The GF6C was an

electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or gas ...

for freight duties built by

General Motors Diesel General Motors Diesel was a railway diesel locomotive manufacturer located in London, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1949 as the Canadian subsidiary of the Electro-Motive Diesel division of General Motors (EMD). In 1969 it was re-organiz ...

in collaboration with

ASEA ''Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget'' (English translation: General Swedish Electrical Limited Company; Swedish abbreviation: ASEA) was a Swedish industrial company. History ASEA was founded in 1883 by Ludvig Fredholm in Västerås as ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. Seven of these locomotives were built in 1983 and 1984, for use on the BC Rail's

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...

Tumbler Ridge Tumbler Ridge is a district municipality in the foothills of the B.C. Rockies in northeastern British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Peace River Regional District. With a population of 2,399 (2021) living in a townsite, the ...

subdivision. Similar to EMD's GM6C testbed locomotive, the GF6C used a frame and running gear that was identical to that of EMD's popular

SD40-2 The EMD SD40-2 is a C-C diesel-electric locomotive built by EMD from 1972 to 1989. The SD40-2 was introduced in January 1972 as part of EMD's '' Dash 2'' series, competing against the GE U30C and the ALCO Century 630. Although higher-horsepowe ...

diesel-electric locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conv ...

, but had a wide cab and carbody similar to that of GMD's SD40-2F. BC Rail chose electrification for the Tumbler Subdivision because the line had long, non-ventilated tunnels, as well as steep grades and sharp curves. The line served the Quintette and Bull-Moose coal mines, and hauled coal from said mines to an interchange with CN, where diesel power took over to haul the coal to

Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 (O.S.) / 27 December (N.S.) – 29 November 1682 (O.S.)) was an English army officer, admiral, scientist and colonial governor. He first came to prominence as a Royalist cavalr ...

where it was loaded onto deep-sea coal carrier

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

s. A combination of the declining coal market, and lack of coal being produced from the Quintette mine led to the electric system being shut down due to low traffic, and high maintenance costs. The system transferred over to diesel hauled trains after the last electrically hauled train left the Teck loadout (Bull-moose mine) on October 1, 2000. Towards the later years of operation, the GF6C units were de-rated due to the high amount of traction motor failures during operation. It is not known what their horsepower rating was after this modification, however loaded trains leaving the east side of the subdivision typically saw the use of 3 leading units, and 3 helper units per train. Previously, each loaded train would typically have 2 leading units, and 2 helper units. The helper units would be cut from the train upon reaching the summit. In 2004, the Roy family purchased locomotive 6001 and donated it to the Prince George Railway and Forestry Museum in Prince George; the remaining six locomotives were scrapped. 6001 is currently preserved and in remarkable condition, and, according to the museum's curator and park manager, is still operable if provided with 50 kV of electricity.

References

See also