Bombardier DL535 Locomotive History

Written by Boerries Burkhardt, Edited by Mike May

Throughout the 1970’s White Pass & Yukon Route trains ran day and night hauling ore from the mines in the Yukon to the docks in Skagway Alaska. Their hardworking fleet of motive power needed to be complimented and thus a new locomotive order from Bombardier in Montreal was placed. Four locomotives, almost identical to WP&YR’s existing Class 101 ALCO locomotives were built with builder numbers 6123-01 through 6123-04 and were scheduled for delivery in 1982. 

While these locomotives were built to nearly the same spec as their predecessors from  roughly a decade before, several variations to the older DL535 design were made. The most notable being the large Canadian safety cab that replaced the ALCO cab and short hood. Bombardier also replaced the ALCO trucks with Dofasco Trucks and changed the design of the fuel tank and steps. Many other small details changed in this order of locomotives, but they largely remain the same as the older DL535’s.

Falling ore prices led to major setbacks for the WP&YR in 1981, resulting in a significant drop in rail traffic. Thusly, delivery of the four completed locomotives never happened and in October 1982 the WP&YR ceased operations on the route altogether.

For nearly a decade the locomotives remained in storage in Quebec until the US Gypsum railroad in Plaster City California saw a need to expand its fleet of motive power. They purchased locomotives 112 and 113 which were subsequently delivered to California in March of 1991. Not much more than a year after taking delivery, locomotive 113 was involved in a tragic accident at the Gypsum loading tunnel in Fish Creek California and was destroyed. Locomotive 111 was purchased shortly thereafter as a replacement and shipped to Plaster City.

Over the years some modifications have been made to these locomotives for service in the California desert but they remain largely the same as built. Today, 111 and 112 are in almost daily service hauling gypsum ore approximately 26 miles from the mine at Fish Camp to the large USG plant in Plaster City.

In 1995, with three of the locomotives originally built for the White Pass & Yukon sold, locomotive number 114, the last of the four locomotives, finally arrived in Skagway. The White Pass & Yukon was growing its tourist operation and again saw a need for motive power. The 114 was shipped by barge from Seattle to Skagway, where it arrived in May 1995, still in its factory blue White Pass livery. The locomotive worked in various types of service on the railroad but found a niche serving as power on regular work trains.

On September 3, 2006, locomotive 114 was involved in a serious accident, leaving the track and coming to rest on its side. It was shipped to Global Locomotive in Tacoma Washington the following year for rebuilding and this time painted in the traditional White Pass & Yukon green and yellow colors. The heavily damaged locomotive was rebuilt nearly as it was originally, with most of the changes only noticeable to the keen eye. In 2008, locomotive 114 returned to operation and remained mostly in work train service and occasional passenger service.

Our model faithfully represents these locomotives as they were originally delivered from the factory to both railroads. Over the years and through their history, each of these locomotives has seen changes in its appearance. We chose to stay true to the locomotives as they were built for the White Pass & Yukon route.