The Belt Railway of Chicago’s Clearing Yard was a great place to find a wide variety of motive power from various railroads, and in Autumn of 1997 An eclectic mix of diesels was found there: A Conrail SD50, a Chicago & North Western SD40-2, a Canadian Pacific SD40 and a Canadian National GP40-2L. CN 9472 was built in July 1974 as a GP40-2 with a lighter frame, hence the "L" in the model designation, and they sit higher than normal GP40-2s (note the taller jacking pads the lighter frame requires - key spotting feature). All GP40-2L locomotives were constructed with the then-new CN-designed comfort-cab, which has a wider nose. (Later CN and GO Transit GP40-2s, with standard frames, were also built with comfort cabs, but their model designation is officially GP40-2 – with no "W" suffix, which is a railfan conceit added, usually in parenthesis, to designate that these engines have a comfort cab. But, officially, the "W" is incorrect.). Photographed on railroad property with permission at BRC’s Clearing Yard in Bedford Park, Illinois, on September 21, 1997.
