The White Pass & Yukon Route Class DL-535E is a series of narrow gauge diesel locomotives that were custom-built by the Montreal Locomotive Works of Montreal, Quebec in Canada between 1969 and 1971 for the White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&Y) in Skagway, Alaska. Units 101-107 were built in May 1969 while units 108-110 were built in December 1971. They are powered by an American Locomotive Company (ALCO) model 6-251D prime mover. In July 1982, the WP&Y would order an additional four units, those being units 111-114, built by the Bombardier Company, complete with a wide cab instead of the traditional standard cab at the time, but these units were ultimately never delivered to them and eventually placed in storage.
In 1992, Nos. 102 and 105 were both severely damaged and burned beyond repair in a roundhouse fire in Skagway, Alaska and later scrapped as a result. Later that year, Nos. 101, 103, 104, 106, and 107 were sold to Sociedad Colombiana de Transport Ferroviaro in South America until later being sold back to the WP&Y in 1999 for tourist excursion service. As of 2020, the WP&Y is currently in the process of slowly replacing their old diesel fleet with brand-new E3000CC-DC type diesels built by National Railway Equipment of Mount Vernon, Illinois.
In April 2020, Nos. 101, 103, 106, and 107 were sold again to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) in Durango, Colorado, with Nos. 101 and 107 both arriving at the D&SNG in August and September of that year respectively and Nos. 103 and 106 both arriving at the D&SNG in September 2021. This was due to the late delivery of D&SNG MP2000NG type diesels Nos. 1201 and 1202, which were both custom-built by the now-defunct Motive Power & Equipment Solutions, Inc. (MP&ES) of Greenville, South Carolina sometime between 2018 and 2020, having both been rebuilt from two former Tri-Rail EMD F40PHL-2 type diesels.
From 1982 to 1991, Nos. 111, 112, 113, and 114 were stored at Soulanges Industries, Les Cedres, Quebec. Nos. 111, 112, and 113 were eventually sold in 1991 to the United States Gypsum Corporation in Plaster City, California while No. 114 was eventually sold to the WP&Y in 1995 for tourist excursion service. Unfortunately, in 1992, No. 113 was destroyed in an accident and later scrapped as a result. As of 2020, No. 114 remains at the WP&Y where it is currently stored out of service, having last operated sometime in the late 2010s. On November 11, 2023, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TS) announced in a commission meeting that they would acquire No. 114 for $120,000.
As of today, Nos. 104, 108, 109, and 110 are still at the WP&Y and will continue to operate until they too are eventually retired from service on the WP&Y. Nos. 101, 103, 106, and 107 continue to operate in both work train service and tourist excursion service at the D&SNG. Nos. 111 and 112 both continue to operate in revenue service at the U.S. Gypsum. No. 114 will eventually be moved to its new home at the C&TS between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado sometime in 2024 where it will then continue to operate in both work train service and occasional tourist excursion service, mainly as a backup locomotive for their operable narrow gauge steam locomotives.
Stock list[]
| Photograph | Locomotive | Serial No. | Builder | Build Date | Operator | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
101 | 6023-01 | Montreal Locomotive Works | May 1969 | Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad | Operational | |
| 102 | 6023-02 | Montreal Locomotive Works | May 1969 | White Pass & Yukon Route | Scrapped in 1992 | Damaged and Burned Beyond Repair in A Roundhouse Fire in Skagway, AK | |
|
103 | 6023-03 | Montreal Locomotive Works | May 1969 | Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad | Operational | |
|
104 | 6023-04 | Montreal Locomotive Works | May 1969 | White Pass & Yukon Route | Stored Out of Service | |
| 105 | 6023-05 | Montreal Locomotive Works | May 1969 | White Pass & Yukon Route | Scrapped in 1992 | Damaged and Burned Beyond Repair in A Roundhouse Fire in Skagway, AK | |
|
106 | 6023-06 | Montreal Locomotive Works | May 1969 | Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad | Operational | |
|
107 | 6023-07 | Montreal Locomotive Works | May 1969 | Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad | Operational | |
|
108 | 6054-01 | Montreal Locomotive Works | December 1971 | White Pass & Yukon Route | Stored Out of Service | |
|
109 | 6054-02 | Montreal Locomotive Works | December 1971 | White Pass & Yukon Route | Stored Out of Service | |
|
110 | 6054-03 | Montreal Locomotive Works | December 1971 | White Pass & Yukon Route | Stored Out of Service | |
| 111 | 6123-01 | Bombardier | July 1982 | United States Gypsum Corporation | Operational | ||
| 112 | 6123-02 | Bombardier | July 1982 | United States Gypsum Corporation | Operational | ||
| 113 | 6123-03 | Bombardier | July 1982 | United States Gypsum Corporation | Scrapped in 1992 | Damaged Beyond Repair in An Accident | |
|
114 | 6123-04 | Bombardier | July 1982 | White Pass & Yukon Route | Stored Out of Service | Acquired By the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad On November 11, 2023 |
Gallery[]
References[]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_White_Pass_and_Yukon_Route_locomotives_and_cars