On 11 Nov 2019 we unveiled five special military locomotive paint schemes on our modernized SD70ACU units to celebrate the long and storied history of CP's cooperation with the Armed Forces in both Canada and the U.S., and to demonstrate our continued commitment to working with them in the future.

CP and the military have had a close relationship since the company's inception. It could be argued that CP's very survival during its first years was assured by the Armed Forces. In March 1885, during a critical time in the railway's construction, essential government financing was provided to CP on the condition that the railway use its still incomplete line to transport troops west to quell the Northwest Rebellion led by renegade Metis leader Louis Riel. CP moved troops west in three weeks, a process that previously would have taken months, and the rebellion was successfully ended in June. CP has existed in lockstep with the military ever since, making significant contributions to war efforts during both world wars, and providing continuous support for employees who serve in the Armed Forces during peacetime. Recently, CP has made great efforts to hire veterans and continues to support military forces in many ways, including accommodating requests to handle logistics for training exercises.

These commemorative locomotives are now in freight service throughout our network and serve as a visual reminder of our proud commitment to supporting those in service and recruiting veterans to our workforce. Canadian Pacific Magazine takes you on a visual tour and explains the intent behind each paint scheme.

MODERN NAVY LOCOMOTIVE CP 7022 - Locomotive road number font and location mimic the large, blocky, hull numbers used on modern warships.

MODERN ARMY LOCOMOTIVE (TEMPERATE REGIONS) CP 7020 - The colour is NATO green used on Canadian, British, and American army equipment in temperate regions. The cab number font mimics modern army lettering practices.

MODERN ARMY LOCOMOTIVE CP 7021 - Locomotive is painted tan with black markings, inspired by military equipment used in Afghanistan and Iraq. Colour is desert sand, used on Canadian, British, and American army equipment in arid regions. The cab number font mimics modern army lettering practices.

MODERN AIR FORCE LOCOMOTIVE CP 7023 - Locomotive is painted in two-tone grey sky camouflage, inspired by modern fighter jets. The road numbers use the same font currently used by the Royal Canadian Air Force. .

WW II MEMORIAL D-DAY LOCOMOTIVE CP 6644 - The colours are Royal Air Force ocean grey and dark green. The locomotive features black and white invasion striping applied to Allied equipment during the Normandy invasion of 1944. The cab number font mimics lettering practices of Allied Spitfire squadrons. The locomotive has been assigned a unique road number commemorating 6 June 1944 (6/6/44), the date of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

This Momentum article is copyright 2020 by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited and is reprinted here with their permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.

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