Canadian National Locomotives

Last updated October 29, 2006
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. | Recordings | Canadian National Locomotives | . All recordings copyright Michael Eby unless otherwise noted .

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One of the most profitable railroads in the world, Canadian National is also a giant, going from coast to coast and down into the US on Illinois Central trackage. The railroad pioneered the "Safety Cab" (also known as Comfort, Crew, Canadian or Wide) where a full-width nose with structural reinforcing contributes to the reduced possibility of crew injury. Most of the CN units running on the St. Lawrence & Atlantic line before SLR took over had this cab, as did the GP40-2Ws that appeared for a short time later. Internally, these locomotives are the same as their standard cab-equipped counterparts. CN also uses the Nathan K3H on all but its most recent locomotives, as did (for many years) CP and Via Rail, a horn known for a very pleasant and often haunting sound. .

. CN Locomotive

Recorded July 1993, 28 seconds
11,025 Hz compressed, 113 KB

The very best horn I've ever heard was in this recording of three CN units, taken in 1993. This is an excellent K3H, with all chimes literally in tune to within a few Hertz! The locomotives, as I remember, were CN Zebra-painted units, but I knew nothing about the different models back then. They were probably GP- and/or SD40-2Ws. The last of the absolutely perfect whistles is very long and not muffled out by engine noise-- the train was idling as it was coming downhill from Waterville, Quebec on what is now the St. Lawrence & Atlantic.

. CN SD40-2W #5359
Recorded July 06, 2003, 34 seconds
Re-transferred October 29, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 234 KB
44,100 Hz, 1,475 KB

CN SD40-2W 5359 and SD50F 5418, passing through Greenway Park in London, Ontario, with a 51-car Westbound evening Intermodal freight. The two run-8 engines sped the train along at over 50 mph (80 km/h) to make the fastest freight train recording I have.

. CN GP40-2LW #9524

Recorded January 2001, 49 seconds
Re-transferred October 07, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 336 KB
44,100 Hz, 2,122 KB

Is this a CN horn or a CN horn? The Nathan K3H of GP40-2LW #9524 blasts out its melodious D# minor calls as four Geeps pull a 61-car freight uphill towards Waterville, QC, with the engines in full throttle, in this much more exciting recording. A haunting first whistle is a good example of what Canadian locomotives have always been famous for, while the long gap between the first and second whistles emphasizes the very pleasing EMD engine sounds. The button-actuated automatic air valve gives the horn a sudden burst of air, resulting in immediate full-blast sound instead of the softer-starting manual systems in older locomotives.

Once at the crossing, SLR GP11 8749, with its classic chugging sound, drowned out the lead unit, but was in turn overpowered by the two loud 16V-645E3s from following SLR GP40 3000 and GP40-2LW 9523. Another aspect that makes this recording particularly pleasing is that the turbocharger whines of the locomotives are the same pitch as the horn (strange but true).

Michael Eby 2006