Throwback Thursday - ETR Diesels by the Numbers

ETR 102 was sitting on the shop track at Lincoln St in Windsor on Sept. 05/02.

By Peter Mumby.

Essex Terminal Railway is a switching line based in Windsor, Ontario.  Its diesels have been numbered in the 101 - 108 series.  Each of the locomotives featured in today's photos is the second unit to wear its particular number.

ETR 104 was built in June of 1950 as Illinois Central SW 7 number 9404.  It was later rebuilt as an SW 14 wearing number 1475.  The original ETR 104 was an SW8 assembled by GMD in 1954.  It was sold to Cargill in 1999.

The original 102 was also a GMD SW8, built in 1951.  It was sold back to GMD in 1977.  The second use of the number 102 was on ex- Algoma Central GP9 172, acquired in 1986.  ETR lowered and customized the front hood before putting it into service.  It stayed on the railway's roster until it was sold to the Ontario Southland Railway in 2016.  This locomotive was featured earlier in a post entitled "The Final GP9" on April 13, 2017.

If you look closely, you might notice that each unit is wearing a special panel on its cab side.  It features stylized steam and diesel locomotives flanking the number 100.  This was in honour of Essex Terminal's 100th anniversary which occurred in 2002. 

Essex Terminal Railway 104 was photographed on September 05/02.  It was parked next to the St Thomas Central Railway equipment being used to offer a tour of the line to members of the public on the occasion of the company's 100th anniversary