Throwback Thursday - CN 5507

by Keith MacCauley 

SD60F CN 5507 was delivered to Canadian National from GMDD London in February of 1989. The cowl bodied locomotive would represent the last design development initiated by the then government owned railway. Seeking to improve cold weather performance, CN reached back into EMD’s 1960’s catalogue and specified FP45 style hood geometry, albeit with a twist; the so called behind cab ‘Draper Taper’ rearward visibility notches. In continued pioneering fashion, the perceived enhancement would debut with the BBD (formerly MLW) HR-616 in 1982. (In 1973 MLW had previously launched the CN developed so called ‘Safety’ cab on their M-420). In ‘Monkey See – Monkey Do’ fashion, both GMDD and GE would follow suit with their own cowl version; respectively SD50F/SD60F, and DASH 8-40CM. Despite their ingenuity, none of the ‘Draper Taper’ variants would enjoy extraordinary longevity. First to go would be the HR-616’s, mostly due to previously experienced Alco/MLW woes. In similar fashion, the GMDD SD50F’s would succumb prematurely, with 50 series reliability issues a contributor. While both the SD60F’s and DASH 8-40CM’s were mechanically solid, none were upgraded or otherwise rebuilt. No doubt the cowl induced increased maintenance costs contributed to their eventual, somewhat premature, demise. Although several SD50F/SD60F’s would find employment beyond their original owner, No. 5507 was not among them. Just shy of three decades of service CN 5507 was dismantled in 2018.