Canadian Railroads > MLW Monday Farnham, QC

In 1982 Farnham was still a hub for CP Rail, with lines radiating out in five different directions.  This included an east-west mainline and a bunch of branch lines. This meant big power as well as small could be found here.  The best thing of all it was 99% MLW.  This percentage included a few American cousins from the Alco family.

Photo 1: Shows the importance of Farnham as division point.  This station office was built in 1950 to replace the one that burnt the previous year.

Photo 2: CP Rail 4728 M-636 Blt: MLW 1970 March 20, 1982 Farnham, QC.

Photo 3: An American cousin CP Rail 8402 Blt: ALCO 1949 This unit will be retired within a year.  March 20, 1982 Farnham, QC.

Gerry Gaugl
Ottawa, ON
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/10/19 23:59 by moonliter.

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Photo 4:  RS-18s 8760 & 8763 ready to roll. Both Blt: MLW 4/1958.  In 1989 CP Rail rebuilt the units but they still remained close, 8760 became 1854 and 8763 became 1853.  March 20, 1982 Farnham, QC

Photo 5: Rebuilt RS-18 1809 (ex-8745) can’t hide the fact that she is pure MLW like her yet to be rebuilt sisters 8773 & 8747.  The exhaust let the cat out of the bag!  8773 will become 1827 and 8743 will become 1865 in the future.  March 20, 1982 Farnham, QC

Photo 6: All the big MLWs were retired from Farnham and CP Rail by 1993-94. CP spun off its lines east of St Jean, QC but they did leave a reminder of the great days from the past.  CP 4723 a MLW M-636 built in 1970 was gutted and repainted along with a CP Rail van.  These two beauties were put on display adjacent to the station in 1995.  Sadly weather, vandals and lack of care took its toll on the units.  They were scrapped on the spot in 2017.  May 07, 2006 Farnham, QC

Gerry Gaugl
Ottawa ON  
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/19 00:02 by moonliter.

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Great photos Gerry! I spent a lot of time here as well as it was MLW heaven. It's still a good place to visit as CMQ is the current tenant with interesting power.

I think the 8402 was in for servicing from Richford. I also caught it frequently.

Got any more?

Brian N.

Posted from Android

Nice story, Gerry, and the roster shot of 8402 is perfect. I like the skeleton flat for COFC in the background, too.
Fred