MLW M-420

Last updated
MLW M-420
St Laurent and Atlantic Railway M420W no 3569 front.jpg
M420W #3569 of St Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad
Type and origin
Power type Diesel-electric
Builder Montreal Locomotive Works
Build dateMay 1973 - February 1977
Total produced90 A-units
8 B-units
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 •  AAR B-B
 •  UIC Bo-Bo
Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Trucks Zero Weight-Transfer
Wheel diameter40 in (1,016 mm)
Minimum curve 30°
Wheelbase 9 ft 4 in (2.8 m)
Length61 ft (18.6 m)
Width10 ft 4 in (3.1 m)
Height15 ft 6 in (4.7 m)
Loco weight272,000 lb (123,377 kg)
Fuel type Diesel
Fuel capacity2,500 US gal (9,464 L)
Lubricant cap.216 US gal (818 L)
Coolant cap.260 US gal (984 L)
Sandbox cap.56 cu ft (2 m3)
Prime mover ALCO 251C
Engine RPM:
 • RPM idle		450
 • Maximum RPM1050
Engine type Four-stroke diesel
Aspiration(1) Turbocharger
Displacement10.95 L (668.2 cu in) per cylinder
Alternator GE Exciter GY2P7
Generator Main GE GTA17
Auxiliary GE 553 GY27
Traction motors (4) GE 572
Cylinders 12, V-arrangement
Cylinder size Bore x Stroke 9 in × 10.5 in (229 mm × 267 mm)
Transmission Diesel-electric
Gear ratio74:18
MU working Yes
Performance figures
Maximum speed67 mph (108 km/h)
Power output2,400 hp (1,790 kW)
Tractive effort:
​
 • Starting60,400 lbf (268.67 kN)
 • Continuous35,000 lbf (155.69 kN)
Career
Locale North America,
Venezuela
Main Technical Reference [1]

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. [2] 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.

Contents

The M-420 was one of the first locomotive models (along with the EMD GP38-2) to use the wide-nosed Canadian comfort cab, pioneered by Canadian National. By the early 1990s, variations on this cab design had become the standard of the industry. As with wide-nosed General Motors Diesel units from the same period, references to the model commonly add a "W" at the end of the model name, but it is not part of the official model designation. Most M-420 units rode on MLW ZWT (Zero Weight-Transfer) trucks.

Variations

Other variations of the M-420 were the M-420R, the M-424 built for service in Mexico and the M-420TR switcher. Five examples of the slightly different M-420R were built for the newly-independent Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W) from 1974 to 1975 using trade-in parts and Type B trucks. [3] The M-424 was an M-420 with dynamic brakes uprated to 2,400 horsepower (1.79 MW). The M-420TR was built in two variations, with two M-420TR units sold to Roberval & Saguenay and fifteen slightly different units (sometimes referred to as M-420TR-2) sold to Ferrocarril del Pacífico. Both M-420TR variations bore little resemblance to the other models, with a lowered hood, shorter frame and end-cab design.

Operating history

The first Canadian National M-420 was delivered in 1973. [4] They provided service on the eastern side of Canada until their retirement in the late 1990s. By the time they were retired, many units were over 20 years old, and major Canadian railroads were purging their rosters of MLW and Alco locomotives to replace them with newer EMD and GE units. Bombardier HR-412s, purchased by CN and designed as successor to the M-420, were retired at the same time. [5] The Providence and Worcester Railroad sold off its M-420Rs in 1994. [3]

Service as power generators in Winter 1998

During the winter of 1998, a severe ice storm cut off power to many homes and businesses in Ontario and Quebec. CN M-420 3502 was hoisted off the rails by crane and rolled along a street in Boucherville in order to provide power in the community. The engine was driven approximately 1,000 feet (305 m) under its own power to the city hall, where it then became a portable power generator. [6] M-420 3508 was also lifted from the tracks to provide power to a school being used as a shelter, but problems prevented this from happening, and 3508 remained on standby. Both engines suffered minor gear case damage and carved grooves in the pavement.

Secondhand owners

A Thunder Rail M-420R in 2010, still wearing Providence and Worcester Railroad colors M420Thunderrail.JPG
A Thunder Rail M-420R in 2010, still wearing Providence and Worcester Railroad colors

Following their retirement from CN, P&W, and BC Rail, some M-420 units were scrapped, but many were sold to shortline railways across North America for continued service. Omnitrax purchased several units, including some of the M-420B units from BC Rail. Larger shortlines such as Omnitrax have begun to scrap or sell their MLW units as a result of increased maintenance and reliability issues. The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad used a fleet of eleven former CN M-420 units as road power from 1998 to 2001. The Great Western Railway in Saskatchewan used an entire roster of MLW M-420s until 2017 when they announced that they are replacing the MLW fleet with GE fleet. [7]

Original owners

[8]

RailroadQuantityRoad numbersNotes
Canadian National [9] 802500–2579
British Columbia Railway [10] 16640-647 & 681-688681-688 are cabless B units
Providence and Worcester Railroad [3] 52001–2005M-420R
Roberval & Saguenay 226, 27M-420TR
Ferrocarril del Pacífico 15522-536M-420TR

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "MLW M-420 Data Sheet" . Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  2. ↑ "M420W Production" . Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  3. 1 2 3 Hartley, Scott A. (June 1994). "Yankee Independence: How Providence & Worcester grew from being an obscure branch of the New Haven into today's 400-mile regional" (PDF). Trains . pp. 57–64. OCLC   30498667 . Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  4. ↑ CN gets its first M420 diesel Railway Age 11 June 1973 page 37
  5. ↑ "CN Locomotives - Retired". Archived from the original on 2009-09-13. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  6. ↑ "M-420W derailed". Archived from the original on 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  7. ↑ "Great Western Railway". Archived from the original on 2009-04-05. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  8. ↑ "Roster" . Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  9. ↑ "CN Roster". Archived from the original on 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  10. ↑ "BCOL Roster" . Retrieved 2009-03-04.

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