The three familiar ex-Baltimore & Ohio GP40s--3702, 3717 and 3733--were off for a major overhaul between New Year's and fall 2001.  They returned in 2002 as SLR GP40s 3001, 3002 and 3003 respectively, with 3001 and 3002 in fresh SLR paint.  GP40 3000 remained in service during that time.  Recordings of these units are reserved for a separate section--see recordings page.

Several more GP40s were also leased starting in 2002, including ex-DRGW 3004, ex-SBD 3202 and ex-RI units 3203-3208 and 3211.  GP40s can now be seen on all SLR freights, their high horsepower helping with trains 393 and 394 which often have over 80 cars.  They are known, as are all turbo EMD units, for their deep and loud roaring engines.  Upon the arrival of SLR's new slug sets, several units in the 3200-series were sent to other railroads.

This defines run-8 EMDs.  Engines on this train were GP40 3004 and GP40s 3204, 3203 and 3211, leading southbound 77 cars on train 394.  With the recording taken uphill and a small distance from the tracks, which cross Drouin road just south of Waterville, Quebec, the radiator fans were particularly prominent in the recording and the engines could be heard for miles before they arrived.  The Leslie horn on 3004 had only two chimes working with the middle one functioning occasionally.

Another fine example of run-8 GP40s.  This recording was taken just South of Compton, Quebec, and the wide, open terrain gave a boost to the engine sounds and a strange echo to the horn on 3004 blowing for a private crossing.  The locomotives consisted of GP40s 3004, 3105 (ex-CSX MOW, still in orange paint), 3208, 3207 and 3204, all accelerating with 69 cars after exiting from a speed restriction in Waterville.

Recorded May 19, 2003, 43 seconds
Re-transferred October 29, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 296 KB
44,100 Hz, 1,865 KB

Only two GP40s are running in this recording.  Run-8 GP40s 3004 and 3211, along with coasting 3107, make light work of the mere 35 cars rolling behind them, moving them along at 35 miles an hour (55 km/h).  This was an evening 394 freight.

Recorded July 13, 2005, 2 minutes 24 seconds
Re-transferred September 27, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 990 KB
44,100 Hz, 6,259 KB

A spectacular train.

SLR GP40 3004, GP40 3001, RM-1 806 and GP40M-3 3806 grind upgrade in full-throttle with 86 cars, on their knees at 7.5 mph or so.  The GP40's whine and roar as they fight for adhesion, with a slight hissing sound from the sand being sprayed in front of the wheels for traction.  Heat waves from the working 645-series prime movers billowed overhead.

This train was at the crest of the 1% grade entering Waterville, QC--luckily for the GP40's, a relatively short grade.  With a minimum continuous speed of 11 mph, GP40's can only be operated full throttle in single-digit speed for a limited amount of time, to avoid burning out the traction motors.

Most likely, a much higher percentage of loaded cars than usual is the reason for the slow speed (100-car trains had been handled previously by only two slug sets).  Flatter terrain past Waterville allowed the units to bring the train's speed up to 20 mph or so.

GP40's 3004 and 3202, along with GP40M-3 3805 and RM-1 806, have a 66-car train of mixed freight under control as it climbs the 1% grade entering Waterville, QC.  It was a frigid evening, and with the two GP40's running in low-traction mode (reduced power and no fans running) the noise they make is substantially quieter than the roar and whine of 3805.  With the train moving at 10 mph and no traffic on the road, the whistle blasts were subdued.

Recorded May 30, 2002, 40 seconds
Re-transferred September 27, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 275 KB
44,100 Hz, 1,736 KB

Two of the leased GP40s have Leslie S5Ts, but 3202's is the only that's fully functional.  And what a sound it puts out!  This is a classic example of a loud, low-pitched, squawking S5T.  A vibrating chime appears to be creating a low tone that's an octave lower than what it should be--the low note of loud blasts isn't actually one of the notes of the horn.  The orange-painted Geep was back-to-back on an 8-car local with GP40 3003, which had passed southwards about 45 minutes earlier with its squeaking S3L.

Recorded April 27, 2002, 1 minute 34 seconds
Re-transferred September 27, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 640 KB
44,100 Hz, 4,047 KB

Slow descibes this train exiting southwards from downtown Sherbrooke, Quebec, whistling for an unsignalled crossing entering a truck parking lot.  With the train going at a walking pace and sun lighting up the brightly coloured engines, the train was in perfect conditions for photos, and the first of the five shots I took of the locomotives turned out slightly on tape.  Behind the leading GP40 were sisters 3204, 3202 (in Genessee & Wyoming paint) 3004 and, not running, 3000.

Recorded July 25, 2002, 1 minute 3 seconds
Re-transferred September 27, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 434 KB
44,100 Hz, 2,741 KB

This train caught me by surprise as I was going through the woods near Waterville, Quebec, when I heard the horn off in the distance.  It was a 14-car local freight pulled by SLR GP40s 3203 and 3208 headed towards Waterville, blowing for the Courval road crossing.

After passing through Waterville in half-throttle, it's full steam ahead (or full throttle) for a 394 freight rolling along the long straight stretch heading out of town.  Leading the way were GP40s 3203, 3202, 3206 and 3204 with 93 cars of mixed freight behind them.  The crossing was on a gravel road called "Douin" complete with a wooden crossing, which heads out off the main southeast road coming out of Waterville.

Recorded June 01, 2002, 41 seconds
Re-transferred September 27, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 282 KB
44,100 Hz, 1,777 KB

GP40 #3204 in a typical GP40 quartet in run 6 on train 394. There were some strange engine sounds as this train passed, when the throttle was notched from 6 to 7.  The GP40s have a fuel saver system that automatically lowers the throttle of an engine that is not needed in maintaining the speed, in this case the fourth one, and brings the throttle back up on that engine as soon as the throttle is notched up in the lead unit.  Hence, when the engineer went from run 6 to 7, the fourth GP40, which was still in idle, revved all the way up to match the other units, which is why it can be heard after the others had already reached the increased rpm.

The horn of 3204, like 3203, is a Nathan K3H, the difference being that this one is in worse shape--it's out of tune and lacks the bottom note.

After a very late 393 (see recording of 3206 below) the 394, usually powered with the same locomotive set, didn't leave Richmond until after 8:30 at night, or 7 hours later than usual.  When it finally did pass through Waterville at 10:20, the result was worth waiting for--the three GP40s on the head end managed to keep up a 25 mph speed with nearly 80 cars in tow.  As well, 3204 was running long-hood forward, a very rare sighting on the SLR.  The 4-second echo of the first whistle and the lack of any ambient noise confirmed the nightime passing.

Recorded June 10, 2003, 54 seconds
Re-transferred October 29, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 367 KB
44,100 Hz, 2,315 KB

GP40s 3204, 3105 and 3211 on a typical 394 freight (69 cars) Eastbound from Lennoxville and headed towards Courval road.  Exactly 2 years before, a quartet of "yellowbird" LLPX GP38-2s was recorded at the same location.

Recorded May 15, 2002, 52 seconds
Re-transferred September 27, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 356 KB
44,100 Hz, 2,246 KB

Since the newer leased GP40s arrived, their high power and numbers meant that trains often had five such units per train and full throttle was rare.  Then, after a recent accident caused by a broken rail in Coaticook, QC, all trains inched past under a speed restriction without going over run 4.  But, with summer weather on the horizon that's kinder to rails and ballast, the restriction was lifted late in May 2002, as was demonstrated by this 78-car freight roaring past in run 8 with GP40 3205 and four more GP40s on the point.  The engine sounds are pleasing, typical of turbocharged 16V-645s.  Note the beep-beep after the crossing whistles, a classic greeting from an SLR engineer.

Recorded August 26, 2002, 12 seconds (part 1)
Added September 27, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 68 KB
44,100 Hz, 496 KB

56 seconds (part 2)
Re-transferred September 27, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 380 KB
44,100 Hz, 2,401 KB

The shortest train I have on tape is this one, with 2 GP40s (3205 and 3207) and 4 cars.  The first part is the horn being blown for a crossing about a half-kilometer down the track, while the second part (30 seconds later) is of the train heading towards Courval road near Waterville, Quebec.  The engineer rang the bell once as he passed.

Recorded August 23, 2002, 27 seconds
Re-transferred September 27, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 185 KB
44,100 Hz, 1,167 KB

Dynamic brakes are the source of the noticeable whining in this recording, as GP40s 3206, 3204 and 3001 hold back the 96 cars behind them on westbound train 393.  The horn on 3206 is the best of four K3Hs among the GP40s--these three units and 3203.

A very long but pleasing recording.  Not too often seen were solid sets of yellow GP40s such as this one, especially since there were even then almost as many various orange-painted units as yellow ones (orange is now dominant with the eight such-painted slugs).  This quartet of GP40s consisted of 3206, 3003, 3002 and 3000, the last three being familiar units of years past.  Behind them, 88 cars rumbled uphill towards Waterville, QC.  The lovely horn of 3206 blew haunting calls at a country crossing before the run-8 Geeps gradually approached through the woods between Lennoxville and Waterville, QC.  The horn blast at the end was for Courval road North of Waterville.

Recorded September 05, 2003, 1 minute 7 seconds
Re-transferred October 29, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 457 KB
44,100 Hz, 2,889 KB

This is the sound of SLR GP40s 3206, 3211 and 3203, roaring and whining their way up the hill into Waterville, QC, at 18 mph with 70 cars behind them.  This was the first time I realized that there was such a grade entering Waterville, and it later became one of my favourite trainspotting locations (less well-powered trains often crested--and still crest--the grade in single-digit speed).  Icing on the cake was a series of horn-blast greetings from the engineer.

In late 2005-early 2006, the horn on 3206 turned from melodious to strange.  Whether through swapping or fouling, the topmost (#3) bell now sounds C instead of A#, creating a diminished chord.  The engine sounds come from GP40 3206, RM-1 803, GP40M-3 3803 and another RM-1/GP40M-3 set, in run-8 as they haul a 75-car 394 freight up the 1% grade entering Waterville, QC, at a respectable 15 mph.

Recorded April 09, 2005, 1 minute 8 seconds
Re-transferred October 29, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 467 KB
44,100 Hz, 2,949 KB

The deep roar of run-8 EMDs reverberates off the buildings in Waterville, QC, as GP40 3207, leased Illinois Central SD40 6002, RM-1 806 and GP40M-3 3805 head up the 1% grade at 12-14 mph.  Behind stretched 81 cars of Train 394.  After the train crested the grade, the three powered units were able to bring the speed up to a respectable 30 mph or so.

The IC unit appeared on the SLR in February 2005, in the midst of increasing traffic and a power shortage, and was still on the SLR at the end of April.

Recorded October 08, 2002, 1 minute 15 seconds
Re-transferred September 27, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 509 KB
44,100 Hz, 3,214 KB

This is train 394 passing shortly after the Acadian Express transferred onto the Canadian American line in Lennoxville, Quebec (for a recording, see Acadian Recordings page).  GP40s 3208, 3002, 3202 and 3206 were motive power for the 73-car train.  Ten miles an hour (16 km/h) were tops as the engines passed--luckily, too, with drivers the way they were--but the train accelerated until it reached about 25 mph (40 km/h) after the last cars passed.  Several cars passed as the lights were flashing, and one even accelerated onto the crossing despite the flashing lights, and beeped for traffic to move so they could get out of the way of the train.  The horn on 3208 is a melodious and well-tuned Nathan K5LA.

Recorded July 13, 2003, 42 seconds
Re-transferred October 29, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 290 KB
44,100 Hz, 1,830 KB

A veritable concert!  After a two-week absence, I was greeted with a series of horn blasts when I went to see the first train upon returning.  Evidently SLR crews are railfan-friendly.  The train had GP40s 3208 and 3211 and LLPX GP38 2260 easing along 63 cars.

Recorded January 12, 2004, 53 seconds
Re-transferred October 29, 2006
22,050 Hz compressed, 364 KB
44,100 Hz, 2,297 KB

An enthusiastic greeting from the crew of SLR train 394 made for an upbeat beginning of 2004 SLR trainspotting.  This sounded like an attempt at "Jingle bells", but the train arrived at the crossing so the engineer finished in a series of short whistle blasts, then one of the crew yelled "Hello!" out the window!  GP40 3208, GP38-2 2260 and GP40s 3207 and 3203 have the 54-car freight well under control as they ease it towards Waterville, Quebec.