MLW FPA4 & FPB4

Few locomotives in Canada have inspired the imagination as much as these brutish beauties. Few in number, and only on one railroad, the FPA4 (and its booster brother, the FPB4) nevertheless came to symbolize modern passenger power in Canada.

The Prototype

Canadian National ended up being the only customer, and despite their enormous popularity among railfans only 34 FPA4s and 12 FPB4s were ever built. They soldiered on for three decades all across Canada, especially between Winnipeg and Halifax. However, despite their reputation for being "eastern" locomotives, the FPA4s and FPB4s made it all the way out to Vancouver and Prince Rupert in service.

The locomotives were transferred to VIA ownership in 1978 and retired in 1988/1989 due to new Transport Canada regulations requiring Reset Safety Controls in all leading locomotives. Even 25 years after delivery, VIA Rail Canada still regarded the FPA4 as an image of modernity and style in the 1983 timetable cover photo seen here. However, as VIA was in the process of being decimated by the Mulroney government at the time, it was decided to sell rather than upgrade them. Numerous tourist lines, such as the Napa Valley Wine Train and the Grand Canyon Railway, have preserved these unique locomotives in service for a new generation of railfans.

In the 1950s, Canadian National took delivery of several FA2 and FPA2 engines from Montreal Locomotive Works. These were all equipped with Alco's 244-series prime mover, but it proved unreliable. CN was in need of an upgraded model, especially for its fast passenger trains in central and eastern Canada. MLW responded with the FPA4 and FPB4, 1800-horsepower units equipped with the new, rock-solid 251-series prime mover.

JMP