Trains in Vancouver on July 23, 1999

I took these pictures at the Amtrak station in Vancouver, Washington, on July 23, 1999, while waiting to catch the eastbound Empire Builder to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to attend the Milwaukee School of Engineering's summer program. First was this southbound Amtrak Cascades Train #753, led by Amtrak Cascades #90253, a Non-Powered Cab Unit, or NPCU, which had been recently rebuilt from Amtrak #253, a 3,000-horsepower F40PH that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in 1977. This was the first NPCU I had an opportunity to photograph; they had been added after the Amtrak Cascades service was inaugurated in January 1999.

In the middle of the motive power consist of a Union Pacific freight train was Union Pacific #5964, a 3,800-horsepower SD60 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in October 1986 as Chicago & North Western #8043. Chicago & North Western SD60s #8001-8055 came from a canceled order by the Soo Line, and were built to Soo Line specifications. Following the merger of the Chicago & North Western into the Union Pacific on April 24, 1995, this locomotive became Union Pacific #5964 on November 14, 1996, and was repainted into Union Pacific colors with the short-lived "We will deliver" slogan that was only applied during 1996.

Leading the eastbound Portland section of the Empire Builder is Amtrak #322, a 3,000-horsepower F40PH that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in September 1979. I boarded this train for my trip east to Milwaukee.