Canadian National 3502

Last updated

Canadian National 3502 was an MLW M-420W diesel-electric locomotive that was owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway (CN) and which became famous when it served as an emergency generator for the city of Boucherville, Quebec, during a severe snowstorm in 1998.

Contents

General history

CN 3502 (s/n 6071-03) was built in May 1973 by the Montreal Locomotive Works as an M-420W diesel-electric locomotive. It was built as part of a batch of CN units, with CN 3502 being order number 4929.

After entering revenue service with CN, the locomotive initially had the running number 2502. It was renumbered with the running number 3502 in 1987, after having its fuel and sandbox capacity reduced. These modifications were removed in 1994, with the locomotive retaining its new running number. [1] [2]

In 1998, after being repaired from its use as a generator in Boucherville, CN 3502 was sold to the Ottawa Valley Railway. In 1999 the locomotive was sold again, this time going to the Southern Ontario Railway, where it would remain until 2003 when it was sold to the Hudson Bay Railway. It remained in use with the Hudson Bay Railway until 2007, when it was withdrawn and scrapped. [1]

Use as an emergency generator

During the snowstorms of 1998, the town of Boucherville, QC had lost power after repeated severe snowstorms. The mayor needed emergency and essential services back up and running, so the mayor requested that CN deliver a locomotive to a level crossing close to the town hall. After arriving, the locomotive was then hoisted off the tracks by a large crane and put onto the streets, from where it was driven approximately 1,000 feet (305 m) under its own power to the city hall, carving grooves in the pavement as it moved. Once there it was attached to the city's power grid, becoming a portable power generator.

After being coupled to the power grid the locomotive was set to produce 375 kW of power at 60 hertz. This allowed the locomotive to provide power for both several municipal buildings, and emergency services. Once grid power was restored on January 17, 1998, the locomotive was driven back to the tracks and put back on the rails. Afterwards the locomotive had to be repaired to fix the damage sustained by the running gear and other components due to being driven on the road. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

CN 3508

Another CN M-420, this time CN 3508, was also lifted from the tracks with the intention of using its output to power a local high school that was to be used as an emergency warming station for local residents. However getting to the shelter would have required CN 3508 to cross an overpass, and it was eventually decided that there was a very good chance the overpass would collapse under the weight of the 117.93  t (116.07 long tons ; 130.00 short tons ) locomotive, leaving the city with yet another emergency to deal with, and some concerned phone calls from the Canadian National Railway. As a result, CN 3508 was left parked down the street on Boulevard de Montarville as an emergency backup until the power grid was restored. [8]

Afterwards CN 3508 was returned to the rails and serviced as it too required repairs, having suffered minor damage to its running gear. [3]

Technical aspects

Both of the locomotives were powered by ALCO 251C 131.4 L (8,020 cu in), four-stroke, single-turbo V12 diesel prime movers producing 2,400 hp (1,800 kW) each.

Under normal circumstances these massive engines drove a General Electric GTA17 generator [9] that would supply traction current to the four traction motors which were in turn driving the wheels. However, as shown by their use in Boucherville, this power can be redirected for uses outside of the locomotive like powering municipal buildings. To provide power in this circumstance, the V12 prime mover had to be set to run at a specific, constant rpm to generate alternating current at 60 hertz, the frequency used by most North American utilities. [7]

During its multi-day use as an emergency generator, CN 3502s prime mover continuously produced 375 kilowatts of AC power for use by the municipal buildings and emergency services. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowdon Mountain Railway</span> Rack & pinion railway to the top of Snowdon in Wales

The Snowdon Mountain Railway is a narrow gauge rack and pinion mountain railway in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is a tourist railway that travels for 4.7 miles (7.6 km) from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian National Railway</span> Canadian Class I freight railway company

The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diesel locomotive</span> Locomotive powered by a diesel engine

A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels. The most common are diesel-electric locomotives and diesel-hydraulic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD F40PH</span> North American diesel locomotive class

The EMD F40PH is a four-axle 3,000–3,200 hp (2.2–2.4 MW) B-B diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in several variants from 1975 to 1992. Intended for use on Amtrak's short-haul passenger routes, it became the backbone of Amtrak's diesel fleet after the failure of the EMD SDP40F. The F40PH also found widespread use on commuter railroads in the United States and with VIA Rail in Canada. Additional F40PH variants were manufactured by Morrison-Knudsen and MotivePower between 1988 and 1998, mostly rebuilt from older locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD SD50</span>

The EMD SD50 is a 3,500-horsepower (2,610 kW) diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. It was introduced in May 1981 as part of EMD's "50 Series"; production ceased in January 1986. The SD50 was a transitional model between EMD's Dash 2 series which was produced throughout the 1970s and the microprocessor-equipped SD60 and SD70 locomotives. A total of 431 were built.

On 8 February 1986, twenty-three people were killed in a collision between a Canadian National Railway freight train and a Via Rail passenger train called the Super Continental, including the engine crews of both trains. It was the deadliest rail disaster in Canada since the Dugald accident of 1947, which had thirty-one fatalities, and was not surpassed until the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster in 2013, which resulted in 47 deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Head-end power</span> Electric power supply to trains by locomotives

In rail transport, head-end power (HEP), also known as electric train supply (ETS), is the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive at the front or 'head' of a train, provides the electricity used for heating, lighting, electrical and other 'hotel' needs. The maritime equivalent is hotel electric power. A successful attempt by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway in October 1881 to light the passenger cars on the London to Brighton route heralded the beginning of using electricity to light trains in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD GP9</span> Model of locomotive built by EMD

The EMD GP9 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between 1954 and 1959. The GP9 succeeded the GP7 as the second model of EMD's General Purpose (GP) line, incorporating a new sixteen-cylinder engine which generated 1,750 horsepower (1.30 MW). This locomotive type was offered both with and without control cabs; locomotives built without control cabs were called GP9B locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD SDP40F</span> Class of diesel passenger locomotives

The EMD SDP40F was a six-axle 3,000 hp (2.2 MW) C-C diesel–electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) from 1973 to 1974. Based on Santa Fe's EMD FP45, EMD built 150 for Amtrak, the operator of most intercity passenger trains in the United States. Amtrak, a private company but funded by the United States government, had begun operation in 1971 with a fleet of aging diesel locomotives inherited from various private railroads. The SDP40F was the first diesel locomotive built new for Amtrak and for a brief time they formed the backbone of the company's long-distance fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gas turbine locomotive</span> Type of railway locomotive

A gas turbine locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a gas turbine. Several types of gas turbine locomotive have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels (drivers). A gas turbine train typically consists of two power cars, and one or more intermediate passenger cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steam generator (railroad)</span>

A steam generator is a type of boiler used to produce steam for climate control and potable water heating in railroad passenger cars. The output of a railroad steam generator is low pressure, saturated steam that is passed through a system of pipes and conduits throughout the length of the train.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ALCO FA</span> American locomotive class

The ALCO FA was a family of B-B diesel locomotives designed to haul freight trains. The locomotives were built by a partnership of ALCO and General Electric in Schenectady, New York, between January 1946 and May 1959. Designed by General Electric's Ray Patten, they were of a cab unit design; both cab-equipped lead FA and cabless booster FB models were built. A dual passenger-freight version, the FPA/FPB, was also offered. It was equipped with a steam generator for heating passenger cars.

A hybrid train is a locomotive, railcar or train that uses an onboard rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), placed between the power source and the traction transmission system connected to the wheels. Since most diesel locomotives are diesel-electric, they have all the components of a series hybrid transmission except the storage battery, making this a relatively simple prospect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Pacific GTELs</span> Fleet of gas turbine-electric locomotives

The Union Pacific GTELs were a series of gas turbine-electric locomotives built by Alco-GE and General Electric between 1952-1961 and operated by Union Pacific from 1952 to 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Railways DF8</span> Chinese diesel locomotive class

The DF8 is a type of diesel locomotive used in China. It was in production from 1984 until mid-1990s, with mass production starting in 1989. The revised DF8B is still in production today. DF8 are almost exclusively used for freight services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MLW M-420</span> Canadian diesel locomotive

The MLW M-420 was a diesel-electric locomotive manufactured between 1973 and 1977 in Montreal, Canada by the Montreal Locomotive Works. A total of 88 units were built for Canadian railways, including eight B units built for the British Columbia Railway; most of production went to Canadian National. Only seven units were sold outside of Canada, to the State Railways Institution in Venezuela and the Providence and Worcester Railroad in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 61-000</span>

The South African Railways Class 61-000 of 1959 was a diesel-hydraulic locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class DS1</span> Class of 1 South African 0-6-0de locomotive

The South African Railways Class DS1 of 1939 was a diesel-electric locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Railways W1</span>

The Sri Lanka Railways Class W1 is a class of Sri Lankan diesel hydraulic locomotive that was built by Rheinstahl Henschel in 1969. A total of 45 W1s were built and imported. This is the first diesel-hydraulic locomotive which ran on Sri Lankan rail.

References

  1. 1 2 T, Alex (2007-11-28), CN 3502 Commemorative Plaque in Boucherville , retrieved 2022-08-08
  2. ↑ "Pictures of CN 3502". www.rrpicturearchives.net. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  3. 1 2 3 "That time a train powered a town- CN 3502 - Youtube". That time a train powered a town- CN 3502. 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  4. ↑ "That Time a Canadian Town Derailed a Diesel Train and Drove It Down the Street to Provide Emergency Power". Gizmodo. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  5. ↑ Ago, Kiligirlin #history • 3 Years (2019-01-12). "Remembering Canada's Worst Ice Storm Ever - Part 5/Postscript - what happened in my home town". Steemit. Retrieved 2022-04-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Currin, John (2021-02-20). "JC's Trains, Railways all Transport : Canadian National M420W #3502 being rerailed after the city of Boucherville used it as a generator to power city hall during the 1998 ice storms. It was actually driven on the pavement under its own power about 1000 feet. Semi Historical". JC's Trains, Railways all Transport. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  7. 1 2 Gilboy, James (2021-02-22). "How Canadians Derailed a Train and Drove It to City Hall for Power After a Brutal Ice Storm". The Drive. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  8. 1 2 "That Time a Canadian Town Derailed a Diesel Train and Drove It Down the Street to Provide Emergency Power". Gizmodo Australia. 2021-02-19. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  9. ↑ "MLW M-420 Data Sheet" . Retrieved 2023-07-16.

Videos

Photographs

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.