Puget Sound Railway Historical Association in August 1998

I took these pictures in August 1998, at the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association (now the Northwest Railway Museum) in Snoqualmie, Washington, where our family stopped briefly on a trip to Stevens Pass. Weyerhaeuser Timber Company #1 is a 1200-horsepower H12-44 that was built by Fairbanks-Morse of Beloit, Wisconsin, in 1951. This locomotive was originally used by Weyerhaeuser on the White River Branch, a 4-mile logging line that ran from Enumclaw to a site called Upper Mill. A few years after the locomotive was acquired, the logging line was supplanted with trucks, and the locomotive was used only to interchange freight cars with the Northern Pacific and the Milwaukee Road. This operation ceased in 1975, and the locomotive was transferred to Weyerhaeuser's operation at Vail, Washington, and was renumbered to #714. It was retired in 1977 and sold to Pacific Transportation Services of Tacoma, Washington, where it became #121. It was leased to Continental Grain in Tacoma in the 1980s before being purchased by the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association in 1987.

Kennecott Copper Company #201 is an RSD-4 built by the American Locomotive Company (Alco) in 1951. A total of 36 RSD-4s were built from 1951 to 1952, compared to 204 RSD-5s built from 1952 to 1956, which were identical except for the main generator. This was the only RSD-4 purchased by Kennecott Copper and is the only remaining RSD-4 in existence. It was donated to the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association in 1983.

45-Tonner #7320 was built by General Electric in 1941. It was originally used in the construction of the Elwood Ordinance Plant in Wilmington, Illinois by contractors Sanderson & Porter. It was later transferred to the U.S. Army Transportation Corps and became #7320. It was transferred to the U.S. Navy around 1956 for use at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. After it was retired, the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association leased it from Washington State Parks in 1976.

Northern Pacific Railway #10 is a steam-powered rotary snow plow that was built by the American Locomotive Company's Cooke Works in Paterson, New Jersey, in November, 1907. This rotary plow spent its career assigned to clear winter snow in Washington's Stampede Pass. It was retired in 1964 and was donated to the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association by the Northern Pacific in 1968.

Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad in August 1998

I took these pictures at the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad in Elbe, Washington, in August 1998, where our family stopped briefly on a trip to Stevens Pass. The Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad was established in 1981 on seven miles of the former Tacoma Eastern Railroad, a one-time subsidiary of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, also known as the Milwaukee Road. After the Milwaukee Road abandoned its western lines on February 29, 1980, the former Tacoma Eastern was taken over by the Weyerhaeuser Corporation. The Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad operates tourist trains between the towns of Elbe and Mineral.

Hammond Lumber Company #17 is a 2-8-2T that was built by the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, New York, in September, 1929, as Crossett Western Co. #11 for use in Wauna, Oregon. In 1943, it was sold to the Hammond Lumber Company in Samoa, California, where is operated as #17. A forest fire in 1945 destroyed some of the logging railroad trestles and stranded the locomotive in the woods, where it was abandoned as the company did not consider it worth recovering. It was still there when Hammond Lumber was purchased by Georgia-Pacific in October 1956. In June 1965, the locomotive was sold to Gus Peterson of Klamath, California, who recovered it from the woods for use on his Klamath & Hoppow Valley Railroad, where it operated as #17 into the 1970s. In October 1982, it was sold to the Western Washington Forest Industries Museum and moved to the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad. It was restored to operation in 1994.

Pickering Lumber Company #10 is a 3-Truck Heisler that was originally built by the Heisler Locomotive Works of Erie, Pennsylvania, in May, 1912, as Blue Jay Lumber Company #10, named P.J. Lynch. This was the first successful 3-truck Heisler ever built, and would be the only 78-ton Heisler ever built. In May of 1919 it was sold to the Edward Hines Lumber Company in Lumberton, Mississippi. Later, it was sold to the Standard Lumber Company in Standard, California where is operated as #10. The Standard Lumber Company became the Pickering Lumber Company in 1926, and then the Pickering Lumber Corporation in March 1937. In January 1958, the locomotive was sold for scrap to the Connel Motor Truck Company in Stockton, California. In June 1966, it was donated to the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association, and was sold in December 1966 to Gus Peterson for his Klamath & Hoppow Valley Railroad where it operated as #10. In October 1982, it was sold to the Western Washington Forest Industries Museum and moved to the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad in Elbe, where it was placed on static display, lettered for the Silver Creek Logging Company and named R.J. "Bud" Kelly.

Here is another picture of Hammond Lumber Company 2-8-2T #17 being serviced in Elbe for its next excursion trip to Mineral.

This old truck was parked near the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad in Elbe. I don't know if it actually had anything to do with the railroad or not. It appears to be a GMC CCKW 2-1/2-ton 6x6 cargo truck, used by the United States Army during World War II. The flat vertical windshield suggests this was originally an open-cab version from 1944-1945, with a solid roof and doors grafted on later.

Railfanning in Vancouver, Washington, in Summer 1998

I took these pictures while railfanning with my dad in Vancouver, Washington, in the summer of 1998. First, arriving at the Vancouver depot with the southbound Coast Starlight, is Amtrak #120, a 4,250-horsepower P42DC that was built by General Electric in 1997.

Leading a northbound freight train past the Vancouver Amtrak depot, Burlington Northern #2073 is a 2,000-horsepower GP38 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1970. This locomotive was the second of six GP38s originally ordered by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway and was intended to be SP&S #201. With the SP&S to become part of the Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, these six locomotives ended up being the first locomotives delivered in Burlington Northern colors.

At the railroad crossing at 39th Street in Vancouver, we saw a pair of brand-new locomotives. Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4814 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in July 1998.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4815 Dash 9-44CW is another 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in July 1998. These two locomotives were part of a group that were delivered in orange and green paint but without their yellow reflective striping and lettering, because Burlington Northern Santa Fe was in a hurry to place them in service. The resulting temporary look was reminiscent of the Great Northern's "simplified" paint scheme from the mid-1960s.

Also at 39th Street was Burlington Northern #3603, a 1,000-horsepower SW1000 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1972 as Burlington Northern #378. Burlington Northern and Burlington Northern Santa Fe classified it as an SW10.

Willamette & Pacific #1801 in Rainier, Oregon, in Summer 1998

In the summer of 1998, the Portland & Western Railroad assigned Willamette & Pacific GP9R #1801 to work on the Astoria Line between St. Helens and Wauna, Oregon. This locomotive was notable for being painted in Southern Pacific's "Black Widow" paint scheme from the 1950s, but with "Willamette & Pacific" lettering. This locomotive had been used on the line previously, and my dad had taken pictures of it, but this was my first chance to take my own pictures of it as it passed through Rainier, Oregon, with a short eastbound train.

Built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1959 as Southern Pacific GP9 #5830. (Interestingly, this locomotive was delivered after Southern Pacific had changed its locomotive paint scheme to Lark Dark Grey and Scarlet, and thus never wore the "Black Widow" colors while owned by Southern Pacific.) In Southern Pacific's system-wide renumbering of 1965 it became Southern Pacific #3693. On September 14, 1977, it was rebuilt at Southern Pacific's Sacramento Shops to a GP9R, and was renumbered to Southern Pacific #3855. It retained its original 1,750-horsepower rating after the rebuilding. Southern Pacific retired the locomotive on December 10, 1992, and it was sold to Willamette & Pacific on May 14, 1993. It was painted in the "Black Widow" colors in November 1993.

Portland & Western #1202 in the 1998 Rainier Days in the Park Parade

On July 12, 1997, the Portland & Western Railroad, a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., purchased Burlington Northern Santa Fe's 91.7-mile rail line from Willbridge Junction in Portland, Oregon, to Tongue Point, near Astoria, Oregon (the line from Tongue Point to Astoria had already been sold to the City of Astoria.) On July 11, 1998, a locomotive from the Portland & Western Railroad was part of the Rainier Days in the Park Parade in Rainier, Oregon, and spent the rest of the weekend parked near Rainier Riverfront Park.

The locomotive was Portland & Western #1202. It was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in October 1953 as a 1,200-horsepower SW9 for the Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad. It was originally numbered #233, but was renumbered to #1774 and named "Ben Franklin" for America's bicentennial in 1976. Genesee & Wyoming Inc. purchased the Pittsburg & Shawmut on April 29, 1996, and this is one of four P&S locomotives subsequently transferred to the G&W's Oregon operations, and classified as a SW1200R. This locomotive was named "St. Helens" after St. Helens, Oregon, the city where most of the Astoria line's remaining business came from, but was temporarily renamed "Rainier" for the weekend.

Willamette & Pacific GP9R #1803 "Sherwood" in Rainier, Oregon, in June 1998

Admittedly, this is not a very good picture, but this is Willamette & Pacific GP9R #1803 Sherwood in Rainier, Oregon, in June 1998. This was the largest locomotive to run through Rainier since Portland & Western had taken over the line from Burlington Northern Santa Fe a year earlier. This locomotive was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1957 as Southern Pacific GP9 #5739. In Southern Pacific's system-wide renumbering of 1965 it became Southern Pacific #3579. On June 29, 1976, it was rebuilt at Southern Pacific's Sacramento Shops to a GP9R and was renumbered to Southern Pacific #3790. It retained its original 1,750-horsepower rating after the rebuilding. Southern Pacific retired the locomotive in March 1987, and it was sold on March 13, 1987 to the Louisiana & Delta (another railroad owned by Genesee & Wyoming like the Willamette & Pacific and the Portland & Western) where it was renumbered to #1752. In 1994, it was transferred to the Willamette & Pacific, becoming #1803.

Railfanning in Vancouver, Washington, in June 1998

I took these pictures at the Amtrak depot in Vancouver, Washington, in late June of 1998. First is a northbound freight train led by Union Pacific #9416, a 4,135-horsepower Dash 8-41CW that was built by General Electric in November 1990.

Following with another northbound freight train, Union Pacific #9272 is a 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40C that was built by General Electric in November 1988.

Arriving with a westbound freight train from the Columbia River Gorge bound for Portland, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #713 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in June 1997. This was one of the first locomotives to be delivered in Santa Fe's "Warbonnet" colors, but with small "BNSF" lettering on the sides. The lettering in the "cigar band" on the nose still reads "Santa Fe." Locomotives in "Warbonnet" paint were still fairly rare in the Pacific Northwest, but the trailing unit was even more interesting.

Illinois Central #6101 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1976 as Burlington Northern #6709 under a 15-year lease agreement. This is one of 44 SD40-2s that Burlington Northern chose not to purchase when the lease ended, and it was retired in March 1991 and returned to the lessor. These 44 locomotives ended up going to the Illinois Central and having their dynamic brakes removed. The former Burlington Northern #6709 became Illinois Central #6101. 

Finally, arriving in Vancouver with northbound train #752 and the Talgo Pendular 200 equipment is Amtrak #369, a 3,000-horsepower F40PH that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in 1981.

Railfanning in Vancouver & Skamania on April 26, 1998

On April 26, 1998, my dad and I went railfanning with his friend Fred Anderson. We started out at the Amtrak depot in Vancouver, Washington. We soon saw some interesting light motive power pass through.

LRCX SF30C #9529 was originally a 3,600-horsepower U36C that was built by General Electric in June 1972 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #8702. In February 1986 it was rebuilt by the Santa Fe's shops in Cleburne, Texas as a 3,000-horsepower SF30C and renumbered to #9529. It was sold to Livingston Rebuild Center Inc. on August 6, 1997, becoming LRCX #9529.

On the other leg of the wye came a northbound Union Pacific freight train. Union Pacific #9730 is a 4,380-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in August 1994.

Another light power move soon followed. Burlington Northern GP39E #2902 was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1965 as Great Northern GP35 #3039. It was originally powered by a 2,500-horsepower turbocharged 567 engine. After the Great Northern was merged into Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, it became Burlington Northern #2522. In June 1990 it was rebuilt by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors as 2,300-horsepower GP39E Burlington Northern #2902.

Burlington Northern #2279 is a 2,000-horsepower GP38-2 that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1973 as St. Louis-San Francisco (SLSF, also known as the Frisco) #424. The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern in 1980, and this locomotive was renumbered as Burlington Northern #2279. It still has a notch in its nose where the Frisco's oscillating warning light was mounted.

We left Vancouver and went down the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge to Skamania, Washington. Leading a westbound freight train, Montana Rail Link #325 was originally a 3,600-horsepower SD45 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in December 1968 as St. Louis Southwestern (SSW, also known as the Cotton Belt) #9064. The Cotton Belt was a Subsidiary of the Southern Pacific, and on September 23, 1985, this locomotive was upgraded at Southern Pacific's Sacramento Shops to an SD45R and became Southern Pacific #7554. Following the merger of the Southern Pacific into the Union Pacific, in January 1997 this locomotive was sold via Coast Engine & Equipment Company of Tacoma, Washington, to Montana Rail Link, where it was classified as an SD45-2 and became #325.

The second locomotive in this consist was Burlington Northern Santa Fe #1004, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in October 1996.

The last unit was EMDX #6043, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in December 1973 as Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific #4793 under a lease agreement. The Rock Island shut down on March 31, 1980, and in June 1980, the locomotive's lease was by the Illinois Central Gulf, and it become ICG #6043. Following the end of the lease period, it was returned to EMD, equipped with dynamic brakes (which it never had before) and added to the Electro-Motive Leasing fleet, becoming EMDX #6043 in January 1989.

Next came an eastbound freight train led by LMX #8547, a 3,900-horsepower B39-8E that was built by General Electric in October 1987. This is one of a group of 100 identical locomotives that were built for lease to Burlington Northern under a "power by the hour" arrangement, in which Burlington Northern payed only for the kilowatt-hours the locomotives produce, plus a base monthly charge. Under the agreement, General Electric handled the maintenance of the locomotives in Lincoln, Nebraska, using Burlington Northern union personnel under GE supervision. This train consisted of empty intermodal well cars, some of which had just come from Gunderson in Portland, Oregon, and were so fresh from the factory that we could smell the paint as they passed by.

We returned to Vancouver, where we saw Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #136, a 3,800-horsepower GP60M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in July 1990. Santa Fe's "Super Fleet" locomotives were still rare in the Pacific Northwest, and the GP60Ms were especially rare.

A southbound intermodal train arrived, led by Union Pacific #9222, a 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40C that was built by General Electric in September 1988.

The second unit of this train was Denver & Rio Grande Western #5358, a 3,000-horsepower SD40T-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1975.

This train came to a stop in front of the Vancouver depot, allowing for more opportunities for photographs. Rio Grande tunnel motors still weren't very common in the Pacific Northwest.

Union Pacific #9222 still looked pretty sharp considering it was just a few months from its 10th birthday.

A northbound freight train arrived, led by Union Pacific #8104, a 4,300-horsepower SD9043AC that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in March 1997.

The second unit was Union Pacific #8103, another 4,300-horsepower SD9043AC that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in March 1997.

This train also came to a stop in front of the Vancouver depot. These were the first SD90s I had seen, so I took the opportunity to take several photographs of these sequentially numbered twins, despite the fading daylight.

The SD90MAC was intended to be powered by a 6,000-horsepower 16-cylinder 265H four-stroke diesel engine, but there were problems in this new engine's development. Union Pacific purchased SD90MACs with the proven 4,300-horsepower 16-cylinder 710G3C two-stroke diesel engine, intending to replace the 710G3C engines with the 265H when the new engines were ready.

Union Pacific designated these locomotives SD9043AC, while the EMD designation was simply SD90MAC. The SD90s that were built with the 265H engine were called SD90MAC-H by EMD, but Union Pacific designated them SD90AC. Ultimately, the 265H engine would be deemed a failure, and the SD9043ACs would keep their 710G3C engines and remain in service longer then their more powerful 265H-powered sisters.