Caption: More leased power on CP, this time in the form of Algoma Central GP7's! In late 1978 / early 1979, CP leased a pair of GP7's from Algoma Central, units 150 and 154. Photos show they saw service mainly in the Toronto area, including working locals and transfers around Parkdale Yard, and operating on the Cobourg Turn out of Agincourt (one even made it up the Orangeville and Owen Sound Subs). CP got their hands on them sometime during (or before?) December 1978, and they had gone off-lease at the end of March 1979. CP would later come knocking again in the 80's and lease some of ACR's SD40-2 units.

Here, ACR GP7 150 handles some piggyback traffic (transfer from John Street downtown?) at the south end of CP's Parkdale Yard, by the Strachan Avenue grade crossing. Note the C&NW "Falcon Service" pig on the first flat, and CP caboose 437086 bringing up the rear. One can pick out the usual downtown Toronto skyline features including the TD Centre buildings, CN Tower, Wellington Destructor smokestacks, and in the distance CP's Tecumseh Tower (that controlled movements from CP's Parkdale Yard across CN's Weston Sub to the Simcoe/Wellington freight shed lead). Strachan Avenue was still a similar gritty scene in 2007 (and that old yard lighting tower on the right was still there!), but today it's been radically altered with a giant trench under the road for the Strachan Avenue grade separation.

Keith Hansen photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.