Caption: When the calendars were flipped to 1995, CP Rail had 163 units leased operating through Canada and the US to assist with their motive power constraints. At the time, my Branchline magazine from that month showed there were nine VIA Rail F40PH-2’s on lease plus SD40-2’s from Algoma Central and BC Rail. As well as a myriad of other four and six axle power from various leasing companies. By far, Helm Leasing had the most units leased by CP, with Illinois Central, Conrail Leasing, GATX Leasing, Generation II Leasing and Precision National providing many as well. Railfans had dubbed them “rent-a-wrecks” and to many it was reminiscent of the previous great CP 1970’s lease fleet. Not to be overlooked, the preceding spring CP had re-activated 33 big MLW’s from retirement, which included a mix of C-630M’s, M-630’s and M-636’s. By winter 1995, only 27 remained active, some of which had their cab windows boarded over as they were mainly trailing units only. As each month went by in 1995, the groups numbers would shrink less and less as they were retired following major failures. Also, by 1995 CP had a group of rebuilt SD40-2’s on order from Morrison–Knudsen as well as the railway’s first order of GE locomotives ever, in the form of 83 new AC4400CW’s. The MK units were due for a spring arrival and the GE’s were expected in late summer. Additionally, the railway would go on to purchase several yellow GATX SD40-2’s that they were leasing. All of these acquisitions would ultimately see all the Big M’s retired by the end of August.
Here, during a frigid morning CP SD40 5506 and M-630 4573 (the last M-630 in the number series) are viewed preparing to depart the Toronto yard diesel shop tracks for possibly an eastbound train on the Belleville Subdivision. On August 23, 1995 CP officially retired 4573 and later sold it to the Minnesota Commercial Railroad in 1996 where it became MNNR #73. Many years later it was sold to the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad, becoming WNYP #631.