Engine #7019 & Caboose #437358

The Canadian Pacific Railway purchased 15 locomotives of this type during 1943 and 1944 to test their performance against steam locomotives in yard switching service. Up to that time, most railwaymen did not consider diesel to be a serious challenge to the supremacy of steam. However, the diesel electrics proved to be capable, reliable and less costly to operate. By 1960 the C.P.R.’s operations were fully dieselized.

Engine #7019 served in rail yards at Calgary, Regina and Moose Jaw from 1944 to 1984. It was donated to the locomotive & Railway Historical Society of Western Canada and moved to Heritage Park in 1986.

C.P.R. caboose #437358 was built in 1949 at C.P.R.’s Angus Shops in Montreal. It served throughout Alberta from 1949 to 1983 before going to Vancouver. The caboose was phased out in the 1990s and replaced by an electronic safety device.