Engines

Locomotives of the ACR

Here are photos of the different diesel engines the ACR used from the start of dieselization to the Wisconsin Central buyout.

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	This is one of 2 SW8's operated by the ACR, the other being #141. These yard engines spent all of their time working Steelton yard, and did not have any MU capability. This photo was taken on Oct. 6, 1973 at Steelton yard (Sault Ste Marie).
	This is one of 21 GP7's bought by the ACR during the early 1950's. These units (numbered 150-170) served the ACR quite well, and allowed the ACR to be one of the first Canadian roads to be fully dieselized. Here the class unit, No. 150, is at Steelton on Jan. 2, 1972. Sold to DAWX in Iowa in the early 1980's.

	Taken May 30, 1981 stored at Steelton after the new GP38-2's were placed into service.
	The 153 at Steelton Dec. 14, 1974 is another example of the early phase of the GP7.
	The Steelton shops did most all of the repair and rebuild work on the diesels, with the exception of traction motor work. Here the 157 awaits a new prime mover at Steelton on May 21, 1972. I took this photo from the vestibule while heading to Canyon on the tour train. Freshly painted 159 just needs to be lettered before returning to service. Later this unit was rebuilt by the CNR and it is now the WC 1505.
	Here is the 161 just minutes out of the paint shop at Steelton. This unit was painted by a high school student after classes over a 3 week period. This photo was rejected by Trains magazine account the paint was "too fresh" and would not print well in the magazine! Taken on May 4, 1973.
	Here is the 162 at Bruce Street station early in the morning in August of 1964. The crew has just pulled the passenger train from Steelton yards to the downtown station and will now run around their train and get ready to run to Hearst. Note there is no unit number on the long hood - this was added later during the early to mid sixties. This unit was later rebuilt to the 100, and is now the WC 1501.
	This is one of 4 GP7's rebuilt by the Canadian National at Winnipeg in 1979. The others were the 157, 158 and the 167. While the 100 series rebuilds by GMDD were quite successful, they were too busy building fleets of SD40-2's for the CPR to do any more GP7 rebuilding. Therefore the ACR contracted with the CNR to do these four GP7's. Unlike the upgrading of the 100 series, these were really "brand new 30 year old units" to quote the road foreman. Steelton Aug. 19, 1979. Now WC 1508.
	The next to last GP9 ever built (Aug. of 1963), this unit and the 172 were never really liked by the ACR engineers account they had a different braking system, and rarely were in the lead. These were the first units to be sold off after the GP38-2's arrived. This one went to the Maine Central as its #450, and was scrapped about 1996. Photo on Feb. 6, 1972 at Steelton.
	The 172 was the very last GP9 built - note the GP20 style frame, fuel tanks, etc. The ACR needed a couple of more GP units for the increased Agawa Canyon Tour business, but they did not want to deal with turbocharged power. GMDD was able to assemble these 2 GP9's from leftover parts. This engine was sold to the Essex Terminal Railway in Windsor and is still in service there, although with a chopped short hood. At Steelton May 27, 1974.

	In 1978 the ACR had GMDD in London completely rebuild and upgrade 5 GP7's with 645 power assemblies, -2 electricals, and so on. The 5 units were stripped and then rebuilt using various parts from the stockpile, so no unit-for-unit renumbering was possible, however for bookkeeping reasons a unit-for-unit order was set up. Here is the class unit 100 (ex 162, now WC 1501) at Steelton on Aug 19, 1979.
	This is the 103 at Steelton April 17, 1979. It was the 155, and is now the WC 1503.
	With the ever increasing iron ore traffic, the GP7's were proving to be too small (and they were better suited for passenger service) and so in Oct. of 1971 the ACR took delivery of 3 SD40's, numbered 180, 181, and 182. The 3 SD's could haul the same tonnage up Tabor and Frater hills nearly twice as fast as 5 GP7's, and so were well liked by the crews. However, the sectionmen had to replace a lot more gauge rods ("a boxcar load a month" according to one of them)! Photo taken at Steelton on July 14, 1974. This is the only surviving SD40, and is now WC 6001.
	This is the 182, the last of the SD40's enjoying some springtime sunshine after its first northern Ontario winter at Steelton on April 25, 1972. This unit was wrecked twice, and was scrapped around 1990 after its second trip into the bush just north of Wabos.
	The ACR so liked the SD40's that 2 years later they bought 6 more SD40-2's on the tail end of an order for the CNR, and so were built to CNR specs. Here the 185 is at Hawk Jct. on Feb. 15, 1977. This unit is now the WC 6003.
	Here is the 186 the day it was delivered (Oct. 4, 1973) in the Canadian Pacific yard at the Sault. Note the small CNR style numberboards - these were changed out later on, along with a few other minor modifications. Now the WC 6004.
	This is the highest number SD40-2 on the ACR. Here it is on Dec 16, 1973 at Steelton. It still has the small CNR style numberboards. Now WC 6006.
	Around 1980, with further rebuilding of the remaining GP7's not practical, the ACR bought 6 GP38-2's for passenger service. They were equipped with 2 aux generators, and a small control stand was added for controlling the steam generator cars. Here is the class unit 200 at Steelton the day it was delivered on May 6, 1981. This is now the WC 2001.

	Here is the 201 at Steelton May 31, 1981 - this unit is now the WC 2002.
	In mid-1994 the ACR got what were to be their last new units - actually two ex Soo Line, nee Milwaukee GP40's that had been upgraded to Dash 2 specs by the Soo Line. This is the 190 at Steelton shops on Sept. 21, 1994. These wore real ACR colours for less than a year, and are WC 3026 and 3027. The WC has repainted these two into commemorative paint schemes.

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Last updated March 10, 2005 with minor corrections and additions to photo captions.