Throwback Thursday: Rent-A-Wreck

CP 4210 East has paused at Quebec St yard in London, Ontario for a crew change on May 16, 1987.  Trailing units include RS18s CN 3698 and CP 1819.

By Peter Mumby.

In the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, leased power was a common sight on CP Rail.  The vast majority of these units were General Motors products, both in 4-axle and 6-axle configurations.  Most belonged to leasing companies, often wearing patched versions of their previous owner's paint work.  Occasionally, however, short term leases were worked out directly with other railroads. For instance, Algoma Central 185 worked on CP for much of 1987.  A more unusual example is illustrated in today's photo.  Not only has a lease deal been struck with CP's arch rival CN, but it involved a Montreal Locomotive Works product.