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Question about Canadian Pacific's E8A Units . . .

TD Terry DanksOGR Forum Member

I understand these units were not equipped with dynamic brakes. I also read somewhere this limited their use to east of The Rockies. Can anyone confirm this?

I saw CP1800 pulling The Canadian at Montreal West station in about 1955. It was westbound at the time and was the only power unit. Doesn't necessarily mean it was the locomotive that was pulling it all the way to Vancouver though.

CP 1800 had a long life. Seems it spent most of its time in Edmonton in its later years working for VIA.  Again though, did the lack of dynamics keep it east of the mountains?

Last edited by Terry Danks
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TD Terry DanksOGR Forum Member

Thanks, guys. Seems I've been harboring a false belief since childhood.

CP1800 was the first diesel I'd ever seen. It pulled The Canadian into Montreal West while I was there and I have assumed since that day the CP E8s were purchased for that very reason . . . for The Canadian. At least once, it was used on the West Island commuter run as I recalled from childhood when it pulled my train into Valois ca. 1961.

Seems the E8 purchase predated The Canadian by about 5 years!

StuartStuartOGR Forum Member

The reason why CP ordered the three E8a's, 1800-1802, was to have similar power for the passenger trains that they ran jointly with B&M between Boston and Montreal.  B&M was using E7a's at the time that CP was considering dieselizing their part of the service.  By the time CP made the decision the E7 had been replaced by the E8.

Stuart

 

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