CN's first road diesels, the 9000 and 9001

[SD70Dude]

Better late than never:

https://www.exporail.org/can_rail/Canadian%20Rail_no162_1965.pdf

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/Various/early_diesels.htm

I really like the steam-style number plate on 9000 after its rebuilding. 

Besides the financial belt-tightening brought on by the Great Depression, the premature death of then-Chief of Motive Power C. E. "Ned" Brooks brought an end to CN's diesel program (he was its major proponent). 

The second 9000 (EMD F3A, built in 1948) is preserved in fully operational condition at the Alberta Railway Museum in Edmonton, where I get to run it on occasion. 

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

As I thought - the December 1969 "All-Diesel" issue of Trains has a lengthy article by David H. Hamley on Westinghouse's involvement with diesels, which he called WEMCO.  As far as CN goes, it starts with many motorcars that used the Beardmore diesel engines - originally developed for dirigibles ! - and then into the locomotive applications, including the 9000 which started as 2 units.  If you need or want a further citation to pages, Vol. and issue No., etc., just let me know.

After skimming that article last night, I find that this subject is personally interesting to me for 2 reasons:  My maternal grandfather - who's been dead 52 years now - was employed by Westinghouse in its South Philadelphia plant as a machinist for something like 30 years.  It's at least possible he worked on some of those engines or locomotives - perhaps that's where my railroad avocation comes from, because there are almost no other explanations in the family tree.  And one of the first railroads to diselize as mentioned in the article was the short-line cement hauler Northampton & Bath, small portions of which are still running about 3 miles from where I now live !

- Paul North.  

[AgentKid]

Classic Trains Special Edition "Diesel Victory" has an article, "Mr. Brooks and the Beardmores" by Kevin J. Holland, about the 9000 and the 9001 and other pre-WWII CNR diesel electric engines.

And PDNjr was right, the 9000 was armour plated during WWII, and had its' Beardmore diesel engine replaced with an EMD 567 at that time (1943).

Mr. Brooks was the CNR Chief of Motive Power at the time.

Bruce

 

[Ulrich]

Thanks gentlemen...I do have most Trains issues from the 70s and 80s so I will have to have a look through...and yes...interesting fact that CN's first bonafide road diesel F3 was also numbered 9000.

[Lyon_Wonder]

IIRC, CN's first EMD F3s in the late 1940s had the same numbers as the above mentioned earlier diesels.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

I believe there was a 4 or 6 page article on them in Trains back in the 1970's - 1980's time frame by David H. Hamley, Jerry A. Pinkepank, F. H. Howard, or someone else of similar stature and expert qualifications.  As I recall one or both of those box-cab diesels was associated with or converted to some kind of rail-borne anti-aircraft gun (?), unless I'm badly confusing them with something else. 

Unfortunately, since we no longer have the "Index to Magazines" available on-line, I can't be more specific.  If you or someone else has the new DVD with all the past issues of Trains on it - I don't yet - perhaps you or they could 'search' it to find that article. 

- Paul North.  

[Ulrich]

Are there any good books or articles about these? They were built in 1929 by Westinghouse/Beardmore and served on the CN for over a decade.

I read David Morgan's Diesels West! some time ago, and he made no mention of CN's efforts which predate CB&Q's Zephyrs  by 5 to 10 years. One would think that there would have been some correspondence and exchange of ideas between CB&Q and CN given that CN's engines were (if longevity is any indication) quite successful.