GO Transit 700-710
GO Transit 700-710 are GMDD GP40-2(W)'s. They were built in three orders, delivered in 1973, 1974 and 1975. They were retired and sold in 1991, with 10 of them being sold to CN and the other sold to Tri-Rail in Florida. F59PH 548-561 were purchased to replace them.
700-706 were originally built as units 9808-9814, but were renumbered 700-706 in mid 1976. 707-710 were delivered new as those numbers. The first group of GP40-2W units (9808-9811) were built in conjunction with the initial APCU conversions (9858-9861) in order to offer service on the new Georgetown line that opened in April 1974.
These were the first GO units built and delivered without a HEP engine and generator, and thus could not be used by themselves to power a train. Thus, they had to be paired with either another locomotive that did provide HEP, or with one of the 900-series Auxiliary Power/Control Units (APCU) or the 800-series Auxiliary Power Units (APU). These units were also equipped with pass-through HEP cables, so that they could be coupled between an APCU and the rest of the train.
All units were displaced by GO's then-new F59PH units and sold to Canadian National in 1991, with the exception of 703 sold to Tri-Rail. Throughout their service on GO, they were frequently leased to Canadian Pacific on weekends for pulling freight trains, often in matching GO sets or mixed with other CP units, and usually from Toronto-Windsor or Toronto-Montreal and back. The stipulation was CP needed to have them returned in time for Monday morning rush hour GO service.
Details
Fleet Number |
Thumbnail | Date | Serial # |
Status/Disposal | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
700 | 1973 | A2938 | Retired
Sold to CN 9668 (1991). |
| |
701 | 1973 | A2939 | Retired
Sold to CN 9669 (1991). |
| |
702 | 1973 | A2940 | Retired
Sold to CN 9670 (1991). |
| |
703 | 1973 | A2941 | Retired
Sold to Tri-Rail 703 (1991). |
| |
704 | 1974 | A3163 | Retired
Sold to CN 9671 (1991). |
| |
705 | 1974 | A3164 | Retired
Sold to CN 9672 (1991). |
| |
706 | 1974 | A3165 | Retired
Sold to CN 9673 (1991). |
| |
707 | 1975 | A3306 | Retired
Sold to CN 9674 (1991). |
Built as 707. | |
708 | 1975 | A3307 | Retired
Sold to CN 9675 (1991). |
Built as 708. | |
709 | 1975 | A3308 | Retired
Sold to CN 9676 (1991). |
Built as 709. | |
710 | 1975 | A3309 | Retired
Sold to CN 9677 (1991). |
Built as 710. |