Caption: For its high horsepower second generation 6-axle power needs out west, CP looked to two builders' offerings in the mid-60's: first acquiring a group of 65 SD40 units from GMD, and later sampling 8 C630M's from MLW. Due to reliability problems with the SD40 fleet, CP looked to MLW to dieselize its coal train operations out west with an army of Locotrol-equipped M630's (and M636's for general freight use, mostly in the east).

But, CP eventually went back to GMD once the new SD40-2 model came out that solved reliability issues with the earlier 40's, and reliability issues with the M630's operating out west came to light. The SD40-2 became CP's standard mainline power on coal and grain trains out west for decades, and most of the MLW 6-axle units were "banished to the east" (as some would say) during the mid-70's.

Here, in a sort of transition period, we see CP C630M 4507 (in tattered maroon and grey paint) leading brand new CP SD40-2 5594, and M630 4512 on a manifest freight past a small park area in Glen Echo BC, sometime in 1972-1973. Both builder's models would operate together for a while, until CP loaded up on SD40-2's and had the 5800-series purchased and set up as Locotrol Master units.

Stan F. Styles photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide (duplicate).