Walthers Grand Trunk Blue GP9

When Walthers announced a Grand Trunk blue GP9 with dynamic brakes for its spring 2021 run of these locos, I knew I had to get one. The Grand Trunk Western, which was the CN subsidiary that ran from Michigan to Chicago, didn't use dynamic brakes on its GP9s. However, the Grand Trunk Railway, which was the US portion of the CN line from Montreal to Portland, ME, was a mountain railroad that did have dynamics on its GP9s. In addition, CN subsidiary Central Vermont, which was the US portion of a CN line from Montreal to New London, CT, was also a mountain railroad that had dynamics on its freight GP9s.

Grand Trunk Railway GP9s 4442-4450 were built for the line to Portland, ME and originally lettered with just the name Grand Trunk, not Grand Trunk Western, on the long hood in the CN green and yellow scheme. Below is a photo of 4448, my unit, as originally lettered:

However, it almost immediately gets more complicated. Central Vermont's GP9s were used more or less interchangeably with GT units on both the Portland and New London lines from the start. But beyond that, both the Portland and New London lines were part of a Chicago-New England through service via Ontario marketed by CN, and both the CV and GT units could run through Canada onto the Grand Trunk Western on through trains. CN had staff that handled the customs waivers that allowed this to happen.

It appears that all or most of the Grand Trunk New England GP9s were eventually repainted in the CN 1961 black, orange, and gray "wet noodle" scheme, but with the stylized GT emblem, which was the same as used for the Grand Trunk Western. At some point, at least some of the Grand Trunk New England units wound up staying on GTW in Michigan, kept their dynamics, and were repainted by GTW in GTW 1971 blue and red. It doesn't appear that these units got back to New England very often in the blue scheme before the late 1980s.

Meanwhile, the Central Vermont moved to a new green and yellow scheme with the CV wet noodle, and locos in this scheme seem to have been mostly what was used on both the CV and Grand Trunk Railway from the late 1970s to the late 1980s, when the Portland line was sold. But by the late 1980s, Grand Trunk Western units in blue were sent back to operate the Central Vermont, both GP38s and GP9s. However, these locos were mostly non-dynamic. But here's a photo of GT 4448 on the GTW in blue, with dynamics:

But here's a photo of a GT GP9 on the Central Vermont numbered 4448, in blue, without dynamics:

It looks like someone on the GTW pulled a sleight of hand. If someone has more info on all of this, I'll be delighted to hear it.

I got to railfan the Central Vermont in the 1960s, when it was operating GP9s lettered for both GT and CV. The one thing I can say for sure about my 4448 is that at one time or another, it operated on the CV, GT, and GTW.

UPDATE: I asked about this on the Central Vermont Facebook group, and a member replied,

The sixteen Grand Trunk New England GP-9's were transferred to the CV in July 1963 when the GTNE diesel shop was closed in Island Pond, Vt. The roundhouse there remained open for light repairs until Sept. 1966. Subsequently, most of the GTNE diesels moved to the GTW. All of the former DW&P RS-11's were moved over to the CV. The GTW rebuilt some of the GTNE power. In May 1989 the CNR sold the GTNE and the short line "St. Lawrence & Atlantic" was born. The Canadian National sold GTNE GP-9's back to the SLR including 4442, 4445, 4447, 4448, and 4450 as well as a couple GTW Geeps.