Trains in Kalama, Longview & Kelso, Washington, on February 26, 2007

I saw these trains in Kalama, Longview and Kelso, Washington, on February 26, 2007. First, at the Kalama Export Company grain elevator was a set of three BNSF Railway locomotives built by General Electric. BNSF #4304 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in January 1999. 

BNSF #4757 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in May 1998. 

BNSF #4651 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in February 2000. 

Kalama Export Company #632 is a 1,200-horsepower SW1200 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in November 1954 as Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad #2027. In 1959 it was renumbered to #632. 

The locomotive was retired in June 1983 and sold to Independent Locomotive Service Company, before being resold to Peavey Grain in 1984. It became Kalama Export Company #632 around 1998. 

Further south in Kalama was another set of three BNSF locomotives, each wearing a different paint scheme.

BNSF #7759 is a 4,400-horsepower ES44DC.

It was built by General Electric in June 2005. 

It was delivered wearing BNSF's new orange and black "Heritage III" paint scheme.

BNSF #710 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in July 1998.

It was delivered wearing the red and silver “Warbonnet” paint scheme of predecessor Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. 

BNSF #7699 is a 4,400-horsepower ES44DC.

It was built by General Electric in February 2005. 

It was delivered in BNSF's orange and green "Heritage II" paint scheme.

A southbound Amtrak Cascades train passed through Kalama, led by Amtrak #459, one of 15 3,200-horsepower F59PHIs built for Pacific Surfliner service between San Luis Obispo and San Diego, California. It was built in July 1998 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors with final assembly by Super Steel Schenectady of Schenectady, Pennsylvania. Aside from the paint scheme, it is identical to the Cascades F59PHI locomotives, and was presumably filling in for a Cascades unit in need of maintenance in Los Angeles, where all Amtrak’s F59PHI locomotives were maintained. 

Bringing up the rear of the Cascades train is Amtrak Cascades #90230, a Non-Powered Cab Unit or NPCU, which was rebuilt in February 1999 from Amtrak #230, a 3,000-horsepower F40PH that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1977, using components from traded-in Amtrak SDP40F locomotive #553. 

I took this picture from my car on State Route 432 along the Longview Switching Company yard in Longview of a 4,400-horsepower AC4400CW that appears to be Canadian Pacific #9600, which was built by General Electric in September 1997. 

From Gerhart Gardens Park in Longview, I photographed this northbound BNSF freight train across the Cowlitz River, with Ferromex SD40-2 #3215. This locomotive was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in November 1971 as Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico #8539, a 3,000-horsepower SD40. It was rebuilt in March 1992 at FNM’s San Luis Potosí shops as SD40-2 #13087. Following the privatization of the Mexican railroads, Ferromex began operating on February 19, 1998, and this locomotive became Ferromex #3215.

In this train, it was sandwiched between two BNSF Railway locomotives. BNSF #5003 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in August 2004. 

BNSF #2339 is a 2,000-horsepower GP38-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March 1972 as St. Louis-San Francisco (also known as the Frisco) #668. The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern on November 21, 1980, and this locomotive became Burlington Northern #2339. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2257 and was repainted in Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s “Heritage I” colors on May 8, 2000. 

Arriving at the Kelso depot with a northbound Amtrak Cascades train, Amtrak Cascades #466 is a 3,200-horsepower F59PHI that was built in November 1998 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors with final assembly by Super Steel Schenectady of Schenectady, Pennsylvania. 

Bringing up the rear of the Cascades train is Amtrak Cascades #90253, a Non-Powered Cab Unit or NPCU, which was rebuilt in January 1999 from Amtrak #253, a 3,000-horsepower F40PH that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in October 1977, using components from traded-in Amtrak SDP40F locomotive #574. 

Pulling a southbound empty BNSF coal train past the Kelso depot was a trio of 4,000-horsepower SD70MACs that were built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario. Leading is BNSF #9490, which was built in October 1994 as Burlington Northern #9490. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #9490 on January 23, 2002. 

The middle locomotive is Burlington Northern #9633, which was built in June 1995. The trailing locomotive is BNSF #9775, which was built in May 1996. 

Finally, as the coal train passed, a northbound BNSF freight train arrived, led by BNSF #4196, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built in July 2002.

Trains in Albany, Oregon, on August 31, 2006

I took these pictures near the depot in Albany, Oregon, on August 31, 2006.

Leading a freight train, Portland & Western #3003 is a 3,000-horsepower GP40 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1967 as Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific #380. This was one of a group of seven GP40s that the Rock Island was rebuilding to Dash 2 standards in its Silvis shops when the railroad went bankrupt and shut down in 1980. Before the shutdown it was completed as GP40u #3004. The last two of the seven were unfinished. Chrome Crankshaft acquired all seven locomotives along with the shop in 1981, and finished the remaining two locomotives. The seven locomotives were sold to Toronto’s GO Transit in 1982. This locomotive became GO Transit #725. As they were not equipped with head-end power generators, they had to operate with HEP cars rebuilt from F-units. In 1994 they were retired and traded in to EMD for new F59PHs. EMD put the locomotives in their lease fleet and this locomotive became EMDX #200. In 2001, EMD transferred the locomotive to Locomotive Leasing Partners (LLPX), a partnership with GATX Leasing, and the locomotive was leased to the St. Lawrence & Atlantic as #3203. St. Lawrence & Atlantic was taken over by Genesee & Wyoming in 2002. The locomotive was transferred to the Portland & Western Railroad in April 2004, where it was considered a GP40-2, even though it lacks all the Dash 2 external spotting features like the water level sight glass, rear cab overhang, and vertical shock absorbers on the trucks. Renumbered to PNWR #3003 in mid-2005, it still wears its St. Lawrence & Atlantic yellow and black paint scheme.

Next, Willamette & Pacific #1852 was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1955 as Southern Pacific #5438, a 1,750-horsepower SD9 that was placed in service on May 24, 1955. After the 1965 system renumbering, it became Southern Pacific #3916. On January 9, 1975, it was rebuilt by Southern Pacific’s Sacramento Shops to SD9E #4397. It was retired on November 12, 1993, and sold on March 4, 1994, to the Willamette and Pacific Railroad where it became #1852.

Trailing, Portland & Western #3603 was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1970 as St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt) #9153, a 3,600-horsepower SD45 that was placed in service on January 4, 1970. On January 15, 1985, it was upgraded by Southern Pacific’s Sacramento Shops to Southern Pacific SD45R #7537. It was retired on sold on July 31, 1995, to Helm Financial Corporation and became HLCX #450. In 1996 it was sold to the Buffalo & Pittsburgh, part of the Genesee & Wyoming system, retaining the road number #450. It was transferred to the Illinois & Midland, another Genesee & Wyoming railroad, in 2001 or 2002, still numbered #450, then transferred again to the Portland & Western Railroad in April 2005, being renumbered to #3603.

There was also a pair of Union Pacific SD40-2s near the Albany depot.

Union Pacific #3160 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1972.

Union Pacific #3380 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1977.

This unit still had its red sill stripe, while on the other SD40-2, the sill stripe had been changed to yellow in accordance with a Federal Railroad Administration ruling from March 5, 2005, that required yellow or white reflective striping 42 inches above the rail by May 31, 2010.

After leaving Albany, I spotted this specially-decorated truck trailer heading north on Interstate 5. Carrying the slogan "TRACKS ARE FOR TRAINS! STAY OFF! STAY AWAY! STAY ALIVE!", this trailer #538717 was sponsored by Washington Operation Lifesaver, Washington Utilites and Transporation Commission, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and Union Pacific Railroad, and the trailer was donated by Interstate Distributor Company.

Union Pacific SD40-2 #3598 in Salem, Oregon, on August 13, 2006

On the evening of August 13, 2006, in my car at the Union Pacific grade crossing on SE Madrona Avenue in Salem, Oregon, I took this picture of Union Pacific #3598, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in August 1979 as Union Pacific #8089. This locomotive was originally one of Union Pacific’s “Fast Forties” with high-speed gearing for a top speed of 80 miles per hour. It was converted to standard gearing and renumbered to Union Pacific #3598 in September 1981. The light from my car’s headlights shows the reflective properties of the red striping and lettering.

Trains in Albany, Oregon, in June & July 2006

I took these train pictures from my car on Interstate 5 at Albany, Oregon, in mid-late June and early July of 2006.

First, on June 14, 2006, I photographed this southbound Union Pacific freight train. The trailing locomotive is Union Pacific #5685, a 4,400-horsepower AC4400CW that Union Pacific designates as a C44ACCTE. It was built by General Electric in December 2004 and delivered on December 26, 2004.

Later on June 14, 2006, I photographed Amtrak’s southbound Coast Starlight, powered by Amtrak #115 & #119, a pair of 4,250-horsepower P42DC locomotives that were built by General Electric in September 1997.

Further up Interstate 5, I also photographed these Union Pacific locomotives on a freight train. Union Pacific #5853 is a 4,400-horsepower AC4400CW that Union Pacific designates as a C44ACCTE. It was built by General Electric in March 2002 and was delivered on April 2, 2002. Union Pacific #5486 is another 4,400-horsepower AC4400CW that Union Pacific designates as a C44ACCTE. It was built by General Electric in May 2005 and was delivered on June 3, 2005. Union Pacific #9675 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in December 1993 as Chicago & North Western #8611. After the Chicago & North Western was merged into the Union Pacific on April 24, 1995, this locomotive became Union Pacific #9675 on July 21, 1999.

On June 15, 2006, I photographed Union Pacific #5763 leading a southbound freight train. It is a 4,400-horsepower AC4400CW that Union Pacific designates as a C44ACCTE. It was built by General Electric in March 2001 and was delivered on March 27, 2001.

Just down Interstate 5, I photographed another southbound freight train, with an unknown Union Pacific SD40-2 leading Union Pacific #9209, a 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40C that was built by General Electric in September 1988.

Later that same day, I photographed the first southbound freight train again, with Union Pacific #5763 still leading. The second locomotive is Union Pacific #5250, a 4,400-horsepower ES44AC that was built by General Electric in February 2006 and was delivered on March 1, 2006. Union Pacific gives its ES44AC locomotives the designation C45ACCTE. The third locomotive is Union Pacific #5687, a 4,400-horsepower AC4400CW that Union Pacific designates as a C44ACCTE. It was built by General Electric in December 2004 and was delivered on December 29, 2004.

On June 21, 2006, I photographed this southbound Union Pacific freight train, led by an unknown Union Pacific 4,400-horsepower GE AC4400CW followed by a 4,000-horsepower EMD SD70M, two 4,000-horsepower GE Dash 8-40Cs and two 3,800-horsepower EMD SD60Ms.

On June 30, 2006, I photographed this southbound Union Pacific freight train with an unknown Union Pacific General Electric locomotive leading five additional units.

On July 3, 2006, I photographed this southbound Union Pacific freight train powered by at least five locomotives, one of which appears to be wearing the orange and green paint scheme of Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

On July 5, 2006, I photographed this northbound Union Pacific intermodal train with an unknown Union Pacific 4,300-horsepower EMD SD70ACe leading an unknown Union Pacific 4,000-horsepower EMD SD70M.

On July 7, 2006, I photographed this southbound Union Pacific freight train led by what appears to be Union Pacific #4506, which was a 4,000-horsepower SD70M assembled for the General Motors Locomotive Group by Bombardier in Mexico and was delivered on November 27, 2001.

On July 11, 2006, I photographed these two southbound Union Pacific freight trains. The closer train is led by an unknown Union Pacific 4,000-horsepower EMD SD70M. The second unit is Union Pacific (UPY) #2310, a 2000-horsepower GG20GE battery diesel hybrid locomotive that was built by Motive Power Industries using the frame of Union Pacific #262, a retired 3,000-horsepower B30-7A locomotive that was built by General Electric in March 1980 as Cotton Belt (SSW) #7776. The Cotton Belt was a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific. After the Southern Pacific merged into the Union Pacific on September 11, 1996, SSW #7776 became Union Pacific #262 on June 7, 1997. It was first retired on December 19, 2001, then permanently retired on February 28, 2005, for its frame to be used for UPY #2310, which was delivered on June 3, 2006. The third locomotive is Union Pacific #5768, a 4,400-horsepower AC4400CW that Union Pacific designates as a C44ACCTE. It was built by General Electric in March 2001 and was delivered on March 27, 2001. The fourth locomotive is Union Pacific #9752, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in January 1994 as Chicago & North Western #8648. After the Chicago & North Western was merged into the Union Pacific on April 24, 1995, this locomotive became Union Pacific #9752 on April 12, 2000.

Trains on May 13, 2006

I took these train pictures on May 13, 2006. First, I photographed this southbound Union Pacific freight train near the undercrossing of Portland Road NE in Salem, Oregon. Union Pacific #3576 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1979.

I photographed this pair of locomotives from my car as I passed Willbridge Yard on NW St. Helens Road in Portland, Oregon. Burlington Northern Santa Fe #8733 is a 3,800-horsepower GP60 that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in August 1989 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #4033. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #8733 on November 19, 1998. Burlington Northern Santa Fe #8632 is a 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40B that was built by General Electric in April 1989 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #7442. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #8632 on February 22, 2000, and was repainted in Burlington Northern Santa Fe's "Heritage I" paint scheme on January 21, 2001.

I took this picture from my car on U.S. Highway 30 in Saint Helens, Oregon. Portland & Western #3006 is a 3,000-horsepower GP40 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1967 as Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific #375. This was one of a group of seven GP40s that the Rock Island was rebuilding to Dash 2 standards in its Silvis shops when the railroad went bankrupt and shut down in 1980. Before the shutdown it was completed as GP40u #3002. The last two of the seven were unfinished. Chrome Crankshaft acquired all seven locomotives along with the shop in 1981, and finished the remaining two locomotives. The seven locomotives were sold to Toronto’s GO Transit in 1982. This locomotive became GO Transit #721. As they were not equipped with head-end power generators, they had to operate with HEP cars rebuilt from F-units. In 1994 they were retired and traded in to EMD for new F59PHs. EMD put the locomotives in their lease fleet and this locomotive became EMDX #205. In 2001, EMD transferred the locomotive to Locomotive Leasing Partners (LLPX), a partnership with GATX Leasing, and the locomotive was leased to the St. Lawrence & Atlantic as #3208. St. Lawrence & Atlantic was taken over by Genesee & Wyoming in 2002. The locomotive was transferred to the Portland & Western Railroad in April 2004, where it was considered a GP40-2, even though it lacks all the Dash 2 external spotting features like the water level sight glass, rear cab overhang, and vertical shock absorbers on the trucks. Renumbered to PNWR #3006 in mid-2005, it still wears its St. Lawrence & Atlantic yellow and black paint scheme.

Union Pacific Freight Trains in Albany, Oregon, in Early May 2006

I took these pictures of Union Pacific freight trains from my car on Interstate 5 at Albany, Oregon. First, on May 3, 2006, is this southbound train led by Union Pacific #4635, a 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in December 2000. This was one of five pre-production prototypes for EPA Tier I SD70M locomotives, featuring larger flared radiators to accommodate separate radiator cores for diesel engine jacket water and for aftercoolers. Locomotives 4635-4637 were retained by GMLG as test units throughout 2001 and part of 2002 before being delivered to Union Pacific in July 2002. This locomotive was delivered on July 27, 2002. This train’s second unit is CIT Group (CEFX) #7097, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in November 1978 as Burlington Northern #7097. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #7097. It was acquired by CIT Group by 2003. The third locomotive is Union Pacific #4366, a 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was assembled for the General Motors Locomotive Group by Bombardier in Mexico and was delivered on May 16, 2001.

On May 8, 2006, I photographed this southbound train powered by a pair of Union Pacific 4,000-horsepower SD70Ms. The road number of the lead unit is not visible, but the trailing unit is #4703, which was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, and was delivered on October 2, 2001.

I photographed this southbound train on May 10, 2006. The number of the lead locomotive is not clear, but it is a 4,000-horsepower Union Pacific SD70M. The second locomotive is Union Pacific #4241, another 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was assembled by Bombardier in Mexico for the General Motors Locomotive Group in October 2000 and was delivered on October 19, 2000. The third locomotive is Union Pacific #9219, a 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40C that was built by General Electric in September 1988.