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.
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