Trains in Vancouver, Washington in September 2002

I took these pictures at the Amtrak depot in Vancouver, Washington, on September 6, 2002.

First, Amtrak Cascades #466 is a 3,200-horsepower F59PHI that was built in September 1998 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors with final assembly by Super Steel Schenectady of Schenectady, Pennsylvania. It is leading southbound Cascades train #753 into the Vancouver depot. This train was due at Vancouver at 4:47 PM.

Bringing up the rear of Cascades train #753 is Amtrak Cascades #90251, a Non-Powered Cab Unit, or NPCU, which was rebuilt in December 1998 from Amtrak #251, a 3,000-horsepower F40PHR that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in October 1977 using parts from retired Amtrak SDP40F #575.

Leading a westbound train from Portland toward the Columbia River Gorge, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #8088 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Diesel Division of General Motors of Canada, Ltd. in August 1979 as Burlington Northern #8088. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #8088 on April 20, 2001.

Trailing is Burlington Northern Santa Fe #7165 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1979. 

Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #7165 on September 10, 1998.

Switching around the Vancouver depot, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2087 is a 2,000-horsepower GP38-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1972. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2087 and was repainted into Burlington Northern Santa Fe's "Heritage I" paint scheme on August 16, 2000.

A consist of six BNSF road locomotives idled in the Vancouver yard near the depot. First is Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6841, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1978 as St. Louis-San Francisco (also known as the Frisco) #951. The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern on November 21, 1980, and this locomotive became Burlington Northern #6841. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6841.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6341 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in November 1977 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #5026. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6341 on January 10, 1998, and was repainted into Burlington Northern Santa Fe's "Heritage I" paint scheme on February 17, 1999.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #780 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in September 1997.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #639 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in February 1994.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4551 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in September 1999.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #989 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in August 1996.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2733 is a 2,000-horsepower GP39-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1981 as Burlington Northern #2733. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2733 and was repainted into Burlington Northern Santa Fe's "Heritage I" paint scheme on May 31, 2000.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #3623 is a 1,000-horsepower SW1000 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1971 as Burlington Northern #430 and classified as an SW10. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #3623 on October 5, 1998.

Here is another view of Burlington Northern Santa Fe #989 as the consist moved around the Vancouver yard.

This additional view of Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6341 clearly shows the 123” “Snoot Nose” low short hood of this former Santa Fe unit. Santa Fe had 40 SD40-2s built with 123” low short hoods to contain radio equipment for Locotrol, a remote-control system for mid-train and rear helper locomotives. On the Santa Fe’s 40 equipped units, the even numbered units were “masters,” while the odd numbered units were “remotes.”

Amtrak #45 is a 4,250-horsepower P42DC that was built by General Electric in January 1997. It is leading the northbound Coast Starlight, train #14, into Vancouver. The Coast Starlight was due into Vancouver at 4:23 PM, before Cascades train #753, but was apparently running late.

Trailing behind Amtrak P42DC #45 was an Amtrak F59PHI painted in Pacific Surfliner colors. The Pacific Surfliner service was established in 2000 between San Luis Obispo and San Diego, California, replacing the San Diegan service. A total of 15 of these 3,200-horsepower F59PHIs numbered 450 to 465 were built for Pacific Surfliner service in 1998 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors with final assembly by Super Steel Schenectady of Schenectady, Pennsylvania. Aside from the paint scheme, they were identical to the Cascades F59PHI locomotives numbered 466 to 470. All of Amtrak’s F59PHIs were maintained in Los Angeles. When the Cascades F59PHIs needed major maintenance, they had to be transported to Los Angeles via the Coast Starlight. This Pacific Surfliner F59PHI may have been being transferred to the Pacific Northwest to fill in for a Cascades unit in need of maintenance in Los Angeles.

This Burlington Northern Santa Fe Police Ford Explorer was stationed near the Amtrak depot. In an interesting coincidence, the officer driving this vehicle was the husband of my Spanish teacher from my Junior year of high school.

Amtrak #161 is a 4,250-horsepower P42DC that was built by General Electric in May 2001. It is leading eastbound train #8, the Portland Section of the Empire Builder, into Vancouver. It was due into Vancouver at 5:07 PM. I would board this train for Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Trains in Vancouver, Washington, in February 2001

I took these pictures at the Amtrak depot in Vancouver, Washington, in February of 2001. First, leading a southbound freight train, is Union Pacific #9668, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in April 1994 as Chicago & North Western #8699. Following the merger of the C&NW into the Union Pacific on April 25, 1995, it became Union Pacific #9668 on June 16, 1995. This was the first former Chicago & North Western locomotive to be renumbered and repainted for Union Pacific. Since then, it had received an air conditioner from an unrepainted C&NW locomotive.

Parked in the diesel servicing area near the Amtrak depot, Burlington Northern #3128 is a 3,500-horsepower GP50 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in August 1985. Since the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 12, 1995, to form Burlington Northern Santa Fe, this locomotive has had its headlight lowered into the nose following Santa Fe practice.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4304 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in January 1999. Here it is arriving with an eastbound freight train bound for Portland with its nose door opened.

Naturally, after I took the picture, a member of the train crew closed the door.

The second unit in this consist was Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #630, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in February 1994.

Arriving with southbound Amtrak Cascades Train #753 is Amtrak Cascades NPCU #90250, a Non-Powered Cab Unit, or NPCU, which was rebuilt in February 2000 from Amtrak #250, a 3,000-horsepower F40PHR that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in 1977 using parts from retired Amtrak SDP40F #560.

Bringing up the rear of Train #753 is Amtrak Cascades #468, a 3,200-horsepower F59PHI that was built in October 1998 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors with final assembly by Super Steel Schenectady of Schenectady, Pennsylvania.

Leading Amtrak's eastbound Train #28, the Portland section of the Empire Builder, is Amtrak #133, a 4,250-horsepower P42DC that was built by General Electric in December 2000.

This was one of Amtrak's newest locomotives, being only about 2 months old.

The Portland section of the Empire Builder had previously been pulled by a pair of 3,000-horsepower EMD F40PH locomotives, but a single P42DC could handle the train by itself.

This locomotive was painted in Amtrak's new Acela-inspired Phase V paint scheme. Amtrak #133 was one of the first to wear this scheme; the P42DCs began receiving it with #123.

Railfanning in Vancouver, Washington, in July, 1999

These pictures were taken while railfanning at the Amtrak depot in Vancouver, Washington, in July of 1999. The first I saw was a southbound Amtrak Cascades train with an interesting locomotive on the head end.

Amtrak #458 is a 3,200-horsepower F59PHI that was built in July 1998 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors with final assembly by Super Steel Schenectady of Schenectady, Pennsylvania. The Amtrak Cascades trains are usually powered by F59PHIs that are painted to match the green, brown, and white colors of the train, but this one is silver and blue.

This particular F59PHI is painted in Amtrak's Surfliner colors for service in California. The Surfliner locomotives occasionally substituted on the Cascades when one of the Cascades F59PHIs had to go south to California for maintenance.

Leading the eastbound Portland section of the Empire Builder is Amtrak #354, a 3,000-horsepower F40PH that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in November 1980. It is painted in the colors of the Florida Fun Train, a short-lived venture that briefly leased three F40PHs (#354, #358, & #374) from Amtrak.

The six-car Florida Fun Train made its inaugural run on October 15, 1997, on a 200-mile route between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. On the inaugural run of a new route between Tampa and central Florida on August 1, 1998, the train was involved in a fatal collision with a tow truck. After losing $9.9 million in the first half of 1998, the Florida Fun Train shut down on September 16, 1998. The three locomotives were returned to Amtrak and were put back in regular service without being repainted.

As we left Vancouver, we found a Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train was waiting on the Sixth Street Viaduct. This train had just come westbound down the north bank of the Columbia River Gorge with a lot of motive power.

Leading this freight train was Burlington Northern Santa Fe #739, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in August 1997. It was painted in Burlington Northern Santa Fe's newest paint scheme.

The second locomotive was Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe #5814, a 3,600-horsepower SD45-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May of 1972 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #5650. In May 1986, it was rebuilt at Santa Fe's shops in San Bernardino, California as an SD45-2u; at the time the Santa Fe was planning to merge with the Southern Pacific, so it was renumbered to 7214 in accordance with the proposed numbering system for the merged railroads, and was painted in the red-and-yellow "Kodachrome" merger paint scheme. After the merger was denied by the Interstate Commerce Commission, it was renumbered to 5814 and repainted in Santa Fe's standard blue-and-yellow paint scheme.

The third locomotive was Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6976, which was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in August 1974 as Amtrak #644, a 3,000-horsepower SDP40F passenger locomotive based on the popular SD40-2 freight engine. Amtrak found the SDP40Fs unsatisfactory, and in September 1984 Amtrak traded 18 of them to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe in exchange for 25 CF7s and 8 SSB1200s for use as terminal switchers. 

In May 1985 the former Amtrak #644 was rebuilt at the Santa Fe's shops in San Bernardino, California, as SDF40-2 #5266. In April 1994, the maintenance of all the SDF40-2s was subcontracted to Morrison-Knudsen, of Boise, Idaho. After the Burlington Northern Santa Fe merger, ATSF #5266 was renumbered to BNSF #6976 in April 1998.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #5814 has MKM sublettering under the road number on the side of the cab, indicating that the maintenance for this locomotive had been subcontracted to Morrison-Knudsen of Boise, Idaho, in April 1994.

Here is another look an Burlington Northern Santa Fe #739.

This was one of the first locomotives to be painted in BNSF's new "Heritage II" paint scheme in October 1997. 

Amtrak Cascades in Vancouver, Washington, in Early 1999

Photo by Cliff West

These pictures were taken by my dad, Cliff West, in early 1999. They show two new Amtrak Cascades trains making station stops at the depot in Vancouver, Washington. This equipment had only entered service in January 1999. I am not sure of the exact date of these pictures, but they are no later than April of 1999.

Photo by Cliff West

I think this northbound is Train #750. At the head of the train is Amtrak #470, a 3,200-horsepower F59PHI that was built in October 1998 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors with final assembly by Super Steel Schenectady, Inc., of Schenectady, Pennsylvania. Visible at the rear end of the train is a Non-Powered Control Unit converted from an F40PH locomotive.

Photo by Cliff West

This is another Cascades train, a southbound that I believe is Train #751. Bringing up the rear of the train is Amtrak #466, another 3,200-horsepower F59PHI that was built in September 1998.

Photo by Cliff West

At the head end of the train was Amtrak #467, another F59PHI that was built in September 1998. For the first few months, the Amtrak Cascades trains sometimes ran with a locomotive on each end until enough Non-Powered Control Units were available.

Inaugural Run of the Amtrak Cascades

On January 11, 1999, Amtrak inaugurated the Cascades service between Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, using brand-new equipment designed specifically for the route. I went to Kelso, Washington, to photograph the first train.

I believe the southbound train was operating as Train #751, with an arrival time in Kelso around 10:00 in the morning.

The train was pulled by Amtrak locomotive #467, a 3,200-horsepower F59PHI that was built in September 1998 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors with final assembly by Super Steel Schenectady, Inc., of Schenectady, Pennsylvania. Amtrak purchased 21 of these locomotives, which were numbered from 450 to 470. Locomotives 466 to 470 were delivered in the green, brown and white Cascades color scheme, while the rest were delivered in silver and purple for Surfliner service in California. Aside from the colors, the two paint schemes are otherwise almost identical,

Here is the new Amtrak Cascades logo on one of the Talgo passenger cars. This logo was originally only used on the train cars and not on the locomotives.

At each stop along the route, there was a brief ceremony to commemorate the inauguration of the new train service.

The Amtrak conductor displayed a plaque that commemorated the occasion.

To smooth the transition between the tall locomotive and the low-slung Talgo train, the baggage car and the power car at each end of each train were fitted with tail fins.

There were originally four 12-car Talgo Pendular Series VI trainsets built for Cascades service, named Mt. Hood, Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Olympus. This is the Mt. Hood trainset. Each trainset consisted of a baggage car, five coaches, an accessible coach, a bistro car, a dining car, an accessible custom class car, a custom class car, and a power car.

At the end of the train, there was no locomotive or power car for the tailfins to meet up with. Note the red marker lights mounted near the top of the tailfins. The appearance of the tailfins at the end of the train led to comparisons with late 1950s automobiles, as well as the Batmobile.