Canadian National Diesel Locomotives: History, Roster & Photos

Last revised: September 16, 2026

Canadian National tried diesel in 1929 and did not finish the job until April 1960. The first road units were Canadian Locomotive Company boxcabs #9000 and #9001, 1,330 horsepower, designed by chief of motive power C.E. Brooks. Electro-Motive F3s arrived in 1948. New power was assigned territory by territory—Prince Edward Island Whitcombs, prairie Geeps, Montreal passenger cabs—until the last scheduled steam ran The Pas to Winnipeg on April 25, 1960.

Canadian National ES44AC 3813 at manned JB Tower about to cross the Union Pacific diamond in West Chicago Illinois August 11 2024

ES44AC #3813 is on the old EJ&E as the train passes the still manned JB Tower (note the EJ&E logo still on the tower) as it is about to rattle across the Union Pacific diamond in West Chicago, Illinois on August 11, 2024. Doug Kroll photo.

On this page: At a glance · 1929 to April 1960 · Passenger cabs · Branches and light rail · Wide cabs and Draper Tapers · Current power (2026) · All-time roster

At a glance

Item	Detail
Railroad	Canadian National Railways / Canadian National Railway. Mark CN
First diesels	CLC boxcabs #9000–9001, 1929, 1,330 hp, C.E. Brooks
First road F-units	EMD F3s, 1948
Last scheduled steam	April 25, 1960, The Pas–Winnipeg
Builders	Canadian Locomotive Company (Fairbanks-Morse designs), Montreal Locomotive Works / Alco, General Motors Diesel (London) / EMD, General Electric. A little Whitcomb and GE industrial
CN-only look	GMD1, MLW FPA-4 / FPB-4, RSC-24, wide safety cab, Draper Taper cowl
Passenger to VIA	FP9s, FPA-4s, and FPB-4s passed with intercity trains in 1977–78
2026 road fleet	GE ES44AC / ET44AC, remaining Dash-9s and AC44C6M rebuilds, EMD SD70M-2 and SD75I. Snapshot below
U.S. subsidiaries	Grand Trunk Western keeps its own diesel table. Central Vermont, DW&P, IC, Wisconsin Central, BC Rail, EJ&E: inherited blocks as notes, not a second company roster

Number series follow builder records as compiled by Extra 2200 South, The Diesel Shop (R. Craig Rutherford, revised September 15, 2026), Canadian Trackside Guide, and the CNRHA diesel roster. Information compiled September 16, 2026.

Brooks, F3s, and a slow dieselization

CN experimented early and bought late. Boxcabs 9000 and 9001 were Kingston products with a Canadian specification, not a catalog demonstrator tour. They proved the idea. They did not replace steam. After the war the railroad still had thousands of 2-8-2s and 4-8-4s. Electro-Motive F3s in 1948 were the first true road diesels. Whitcomb and CLC 650-horsepower units covered Prince Edward Island, where light rail and carferries set the rules. New GMD Geeps, MLW RS-18s, and CLC C-Liners followed as each region could take them. Regular steam ended in April 1960. U-2-g 6218 kept running excursions through July 3–4, 1971.

First-generation road power wore Pullman green with yellow and black and the circular Canadian National Railways emblem. Allan Fleming’s CN mark arrived in 1960. The four builders on the property at once were the show: GMD at London, MLW at Montreal, CLC at Kingston building Fairbanks-Morse designs, and a little General Electric. That mix is what railfans remember as the Maple Leaf diesel years.

Passenger cabs: FP9, C-Liner, FPA-4

Passenger work wanted steam generators and a full-width carbody. GMD delivered FP9As 6500–6542 between 1954 and 1958, forty-three units, with F9Bs 6600–6637 as boosters. They handled the Super Continental, the Ocean Limited, the International Limited, and the Montreal–Toronto corridor until VIA took the trains. FP9 #6526 in the Ottawa photograph is that fleet at work.

Canadian National FP9 6526 leads train 48 at Deep Cut Junction Ottawa September 1963

Canadian National FP9 #6526 leads train #48 at Deep Cut Junction in Ottawa in September, 1963. Rick Burn photo.

CLC’s Canadian C-Liners were the Fairbanks-Morse answer. CPA16-5 cabs 6700–6705 and CPB16-5 boosters 6800–6805 came in 1954–55. CFA16-4 freight C-Liners filled the 8700 even-number series. Opposed-piston 38D8⅛ engines made them distinctive and, in later years, hard to keep. #6705 on the Bonaventure at Brockville is the passenger end of that experiment.

Canadian National CPA16-5 6705 C-Liner leads train 55 the Bonaventure at Brockville Ontario August 1966

Canadian National CPA16-5 #6705 (“C-Liner”) leads train #55, the westbound Bonaventure, at Brockville, Ontario during August of 1966. Bill Linley photo.

Montreal Locomotive Works closed the cab-unit story with the FPA-4. Thirty-four A units, 6760–6793, and twelve FPB-4 boosters, 6860–6871, arrived in 1958–59 with the Alco 251 engine—the only FPA-4s built, and only for CN. They were the last streamlined passenger diesels MLW cataloged. VIA took the survivors in 1977–78; several still run on U.S. tourist railroads, including the Napa Valley Wine Train. #6791 on the Rapido at Dorion is the model in CN paint.

Canadian National FPA-4 6791 leads train 61 the Rapido at Dorion Quebec October 15 1972

A handsome Canadian National FPA-4/FPB-4 set, led by #6791, led train #61, the Rapido, through rural Dorion, Quebec on October 15, 1972. Carl Sturner photo.

Light rail: GMD1, RSC-13, RSC-24

Prairie branches and Maritime shorts needed six-wheel trucks and a light axle load. GMD’s answer was the GMD1: seventy-eight A1A-A1A units, 1000–1077, plus eighteen B-B steam-generator 1900s, 1958–60. Northern Alberta took a handful; CN later absorbed those. The type encyclopedia is GMD1.

MLW built thirty-five RSC-13s, 1700–1734, in 1955–57, A1A-A1A on light rail. In 1959 it recycled 12-244 engines pulled from FPA-2s being upgraded to 251s and put them in four new RSC-24 carbodies, 1800–1803, 1,400 horsepower. They were the last 244-powered units on CN. 1802 wrecked at Pointe-à-la-Garde, Quebec, on May 21, 1969. The other three were retired by May 1976. Their A1A trucks went under RS-18s rebuilt as RSC-14s for Maritime branches.

The everyday four-axle road-switcher was the MLW RS-18. CN took 225, originally 3615–3893, from December 1956 through 1960—the largest RS-18 fleet. Chop-nose RS-18u rebuilds later filled the 1800 series after the RSC-24s were gone. GMD GP7s and hundreds of GP9s did the same work west of the Ottawa River. CN shops later rebuilt GP9s as GP9RMs and as yard slugs; a few GP9RMs were still on the 2026 roster.

Comfort cabs, Draper Tapers, and General Electric

Second-generation freight was six motors and, on CN, a wide safety cab years before U.S. Class Is made it standard. GMD SD40s filled 5000–5240. SD40-2W wide-cabs, 5241–5363, about 121 units, were the 1975–80 main-line engine. GP38-2s 4700–4732 and GP38-2W 4760–4810 handled four-axle manifests. GP40-2W and GP40-2LW units in the 9400s were the fast four-axle. Ditch lights started here too.

The Draper Taper—a full-width cowl with the hood cut in behind the cab for backup visibility—was a CN specification. GMD built sixty SD50F cowls, 5400–5459, in 1985–87, then sixty-four SD60Fs (9900–9903, then 5504–5563). GE’s first CN road order since 1950s industrials was the C40-8M: 2400–2429 in 1990, 2430–2454 in 1992, fifty-five cowl Dash-8s with the same visibility notch. Dash-9s followed, 2500–2696 and DPU-equipped 2200–2205. After 2005 the road fleet became Evolution Series: ES44DC 2220–2344, then ES44AC and Tier-4 ET44AC as the 2010s standard.

MLW’s last new CN power was the M-line: M420s and M420Ws, M636s 2300–2339. Those Alco 251 six-motors did not last into the Dash-9 years. Passenger diesels left with VIA. Freight standardized on GMD, then GE.

Current power (2026 snapshot)

Heavy road power in 2026 is General Electric six-motors. ET44ACs occupy 3000–3295. ES44ACs fill 2800–2999 and 3800–3987—#3813 in the West Chicago photograph is a 2018 Tier-4-credit unit in the 3806–3835 block. Remaining Dash-9s are being rebuilt as AC44C6Ms in the 3300s. EMD’s late contribution is SD70I 5600–5625, SD75I 5626–5800, and SD70M-2 8800–8964. GP38-2s and a handful of GP9RMs still switch. Treat any single current number as a snapshot—confirm it against a recent photograph.

Heritage paint on ET44ACs and an SD70M-2 marks the American companies CN bought: Illinois Central #3008, Elgin, Joliet & Eastern #3023, Wisconsin Central #3069, British Columbia Rail #3115, Grand Trunk Western #8952. Two rebuilt E-units, 102 and 103, wear historic CN schemes on specials. Wabtec delivered battery demonstrator FLXS28C #3700 in September 2026. Grand Trunk Western, Illinois Central, Wisconsin Central, BC Rail, the J, Bessemer, and Missabe keep their own company encyclopedias; this table is parent CN.

Model	Road numbers (parent CN)	Notes
GE ET44AC	3000–3295	Tier 4 road fleet. Heritage 3008 IC, 3023 EJ&E, 3069 WC, 3115 BCR
GE ES44AC	2800–2999, 3800–3987	3800s are Tier-4-credit units. Photo: #3813 at JB Tower
GE ES44DC	2220–2344	Earlier Evolution DC
GE C44-9W / AC44C6M	2200–2205, 2500–2696; rebuilds 3300–3431	Dash-9s and GE AC rebuilds
EMD SD70M-2	8800–8964	#8952 GTW heritage
EMD SD70I / SD75I	5600–5625, 5626–5800	Isolated-cab six-motors, 1995–96
EMD GP38-2 / GP38-2W	4700s, 4760–4810 remaining	Four-axle locals
GMD GP9RM / slugs	4100s, 200–281 slugs	Rebuilt first-generation; yard

Current assignments follow The Diesel Shop CN roster, revised September 15, 2026. Numbers come and go with rebuilds and storage.

All-time roster (by builder)

This is an owned-and-lettered parent-CN diesel roster by model and original number series, not a serial-by-serial card for every unit CN ever ran. Quantities are builder production for CN unless noted. Renumberings, GP9RM programs, and slug conversions are in the notes. Grand Trunk Western diesels stay on GTW. Montreal Mount Royal GE boxcabs are electrics, not this page. Newfoundland 3 ft 6 in GMD NF-210s are a separate island story.

Canadian Locomotive Company / Fairbanks-Morse

Model	Numbers	Qty	Dates	Notes
Boxcab	9000–9001	2	1929	1,330 hp. C.E. Brooks. First CN diesels
H12-44	1630–1659	30	1955–56	CLC-built FM switcher
H12-46	7600–7629	30	1951–53	Six-motor CLC; Tri-Mount trucks
CFA16-4 / CFB16-4	8700–8744 (evens)	23 A/B	1952–53	Freight C-Liner. See C-Liner
CPA16-5 / CPB16-5	6700–6705 / 6800–6805	6 / 6	1954–55	Passenger C-Liner. Photo: #6705 Brockville
H24-66 Train Master	3000, later 2900	1	1955	Oddity on CN

Montreal Locomotive Works / Alco

Model	Numbers	Qty	Dates	Notes
S-3 / S-4 / S-7 / S-12 / S-13	6500s, 8200s, 8500s groups	—	1940s–60s	Yard goats. S-13 was an MLW CN favorite
RS-10 / RS-18	RS-18 originally 3615–3893	225 RS-18	1956–60	Largest RS-18 fleet. Later RS-18u / RSC-14 rebuilds
RSC-13	1700–1734	35	1955–57	A1A-A1A light branch
RSC-24	1800–1803	4	1959	New carbody; 244 engines from FPA-2 upgrades. All scrapped
FPA-2 / FPB-2	6706–6711, 6750–6755 / 6806–6811, 6850–6855	—	1955	Some upgraded toward FPA-4 spec
FPA-4 / FPB-4	6760–6793 / 6860–6871	34 / 12	1958–59	CN-only. To VIA 1977–78. Photo: #6791 Dorion
C-424 / C-630M	various	—	1960s	Century / M-line six-motor
M420 / M420W	2500s, later 3500s	~85 M420W	1973–76	Last MLW four-axle for CN
M636	2300–2339	40	1970–71	Last new MLW six-motors

General Motors Diesel / Electro-Motive

Model	Numbers	Qty	Dates	Notes
F3 / F7	9000s freight, later renumbered	—	1948–53	First road F-units. F3 1948
FP9A / F9B	6500–6542 / 6600–6637	43 / ~38	1954–58	Passenger. Photo: #6526 Ottawa
GMD1	1000–1077 A1A; 1900–1917 B-B	78 + 18	1958–60	CN-only catalog model. NAR extras later
NW2 / SW8 / SW9 / SW900 / SW1200 / SW1200RS	7000s, 7150s, 7200s, 1300s	—	1940s–60s	Yard and transfer. SW1200RS was the Canadian road switcher
GP7 / GP9	1724–1750, 2000–2024, 4100s, 4200s, 4400s, 4500s	hundreds	1954–60	Dieselization Geeps. Later GP9RM and slug programs
GP38-2 / GP38-2W	4700–4732 / 4760–4810	33 / 51	1972–74	Wide-cab 4760s
GP40-2W / GP40-2LW	9400s	—	1973–76	Comfort-cab four-axle. GMD’s big LW production was largely CN
SD40	5000–5240 group	~172	1967–71	First high-horsepower six-motor standard
SD40-2 / SD40-2W	SD40-2W 5241–5363	~121 W	1975–80	Wide-cab main line. Fraser Canyon power of the 1980s
SD50F	5400–5459	60	1985–87	Draper Taper cowl
SD60F	9900–9903, 5504–5563	64	1985–89	Draper Taper cowl. 3,800 hp
SD70I / SD75I	5600–5625 / 5626–5800	26 / ~175	1995–96	Isolated cab
SD70M-2	8800–8964	165	2007–11	Last new EMD road order of size

General Electric

Model	Numbers	Qty	Dates	Notes
44-ton / 70-ton	PEI and industrials	—	1950s	Light island and shop power
C40-8M	2400–2454	55	1990, 1992	First modern GE road order. Draper Taper cowl
C44-9WL / C44-9W	2500–2522 WL; 2523–2696; 2200–2205 DPU	~200	1994–2004	Dash-9. Later AC44C6M rebuilds 3300s
ES44DC	2220–2344	125	2006–10	Evolution DC
ES44AC	2800–2999, 3800–3987	—	2012–19	Including CREX. Photo: #3813 West Chicago
ET44AC	3000–3295	—	2015–23	Tier 4. Heritage units in this series

Sources

Rutherford, R. Craig. Canadian National motive power roster. The Diesel Shop. Revised September 15, 2026. Current-fleet snapshot and late number series
Extra 2200 South. Canadian National diesel coverage; builder serials as cited by The Diesel Shop and CNRHA
Canadian Railroad Historical Association / CNRHA. CN diesel roster by road-number block (1000s through 7000s)
Canadian Trackside Guide. Bytown Railway Society. Annual CN model and number checks
American-Rails.com production rosters: FP9, FPA-4 / FPB-4, GMD1, C-Liner, GMD, C40-8 / C40-8M, C44-9W, SD50 / SD50F, SD60 / SD60F
Wikipedia, “MLW RSC-24.” Four units 1800–1803; 244 engines from FPA-2 upgrades; retirement mid-1970s

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