Trains in Portland & Vancouver in August 2000

I took these pictures in August of 2000. First, at Union Pacific's Albina Yard in Portland, Oregon, is Union Pacific #9408, a 4,135-horsepower Dash 8-41CW that was built by General Electric in November 1990.

Here is a trio of Union Pacific 2,000-horsepower GP38-2s, which all have different histories. On the right is Union Pacific #2022, which was built new for Union Pacific by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1974. On the left is Union Pacific #2171, which was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1980 as Missouri Pacific #2171. After the Missouri Pacific was merged into the Southern Pacific in 1982, this locomotive became Union Pacific #2171 on October 8, 1993. Finally, in the center is Union Pacific #2530, which has a more complicated history that deserves a closer look.

Union Pacific #2530 was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1966 as Illinois Central #3026, a 3,000-horsepower GP40 without dynamic brakes. On August 10, 1972, the Illinois Central merged with the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio to form the Illinois Central Gulf, and this locomotive became Illinois Central Gulf #3026. After being retired by ICG, the locomotive was acquired by Helm Financial Corporation, reconditioned with dynamic brakes added, and leased to Union Pacific, becoming Union Pacific #853 on May 26, 1989. In 1998 it was returned to Helm Financial, was rebuilt by Boise Locomotive Company of Boise, Idaho, into a 2,000-horsepower GP38-2, and again leased to Union Pacific, becoming Union Pacific #2530 on August 20, 1998. When it was rebuilt from a GP40 to a GP38-2, its turbocharger was removed and an air filter box was installed in front of the dynamic brake housing, but it otherwise still resembles a pre-Dash 2 GP40, with three radiator fans, no water level sight glass below the radiators, and no shock absorbers on the trucks.

Leading a northbound freight train fast the Amtrak depot in Vancouver, Washington, is Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2880, a GP39M that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in December 1964 as Cotton Belt (St. Louis Southwestern) #767, a 2,500-horsepower GP35. After 1965 it was renumbered to Cotton Belt #6507. Retired on April 15, 1987, it was sold on August 16, 1988 to Wilson Rail Services, then resold later that month to Morrison-Knudsen of Boise, Idaho, who rebuilt it into 2,300-horsepower GP39M Burlington Northern #2880 in February 1989. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 12, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2880, and had its headlight lowered into the nose following Santa Fe practice.

Southern Pacific #8165 is a 4,380-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in October 1994.

Spliced between a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Dash 9-44CW and a former Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (now BNSF) SD45-2 are Burlington Northern #6845 & #8153, 3,000-horsepower SD40-2s that were built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1978 and July 1980, respectively. Burlington Northern #6845 was built as St. Louis-San Francisco (SLSF, also known as the Frisco) #955. The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern on November 21, 1980, and the locomotive became Burlington Northern #6845.

Leading a freight train from Portland to head east up the Columbia River Gorge, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #8022 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March 1978. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 12, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #8022, and had its headlight lowered into the nose following Santa Fe practice.

The trailing unit in the freight train, Burlington Northern #7278 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March 1980.

Trains on Stevens Pass in July 2000

I took these pictures in July of 2000 when my family visited Stevens Pass in the Cascade Mountains of Washington. This first train was an eastbound freight train that was passing slowly through the town of Skykomish. It was led by Burlington Northern #7130, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1979.

The second unit in the train, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #3014 was originally built as a 3,000-horsepower GP40 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in December 1966 as Chicago, Burlington & Quincy #182. After the CB&Q was merged into the Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, it became Burlington Northern #3012. In November 1989 it was rebuilt by Morrison-Knudsen in Boise, Idaho, as a GP40M, and became Burlington Northern #3515. After the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe merged to form the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, it became BNSF #3014, but was still wearing BN colors.

We went to the east portal of the 7.79-mile Cascade Tunnel at Berne, Washington. This tunnel opened on January 12, 1929, and was originally electrified for the use of electric locomotives. A ventilation system was completed at this end of the tunnel on July 31, 1956, to allow diesel locomotives to be used in the tunnel. The door at this end of the tunnel forces the fumes to be blown out the other end; when the ventilation system is running, the door stays closed until an approaching train is with 3,200 feet of the portal.

This is the highest point on the Stevens Pass line, so this westbound freight train had been working hard to climb to this point, and would now be able to enter the tunnel and start down the other side.

Leading this train was Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4699, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in April 2000.

This freight train also featured a pair of mid-train helper locomotives. Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4629 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in January 2000.

The original door at the east portal of the Cascade Tunnel opened vertically, but in 1997, the ventilation system was rebuilt, and a new door was installed that slides to the side.

This is the same eastbound train that we had seen earlier at Skykomish. The ventilation fans are still running with the door open, so some of the exhaust can be seen escaping from this end of the tunnel.

Having completed its climb this train can now continue down the east side of Stevens Pass.

4449 in Black Paint in June 2000

Growing up, my home in Rainier, Oregon, overlooked the Columbia River and the mouth of the Cowlitz, and we had a view of the railroad drawbridge across the Cowlitz River that connects the Longview Switching Company yard to the BNSF mainline at Longview Junction. One day in June of 2000, my dad happened to see a steam locomotive cross that bridge. He said it was Southern Pacific #4449 painted black. This didn't sound right to me, as #4449 was painted in its famous Daylight colors of red and orange. We rushed over to the Longview Switching yard, and sure enough, #4449 was there, its Daylight colors painted over with glossy black!

It wasn't long before #4449 was back out of the yard back towards the main line. Longview Junction forms a wye, allowing #4449 to turn around for a return trip to Portland.

We headed south to Kalama, where a pedestrian overpass provided a good vantage point for pictures. #4449 had picked up some freight cars for its trip back to Portland.

This was apparently some sort of test run, to make sure the locomotive was working properly. Longview Junction is a convenient destination for such test runs, because of its wye junction and because, at about 50 miles from Portland, it is far enough away for the locomotive to get a good run at mainline speed, but is still nearby if something did go wrong.

We still had no idea why #4449 had been painted black. At this time it had no lettering except its road number and data. It made this trip with its tool car, the Yes, Dear, which was still in Daylight colors.

It turned out that #4449 was going to be used by Burlington Northern Santa Fe for some employee appreciation excursions, but BNSF didn't want to use a locomotive that was painted for a predecessor of its main competitor. Thus, #4449 was painted black. It would receive BNSF heralds before it actually began making the excursion runs beginning on July 8, 2000.

Westbound Empire Builder in Havre, Montana, in March 2000

On March 13, 2000, I was riding Amtrak's westbound Empire Builder home from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I took advantage of the service stop in Havre, Montana, to photograph the train.

The lead locomotive was Amtrak #816, a 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40BP that was built by General Electric in 1993.

These Amtrak baggage handlers asked me to take their picture, so I obliged.

Havre, Montana, in February 2000

I took these pictures in Havre, Montana, in February of 2000 during a trip to Chicago and back on Amtrak's Empire Builder. On the eastbound trip on February 9, 2000, I photographed Great Northern steam locomotive #2584, an S-2 Class 4-8-4 that was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1930 and put on static display next to the depot on May 15, 1964.

Near locomotive #2584 is Hands Across the Border Park. This small park consists primarily of a statue of an American Border Patrol officer shaking hands with a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer. Havre is only 40 miles from the Canadian border, and the Border Patrol meets Amtrak's Empire Builder in Havre, to catch illegal aliens attempting to board the train.

In front of the Havre depot on the street side is a fountain with a statue of James J. Hill. Hill formed the Great Northern Railway in 1889 from the bankrupt St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, and extended it to Seattle by 1893. The commercial possibilities realized in the northern United States due to Hill's Great Northern Railway earned him the nickname of "The Empire Builder."

On the westbound trip on February 13, 2000, I photographed Burlington Northern Santa Fe SW1500 #3442 in the Havre yard from Amtrak's Empire Builder. This 1,500-horsepower locomotive was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1973 as St. Louis-San Francisco (SLSF, also known as the Frisco) #357. The Frisco was merged into Burlington Northern on November 21, 1980, and this locomotive became Burlington Northern #62. Burlington Northern classified EMD's SW1500s as SW15s. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #3442 in February 1998, though it was still painted in Burlington Northern colors.

The depot in Havre, at 235 Main Street, is not only an Amtrak station; it is also a local base of operation for Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight operations and maintenance crews. As a result, it is a large depot for a city of Havre's size. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe was formed on September 22, 1995, when the Burlington Northern Railroad (successor to the Great Northern) and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad merged together. Almost 5 years later, the station still showed signs of its Burlington Northern heritage, leaving it with an apparent identity crisis.

Railfanning in Vancouver & Portland in January 2000

I took these pictures in January 2000 while railfanning with Fred Anderson. Our first stop was the Amtrak station in Vancouver, Washington, where we saw out first train come around the Vancouver wye from the Columbia River Gorge to head north toward Seattle.

The lead locomotive was Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4449, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in May 1999.

Also in the consist was Burlington Northern Santa Fe #709, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in June 1997.

Here is another view of Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4449. This number is significant because nearby Portland is home to Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 4-8-4 #4449. Since my dad wasn't able to come with us on this day, we made a point of telling him we "saw 4449."

On the other side of the depot, a Union Pacific motive power consist included Southern Pacific #8696, a 3,000-horsepower SD40M-2. It was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in August 1970 as 3,600-horsepower SDP45 #3659 for the Erie Lackawanna. The Erie Lackawanna became part of Conrail on April 1, 1976, and this locomotive became Conrail #6690. It was retired in January 1984 and was sold to VMV Enterprises of Paducah, Kentucky, for lease service, becoming VMV #6690. In 1993, Southern Pacific contracted with MK Rail Corporation to supply a fleet of 133 secondhand locomotives rebuilt to a common standard as SD40M-2s. Most of the 133 locomotives were rebuilt from SD40s and SD45s, but this one was the last of six rebuilt in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, from former Erie Lackawanna SDP45s. It was completed and released on January 27, 1995 as Southern Pacific #8696.

Southern Pacific #8696 still has its original SDP45 carbody. The SDP45 was intended to be a passenger locomotive, with a steam generator in the space at the rear behind the radiators, and Southern Pacific and Great Northern each purchased SDP45s for passenger service with a steam generator in the space and the end squared off. Erie-Lackawanna, however, wanted to use the long frame of the SDP45 to carry a 5,000-gallon fuel tank, and ordered SDP45s without steam generators, with the extra space empty. The tapered end identifies this SDP45's Erie-Lackawanna heritage.

Leading another consist, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2346 is a 2,000-horsepower GP38-2 that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March 1972 as St. Louis-San Francisco (SLSF, also known as the Frisco) #676. The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern on November 21, 1980, and this locomotive became Burlington Northern #2346. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2346 on February 5, 1999.

Back on the other side of the Vancouver wye, a manifest freight train from the north was heading toward the Columbia River Gorge, led Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4525, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in August 1999.

The second unit in this consist was Burlington Northern Santa Fe #8256, a 4,300-horsepower SD75M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in January 1996. This was one of the first locomotives to be delivered with BNSF lettering; the "Cigar Band" on the nose still reads "Santa Fe."

This freight train also included rare mid-train helpers, in the form of Burlington Northern Santa Fe #1010 & #4510, 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CWs that were built by General Electric in October 1996 and August 1999, respectively, that were oddly coupled nose-to-nose.

Leading a freight train in the opposite direction, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #7867 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in October 1978 as Colorado & Southern #7867. Colorado & Southern was a subsidiary of Burlington Northern and its locomotives were painted in Burlington Northern colors. The Colorado & Southern was formally merged into the Burlington Northern on December 31, 1981, and this locomotive became Burlington Northern #7867. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #7867 on July 3, 1998.

We then went to Union Pacific's Albina Yard in Portland, Oregon, where we found recently-painted Union Pacific #8615, a 3,000-horsepower SD40T-2 that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1975 as Denver & Rio Grande Western #5357. After the Denver & Rio Grande Western was merged into the Union Pacific along with the Southern Pacific on September 25, 1995, this locomotive became Union Pacific #8615 on December 28, 1999.

Union Pacific #2533 was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March 1970 as Chicago Rock Island & Pacific #4706, one of 60 3,000-horsepower GP40s purchased by Union Pacific and leased to the Rock Island when the two roads planned to merge. The merger never happened and after the Rock Island shut down on March 31, 1980, the locomotive was returned to Union Pacific and was repainted in Union Pacific colors, becoming Union Pacific #637 on April 14, 1980. It was later transferred to the former Missouri Pacific lines in Texas and was relettered as Missouri Pacific #637 on May 10, 1985. It was retired on October 26, 1988 and was sold to VMV Enterprises of Paducah, Kentucky, then resold to Helm Financial, which leased it back to Union Pacific on July 14, 1989, and it became Union Pacific #856. In May 1998 it was returned to Helm Financial, was rebuilt by Boise Locomotive Company of Boise, Idaho, into a 2,000-horsepower GP38-2, and again leased to Union Pacific on July 30, 1998, becoming Union Pacific #2533.

When the locomotive was rebuilt from a GP40 to a GP38-2, its turbocharger was removed and an air filter box was installed in front of the dynamic brake housing, but it otherwise still resembles a pre-Dash 2 GP40, with three radiator fans, no water level sight glass below the radiators, and no shock absorbers on the trucks.

Finally, Southern Pacific SD70M #9816 is a 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in July 1994.

Train Pictures from Fall 1999

Photo by Cliff West

  
These pictures were taken by my dad, Cliff West, around October of 1999. First, we start at the Amtrak station in Vancouver, Washington.

Photo by Cliff West

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #1600 is a 1,750-horsepower GP9 that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in June 1954 as Northern Pacific #202. After the Northern Pacific was merged into the Burlington Northern in March 1970, it became Burlington Northern #1702. In early 1976, Burlington Northern #1702 derailed on the Camas Prairie Railroad near Lewiston, Idaho, and rolled into the Clearwater River. Considered 70% destroyed, after recovery it was sent to Burlington Northern's Hillyard diesel shop in Spokane, Washington. A low priority, Burlington Northern #1702 had to wait 3 years for a rebuild incorporating the latest modifications. It was finally completed on June 30, 1979, emerging with a low short hood and an anticlimber pilot, and considered a better locomotive than it was when it was new. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe in 1996, it became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #1600 on April 3, 1998.

Photo by Cliff West

Moving on to Union Pacific's Albina Yard in Portland, Oregon, we find Union Pacific #3285, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1974.

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific #6632 is a 4,400-horsepower AC4400CW that was built by General Electric in June 1997.

Photo by Cliff West

CP Rail #5808 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the General Motors Diesel Division in London, Ontario, in January 1974.

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific #9821 is a 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in August 1994.

Photo by Cliff West

Here is another picture of Southern Pacific #9821.

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific #5524 is a 3,500-horsepower GP50 that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in June 1980 as Chicago & North Western #5068. Following the merger of the Chicago & North Western into the Union Pacific on April 24, 1995, this locomotive became Union Pacific #5524 on June 25, 1997.

Photo by Cliff West

Denver & Rio Grande Western #5405 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40T-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March 1980.

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific #9823 is a 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in August 1994.

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific #6044 is a 3,800-horsepower SD60 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1986.

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific #6003 is a 3,800-horsepower SD60 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March 1986.