Railways of the Okanagan: CN Motive Power

On January 18, 1998 CN signed and agreement with GEC Alsthom AMF Transportation Incorporated to maintain 50 former CN SD40 units at CN’s locomotive reliability centre at Thonton Yard. Under the agreement CN shop employees would perform the said maintenance under GEC Alstom’s direction. CN had previously signed mainenance agreements for its shops at Edmonton (General Motors), Winnipeg (General Electric) and Toronto (General Motors). The units were upgraded to SD40-3 specifications, equipped with dynamic brakes and pace setter controls from June 1997- April 1998. The 50 locomotives, GCFX 6030-6079, were owned by Connell Financing and were to be assigned to coal train service. The lease for the units was signed October 15, 1997. The locomotives emerged from GEC Alstom AMF Transportations shops in Montreal in an attractive grey with orange stripes paint scheme.

GCFX ex-CN

6030 5200

6031 5176

6032 5173

6033 5120

6034 5202

6035 5156

6036 5115

6037 5122

6038 5198

6039 5177

6040 5153

6041 5125

6042 5189

6043 5135

6044 5143

6045 5212

6046 5194

6047 5219

6048 5206

6049 5098

6050 5190

6051 5195

6052 5236

6053 5192

6054 5211

6055 5216

6056 5238

6057 5193

6058 5110

6059 5197

6060 5167

6061 5237

6062 5086

6063 5204

6064 5112

6065 5199

6066 5127

6067 5158

6068 5146

6069 5170

6070 5138

6071 5168

6072 5137

6073 5181

6074 5082

6075 5169

6076 5148

6077 5231

6078 5179

6079 5149

These units operated as GCFX until they began to be renumbered Wisconsin Central 6900-6949 the agreement and authorization to renumber the locomotives was received July 14, 2003. On December 10, 2008 the lease between Connell Financing was terminated with 10 units still bearing GCFX numbers and reporting marks.