Canadian Railroads > The many lives of RLHH 2081

MEC 258 – GP38 built 11-1966 has led quite a life.  It survived a rollover wreck in October, 1981, getting rebuilt in 1982.  After a brief time in the dead line at North Billerica, MA in 1989, the unit was painted in Guilford grey/orange around 1990.  Oddly in 1991 the unit was back in storage, and by 1992 it was leased to the DM&E (likely owned by Helm at this point, but with no Helm markings).

The time leased to the DM&E was also brief, and the unit was rebuilt by VMV for New Hampshire & Vermont, becoming NHVT 3800 painted in an attractive maroon/silver paint scheme.  The NHVT was formed in 1989, and by 1995 it sounds like the railroad was struggling.  The unit was returned to Helm again, briefly being renumbered HLCX 3619 before being sold to Ottawa Valley Rail Link (TOR) as their 2000.

It’s time spent on the Ottawa Valley Rail Link must have been short, because by 1997 the unit had be transferred to Southern Ontario RaiLink.  Exactly two months after start-up of operation on the former CN Hagersville Subdivision, I photographed TOR 2000, still in patched NHVT paint in Hagersville, ON 1997-11-20 (photo 1).

RaiLink eventually repainted TOR 2000 in to their attractive blue/white paint scheme and renumbered it RLK 3873.  Photographed at Nanticoke, ON 2009-02-08 (photo 2).  The unit retained the RaiLink paint scheme throughout Rail America ownership.  When Genesee & Wyoming purchased Rail America they patched the RailLink logos, as shown downtown Hamilton, ON 2014-01-22 (Photo 3).  

Rob Smith
Hamilton, ON



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/16 18:42 by DundasMP23.

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G&W shipped out the GP38 for rebuild, and the unit returned to home rails today, now a GP38-2, renumbered RLHH 2081 and repainted in the G&W corporate orange and black.  Photographed sitting in the rain at the west end of CN’s yard in Brantford, ON 2016-10-27.  The stories it could tell…

Rob Smith
Hamilton, ON



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/16 18:42 by DundasMP23.

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Along the way it lost its distictive MEC location for the bell and acquired paper air filters which it never had in the MEC days.

KG

Nice post Rob!

Mike Bannon
St Catharines, ON

Unit looks great and is only 4 years younger than I am.
Steve B.

One thing about that old bell location, the enginer would *NEVER* forget to turn it off after blowing for a crossing!

Very very nice Rob,well written and illustrated short article.

Bryce Lee
Burlington, Ontario