MLW M-640
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The MLW M-640 (also known as Canadian Pacific 4744 or CP Rail 4744) is a 4,000-horsepower six-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in March of 1971 for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) and it was the sole example of the MLW M-640.[1][2][3]
History[edit]
Revenue service[edit]
The MLW M-640 was manufactured in March of 1971 by the Montreal Locomotive Works and it was delivered to the Canadian Pacific Railway that same year in 1971 where it was numbered by the Canadian Pacific as #4744.[4]
The locomotive was later assigned to operate on coal trains between the Crowsnest area and Vancouver, British Columbia, however, in the late 1970s, the locomotive was transferred to Eastern Canada.[2][3]
In 1984, the locomotive was used as a technological test bench where the six-axle trucks were reconfigured as A1A-A1A, meaning that the central axle was no longer motorized, and four alternating current traction motors were installed on the outer axles.[2][3]
Retirement and preservation[edit]
In 1992, while operating on a train run between Montreal and Binghamton, the locomotive had suffered an irremediable mechanical failure when its crankshaft had broke, and no replacement part could be used to replace it.[2][3]
After spending a few years on the disused site of the Canadian Pacific's own Angus Shops, it was acquired by the Canadian Railway Museum in 1998 and was placed on static display at the museum that same year in 1998.[2][3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "MLW M630 M636 M640 roster". www.thedieselshop.us. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
- ^ a b c d e f "Locomotive CP 4744". collections.exporail.org. 2016. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
- ^ a b c d e Daniels (2000), p. 193
- ^ Railroad Magazine - Volumes 102-103. Frank A. Munsey Company. 1977. p. 23.
Bibliography[edit]
- Daniels, Rudolph (2000). Trains Across the Continent: North American Railroad History. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253214119.
Further reading[edit]
- MLW's pinnacle modern diesel locomotive, CPR 4744, retrieved 2023-11-25
- Anderson, G.B.; Peters, A.J. (1991). "Design assessment and implementation potential of three-phase asynchronous AC traction motor systems for North America". Proceedings of the 1991 IEEE/ASME Joint Railroad Conference. pp. 151–159. doi:10.1109/RRCON.1991.160940. ISBN 0-7803-0072-6. S2CID 109741783.
- McDonnell, Greg (November 1998). "A.C. rules!". Trains. 58 (11): 62–73. ProQuest 206643350.
- "Cordova Bay Station - Canadian Pacific Railway employee magazine article". okthepk.ca. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
External links[edit]
