

[cobra]

Hey , I was close in my guess , I had letters and numbers just like you did . Pardon me while I go write SD751 on the blackboard 1000 times . NEIL

 

[babydot94513]

David and all, thanks for the replies it is appreciated. Interesting that Canada railroads use a very unique identification system.

 

[60103]

CPR system

Canadian Pacific doesn't have any SD75 s, but their SD90MAC s are classed as
DRF-43 and DRF-60a, depending on whether they are 4300 or 6000 hp.
DRF is Diesel Road Freight.
DRS is Diesel Road Switcher
DS is Diesel switcher.
The two numbers are horsepower, the a is an order.
CP doesn't indicate manufacturer.
The system probably gives a better and faster indication of what the unit is good for than the manufacturers' model designations.
The manufacturer's model is often on the loco as well -- often near the "F" at the front of the frame.