Canadian Railroads > C40-8M question

Does anyone know why C40-8M's have Dofasco trucks unlike any other GE? Was it because they were a useful reuse part from MLW trade-ins? (If there were trade-ins, I don't know.) Or, was the engine designed around the shorter length of the trucks? I was looking at photos and wondering if they could even be retrucked with the usual types of GE trucks.

They used trucks from C630Ms, that were traded to GE.

cn1063 Wrote:
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> They used trucks from C630Ms, that were traded to
> GE.

That's the myth, but the numbers don't add up. (Following data from the 2019 TSG.)

2400-2429 were built in early 1990, but CN didn't start retiring the C-630Ms until 1992 (and some of those were sold to other railroads).
2430-2454 were built in late 1992, so it's possible they used trucks from retired Centuries, and some M-636s were retired around the same time, so maybe the second batch has re-used trucks, but it seems to me that Dofasco must have cast some new trucks for the first CN and BCOL orders at least.

The extra space under the frame which the Dofasco trucks create is taken up by the air resevoirs, instead of mounting them in a recess of the fuel tank on the right side, like most other modern GEs.  If nothing else is changed, that would mean the fuel capacity is higher for the cowl units than for a regular Dash-8.  I couldn't find any data on that.

GTD
 

My understanding is one order of the Dash 8's had trucks from retired MLW units, while another order had brand new dofasco trucks. The BC Rail and QNSL C40-8M's were built with new trucks.

-Trevor

Oh thanks, that air resovior difference is something I should have realized, considering I just spent hours holding an HO model of one in my hand as I weathered it! That makes sense as to why the space under the frame does look shorter for the trucks compared to other GE's. It is interesting that something that different from the usual got made.