Lindsay & District Model Railroaders Inc.

Built by General Motors Diesel - Electromotive Division (GMD/EMD) in London Ontario, diesel-electric switcher # 7160 was one of 34 such engines delivered to Canadian National between February and June of 1951. At that time she was numbered 8510.

A class GS-8a, she was powered by an EMD 567B eight cylinder engine which drove a GM-D15C electric generator delivering 800 hp. The electric generator powered four GM-D37 traction motors which could deliver a starting tractive effort of 57,000 lbs at 25 percent and a continuous tractive effort of 36,000 lbs at 11.0 mph.

She could attain a top speed of 65 mph and weighs in at approximately 230,000 lbs or 115 tons.

By that time (1951) the dieselization of North American railroads was well under way due mainly to lower maintenance costs (diesel versus steam) and increased reliability.

CN 8510 was delivered with the tilted wafer herald which had been incorrectly applied at the factory and was painted in the black and yellow scheme of the day, with Railroad Gothic numerals.

In June 1956 she was renumbered from 8510 to 7160 when newer and more powerful SW 1200 units were delivered.

Beginning in 1961 these units were painted in the "lazy three" scheme with black body, orange ends and grey sill stripe. Railroad Roman numbers were placed low on the cab side. This also coincided with the introduction of the CN "Noodle" corporate logo as it has become known.

About 1974 these units began to receive the switcher version of the striped scheme with an all red cab and yellow sill stripe with the number placed high on the cab side.

CN 7160 appears in both the 1957 and 1974 assignments as being assigned to the Winnipeg area.

She was retired by CN in July 1987 and donated to the Town of Lindsay, arriving in 1988.

Source - CN Lines Special Interest Group

Lindsay & District Model Railroaders - March 2010