File:Canadian National No. 6765 locomotive at the Canadian Railway Museum (Exporail) - August 2008.jpg

English: “F” series locomotives like this one were among the first truly effective diesel-electric locomotives and launched the dieselization of railways in the 1950s. One of the features of these locomotives was their remarkably fast acceleration from their starting-point. Research and development in areas such as motors, aerodynamics, braking systems and others led to continuous improvements in the performance of diesel-electric locomotives, especially with regard to power, comfort and crew safety.

The CNR 6765 locomotive was one of some thirty-three Canadian-designed models in a fleet of FPA / FA-type vehicles purchased by the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways. Identical, from a mechanical point of view, to their switching locomotive RS-18 “cousins”, the FPA-4 locomotives were acquired solely by the Canadian National. They were assigned to power passenger trains in regions east of Winnipeg, and served there until they were withdrawn by Via Rail in 1989. The FPA-4s had their hour of glory in the 1960s when they headed “Rapido” trains capable of reaching speeds of 150 km per hour between Montreal and Toronto. Locomotive 6765 is the only example of this kind preserved in Canada. It was given to the Museum by the Canadian Pacific, which had acquired it from the Windsor and Hantsport Railway.

The evocatively-named “Rapido” was one of the attempts made by Canadian railway companies, beginning in the mid-1950s, to keep their share of the passenger transportation market. Launched in October 1965 not long after the introduction of the CN’s new logo, the “Rapido” used the fastest locomotives available at the time. That year, the Canadian Pacific announced its withdrawal from the business of transporting passengers on major lines. Until Via Rail was created in 1977, Canadian National was left alone to compete with cars and airplanes.