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Caption:
My wife and I were married on August 30, 1975. We spent the next 15 days driving to northern British Columbia and back. For the most part the camera was pointed at ourselves or the surrounding landscape. But in a few locations, and especially in the small town ( at that time) of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, it was pointed at something just as beautiful. During this timeframe, CN assigned G-8 854 to Yorkton to handle local elevator chores. The GMD product was still wearing factory paint when I found it resting in the small yard. I had to shoot it late in the afternoon because the sun angle the next morning would not be conducive. She's obviously throwing oil at this stage in her life. Retired in July1981 without being repainted, and scrapped at Transcona at some point thereafter.
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This particular locomotive made me think of the replacement power for the LOndon & Port Stanley. However there’s a niggling thought it was NOT one of the two locomotives so assigned (of the four for mainland use)
Bryce, the two L&PS units were model G-12 and became CN 991, 992. CN purchased G-8′s 850-854 for mainland use, plus 800-805 for Newfoundland.
Nice Shot Bruce! Do any of these units still exist?
There are 3 in existence. 803 on static display at Carbonear Nfld; 805 is at Exporail; and 851 was sold to INCo, Thompson MB and renumbered to 208-1; it was later sold to Boulder CO for Western Aggregates, which was renamed TXI Inc. but has been derelict for 8 to 10 years – photo in INCo yellow can be seen at http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3146168.
So far as I know it’s still sitting there.
The 852 was sold to Columbia Cellulose and renumbered 1134; it was resold to Cargill, Evansville IN but eventually scrapped after falling out of use.
The funny thing with these particular units is the trucks – A1A truck frames, but with no centre axle and the openings plated over.
A great find Bruce! Of the six Newfoundland units (800-805), at least two kept the original green & gold paint until late 1978 for sure. 800 and 803 were photographed by Rich Taylor still in their original paint. The remaining wore the CN black & red noodle scheme. Sometime shortly after, those two would be repainted with the zebra stripes, the only two to do so. Interestingly, none would ever wear the Terra Transport bi-directional arrow scheme as a result of the closing of the branchlines by 1984.
It’s interesting that you found this unit to equal the beauty of BC & each other. Must be one of those “eye of the beholder” things, I always thought they were rather homely. I find that these units looked especially odd when coupled to SW1200RS or Geeps which were taller. As an aside, my wife & I were married about 6 weeks earlier in 1975, but I didn’t take any photos on our “honeymoon” (a weekend at a friend’s cottage). We shoulda drove to BC & back instead.