The 1947 Cadillac sedan limousine originally ran as a regular car on the road. It was owned and operated by a Toronto medical doctor. The doctor was a friend of CPR president N.R. “Buck” Crump. The doctor donated the car to Crump for his use. CP sent the car to Montreal where it was converted to run on rail. The car was then assigned to the president or general manager as a convenient and comfortable inspection vehicle. It was operated as a train for safety reasons. It was driven by division superintendents who were qualified operators who could also inform the senior manager about the condition of their division.
The eight-cylinder engine moves the seven tonne car down the track. The Cadillac is identified as M-260. The conversion added a turntable underneath the car so that it can be reversed on the track so it could run in either direction. Air brakes, an air horn, and a bell were added. The steering wheel became part of the air brake system. M-260 has only 52 000 kilometres of service.
