On Monday morning, CP shared an image on social media of the two freshly painted locomotives, Nos. 7010 and 7015, with the message, “We take pride in our past and look to the future with the same boldness, ambition and innovation that drove the creation of the railway.”
In an exclusive interview with Trains News Wire, Baden Tidd, assistant vice president of mechanical, says the railroad plans on painting a total of 10 heritage units. Locomotives Nos. 7010 to 7014 will wear CP’s original tuscan red, gray, and gold paint scheme with tuscan red script lettering along the long hood. Locomotives Nos. 7015 to 7019 will feature block lettering along the long hood.
The locomotives are part of an order for 60 SD70ACUs using the railroad’s stored SD9043MACs. The locomotives are being rebuilt by Progress Rail in Kentucky. The first four SD70ACUs, Nos. 7000-7003, were recently put in service in British Columbia.
Locomotives Nos. 7010 and 7015 are in Kentucky and Tidd expects them to be shipped to Canada within a week.
Tidd says the idea to paint heritage units was hatched earlier this year. The mechanical department worked with CP’s heritage department, which maintains the railroad’s historic fleet of passenger cars and locomotives, to come up with a number of options to present to CEO Keith Creel. In a nod to the railroad’s historic beaver logo that came back in 2017, Creel selected the tuscan red schemes.
The heritage units are expected to be assigned to service primarily in western Canada. Tidd says they will be put into regular service just like any other locomotive.
“These are wonderful looking locomotives but they’re meant for revenue service,” he says.
The other eight heritage locomotives will painted before the end of the year.
This is not the first time CP has painted a freight locomotive into its historic tuscan red scheme. In the early 2000s, it painted GP38-2 No. 3084 into the classic tuscan scheme. The railroad’s FP9s used for its business train and other excursions also wear the classic livery.
CP is excited to reveal a set of SD70ACU locomotives painted with our iconic heritage scheme. We take pride in our past and look to the future with the same boldness, ambition and innovation that drove the creation of the railway. pic.twitter.com/KCAOge0eeA
— Canadian Pacific (@CanadianPacific) September 16, 2019
It is great to see this nod to the past of Canadian Pacific Railway one of the most important entities in Canadian History still in business. Now there is only one problem: CPR has zero public relations when it comes to the doings of the Heritage equipment. As soon as I heard about these big beauties I went to the company web site and there was nada about them!! The recent run of 40_13 east for the Ladies Pro golf in Ontario was a prime example. I managed to get the train line up by knowing someone [not an employee]from headquarters eastbound a day late, but that went down hill when 1401 did a bunk in Moose Jaw. I was totally unable to get the same for the westbound. It is lovely to have all this beautiful equipment around but what good is it if no one can find it.This is not 1955 when you could call up the dispatch and if they had time they would give you the line up. Remember North America is about 3000 miles wide and we all do not have the 55,000 a day plus GST needed to rent the Royal Canadian Pacific to get those photos. Just a little hint now and then would be nice and good for the environment as the photo guys would not have to wander the highways like lost Uber drivers??!! Speaking of heritage, anyone know what happened to 5361 CPR P2 mike. I tried to flog it to CPR to keep 2816 company like it did in 1961 at the Glen!!
Love that CPR Heritage scheme. I even had one of my Kato HO AC4400’s painted in the scheme prior to the prototype release. Now, I would like to see CPR paint up some of their SD40-2’s in the scheme.
With the beaver logo is the best logo when CP painted a block of locomotives in the heritage paint scheme when there is the few that is to like the paint scheme from the Pac-man era.
Landon Rowell it’s because Iowa Northern copied and old Canadian Pacific scheme !
CP were kind enough to announce this on my birthday day on September 16th .
What a nice gift !!!
James Homan – CN probably won’t. They had the chance this year to do their older green colour scheme on their diesels to celebrate their centenary. What did we get? Some GEVOs with a “CN 100” logo on top of their normal black orange and white paint.
No way those look slick! I would love to see one of those.
Michael Marquardt, the Royal Hudson did in fact operate on CP track during excursions. Search for the Royal Hudson in Castlegar.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it many times, the beaver on the shield logo is the best logo in the history of Canadian business. Better than anything incorporating the Maple Leaf.
Yes Paul! if they don’t make a D&H one, they’re gonna get an angry letter from me!
John Barlow, those were two different but similar paint schemes used in the past on CP at different times in their history. The differences on these units are deliberate to best match the two similar-but-different historical looks.
this paint scheme is great they should think of getting red of the red colored engines and paint the whole fleet this way deffently would stand out , would love to see one come down on the old D&H tracks to Albany .
I really like what CP did here but I’m curious why there is a slight variation in the Heritage application to these two units wrt width of the gray stripe and lettering under the cab window…
Should do some Soo Line also .
Not just classic, they are CLASS! Best paint scheme in all of Canadian railway history. ALL new units should be painted with these colours. Block lettering one should be larger, same as script style.
Arthur Hazeldine, EHH and CP didn’t do anything to the Royal Hudson (#2860), or have any bearing on it’s operation. BC Rail killed that program in 2000-2001, and CP hired many of the BC Rail steam crew after their contract was complete. Since 2001, it’s been in the care of WCRA, who have operated it a few times, though not since 2010. It didn’t even run on CP tracks in it’s excursion days (all BC Rail/CN and BNSF)
If, however, you are referring to CP 2816, which, while a Hudson, is not, never has been, and never will be a Royal, well, then, that thing isn’t going anywhere until the economy improves.
Looks a lot like Iowa Northern. Hmm.
So how many commenters on here hate CP because of PSR and and the guy who’s initials I wont use, but now all of a sudden love them because of a paint job?
WAYNE and PAUL, you both speak for probably all of us. Great posts….
It is unfortunate Canadian Pacific did not preserve the two rare E8’s formerly on its locomotive roster. They could have remained to supply power to both business and excursion trains as the only E units in Canada.
To borrow a phrase, “Dilly, dilly!”
Stunning! Paint ’em all like that!
With 8 more to go Al Seever my fingers are crossed for both of those. Plus a D&H and the Multi-Mark.
Real classy looking engines. Hopefully they’ll make the rounds to the US division eventually so we can all enjoy them
A class act! Calling on CN and BNSF to do the same.
CP, forget about red, just paint this way!