GP9u 1512's buttocks

The rear of this GP9u remind of the rear of a SDP35 or SDP40. This geep was probably in a collision and it was easier to replace the angled rear with with a flat one.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=40867
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=155846

Looks like a CP C424

Looks like a sand tank.

Looks to me like someone was either too cheap or too lazy to put the beveled rear on the locomotive.

Unless, the shops got enough complaints from the crew about how much they'd like more room on the rear "porch" to do their switching duties, and this unit was an experiment on a switchman friendly conversion.

Just a couple thoughts.

Anyone else?

Likely for sand storage. In 2004 at Welland, ON., I saw another CP GP9 with s similar rear-end... except it stopped halfway up and the remainder of the end was standard GP9 end. CNJ had units with the half and half, and theirs was for extra sand, so I'd assume CP is the same. CP 1512 used to be assigned to the Hump at Toronto Yard (before it was bumped by ex SOU SD40-2's, and now ex SOO SD40-2's), so extra capacity of sand would lessen wasteful trips to the diesel shop.

When I was young (1980's), my dad and I would go and watch the trains at the yard, and I'd see 1512 all the time.

Man it does look weird. Just caught it today. Looks like some sort of alco. It's on TC&W now and it was running long hooded giving me a better view of the back.

I believe it's off of a Baldwin DRS 4-4-1000.

rrboomer wrote:I believe it's off of a Baldwin DRS 4-4-1000.

I doubt it, the Baldwins were long gone by the time CP started rebuilding the GP9's. I could be wrong though.

I do know some of the CP GP9's had large sand tanks on the rear. 8530 was another one.