what is it?
The Bombardier HR616, also known as the MLW HR616, was a 6 axle, 3,000 horsepower (2.2 MW) freight locomotive manufactured in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Twenty were built for Canadian National Railway in 1982, numbered 2100–2119, with 2100–2103 being temporarily renumbered as Bombardier 7001–7004, and rated at 3,200 hp (2.4 MW) for demonstration of the new model on Canadian Pacific Railway in 1983. After the demonstration, they were returned to CN and reverted to their original 2100–2103 numbers.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 44 years ago, in 1982.
- 2.2 MW is about 26 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 29 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 21 m long: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).
spec sheet
- built
- 1982
- status
- retired
- number built
- 20
- kind
- Diesel-electric
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- builders
- ALSTOM Transportation Germany
- operators
- Canadian National Railway
- top speed
- 105 km/h
- power
- 2.2 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- Co′Co′
- length
- 21 m
- weight
- 177 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q4940480, Wikipedia: Bombardier HR-616 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.