Posted by: "Don Thomas"thomasd@xxxxxxx donaldmthomas
Date: Mon Oct 1, 2012 10:09 pm ((PDT))
No, 21-22 were not the first train with diesels. CP had been operating
diesels in road service for more than five years when this train was
dieselized. Murray Dean and David Hanna's book on Canadian Pacific Diesel
Locomotives states that the Dominion and trains 21-22 were to be dieselized
with a newly-established pool of F units built or modified with 89 mph
gearing for passenger service exclusively. Possibly 21-22 were the first to
be powered from this high speed pool. I don't know when the Dominion first
got these diesels. (It was already dieselized west of Calgary using dual
service units.) This pool was subsequently expanded for other trains,
particularly The Canadian. I don't know if 65 mph dual-service F units would
have been able to keep the schedule of trains 21-22.