Northern Alberta Railways diesel locomotives, acquired by CN in 1981

CN bought out CP Rail’s interest in the Northern Alberta Railways in 1981, acquiring full control of NAR. CN took over all trackage, rolling stock, and locomotives.
In 1979, NAR diesel locomotives were given names, either of places or historical figures in the area served by NAR.























NumberNAR NameModelBuiltRenumberedNotes
201McClennan
After the railway junction
between Slave Lake and Peace River.		GP 9Dec 1957To CN 4602 in 1981 She was cut down into a slug at CN’s Pointe Saint Charles shops
in Montreal and numbered CN 253.
202Fairview
After the town west of Peace River
on the original Central Canada Railway		GP9Dec 1957To CN 4603 in 1981She was cut into a slug CN 254.
203Dawson Creek
After the town in B.C		GP9Dec 1957To CN 4604 in 1981Was converted to slug CN 252.
204Westlock
After a town north west of Edmonton		GP 9June 1958To CN 4605 in 1981remanufactured and renumbered to CN 4132 in 1991.
205 High Prairie  A town on the railway
between Slave Lake and Peace River		GP 9June 1958To CN 4606 in 1981was cut into a slug, number CN 260.
206Grande Prairie
for the town of the same name		GP 9June 1958To CN 4606 in 1981was cut into slug CN 261 in 1990
at the Pointe Saint Charles shops in Montreal.
207 Lac LaBiche.GP9June 1958To CN 4608 in 1981In March 1974, she collided with a logging truck in Grande Prairie
suffered extensive damage to her front end. Although the NAR shops
was not designed or equipped to make major repairs,
they soon manged to get 207 repaired mechanically and cosmetically
In 1991 she was remanufactured and renumbered to CN 4131.
208GP9June 1958 On 2 November 1959,locomotive 208was leading another diesel
pulling 119 freight cars when she collided head on
with CNR steam locomotive CN 5115 pulling a passenger train at Carbondale
just north of Edmonton. A tank car of gasoline ruptured
after the fire was extinguished, locomotive 208, the CN locomotive,
the Carbondale station, and three automobiles parked near by were destroyed
. Four people died in the accident.
209 Slave Lake
From the town of the same name 		GP 9June 1958To CN 4610 in 1981 In 1986, she was remanufactured and renumbered to CN 7221.
210 Barrhead   After the community on the railway
north west of Edmonton		GP9June 1958o CN 4611 in 1981 She was remanufactured and renumbered in 1986, to CN 7225.
211Fort McMurrayGP9June 1958To CN 4609 in 1981 In 1990,she was cut down in the Pointe St Charles shops as slug
CN 259.
301 J.D. McArthur  After the contractor who
built the railroads that made up the NAR.		GMD 1Dec 1959To CN 1078 in 1981 In 1990, she was rebuilt; her six wheel trucks were replaced
with four wheel ones
salvaged from old GP9s and she renumbered to CN 1178.
302 Chief MoostoosGMD 1Dec 1959To CN 1079 in 1981In 1986, rebuilt as CN 1179.
303 Bishop Grouard  After the missionary who
spent almost seventy years ministering
to the native people of the north west of Canada 		GMD 1Dec 1959To CN 1080 in 1981 In 1990 was rebuilt and renumbered to CN 1180
304 Sir Alexander Mackenzie
was an early fur trader in the employee of the
North West Company 		GMD 1Dec 1959To CN 1081 in 1981 Was rebuilt and renumbered in 1990 to CN 1181.
305 Peter Pond After the employee of the Northwest Company
who established the first fur trading post in Alberta
on the Athabasca River in 1778		GMD1Dec 1959To CN 1082 in 1981 In 1990 became CN 1182 when rebuilt.
311 Twelve Foot Davis Twelve Foot Davis made his name
in the Cariboo gold fields where he took a fortune
out of an overlooked unclaimed twelve foot section
between two other rich claims		GMD 1April 1960To CN1072 in 1981 She was rebuilt in 1990 to have her six wheel trucks replaced by
four wheel trucks from old GP9s was renumbered to CN 1172.
312 Chief Duncan Tastawits GMD 1April 1960To CN 1077 in 1981Became CN 1177 when rebuilt in 1990.
401 Peace RiverSD38-2 Dec 1975 To CN 5700 in 1981
402 Pembina RiverSD38-2Dec 1975To CN 5701 in 1981
403 Athabasca RiverSD38-2Dec 1975To CN 5702 in 1981
404 Smoky RiverSD38-2Dec 1975 To CN 5703 in 1981