Union Pacific Freight Trains at Albany, Oregon, in Early June 2006

I took these pictures of Union Pacific freight trains from my car on Interstate 5 at Albany, Oregon, in early June 2006. First, on June 1, 2006, I photographed this northbound freight train led by Union Pacific #5359, a 4,400-horsepower ES44AC that was built by General Electric in January 2005 and delivered on February 3, 2005. Union Pacific gives its ES44AC locomotives the designation C45ACCTE. The second locomotive is Union Pacific #3929, a 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, and was delivered on June 28, 2003.

On June 7, 2006, I photographed this southbound freight train. The trailing locomotive is Union Pacific #9859, a 3,500-horsepower SD50 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in September 1984 as Denver & Rio Grande Western #5515. The Rio Grande merged with the Southern Pacific in 1988. After the Southern Pacific merged into the Union Pacific on September 11, 1996, this locomotive became Union Pacific #5109 on October 3, 2001, and was renumbered to Union Pacific #9859 on September 18, 2002, though it still wore its original Denver & Rio Grande paint scheme with just an Armour Yellow patch over the road number. Also noteworthy is the first car in the train, which is a Chicago & North Western boxcar. The Chicago & North Western was merged into the Union Pacific on April 24, 1995.

Later on June 7, 2006, I photographed this southbound freight train, led by Union Pacific #5501, a 4,400-horsepower ES44AC that was built by General Electric in June 2005 and was delivered on June 22, 2005. Union Pacific gives its ES44AC locomotives the designation C45ACCTE. It is followed by Union Pacific #8389, a 4,300-horsepower SD70ACe that was built by Electro-Motive Diesel in May 2005 and was delivered on June 3, 2005.

Albany & Eastern Ballast Hopper #9900

I photographed Albany & Eastern 70-ton ballast hopper car #9900 in Lebanon, Oregon, on May 23, 2006. I don’t know the history of this car but according to its lettering it was built in January 1959 and is classed by the Albany & Eastern as BC70-1. This car may have originally been built as a 2-bay covered hopper car and had its roof removed and ballast chutes installed.

Alstom GCFX SD40 #3071 at Albany, Oregon, on May 17, 2006

I photographed this southbound Union Pacific freight train from my car on Interstate 5 near Albany, Oregon, on May 17, 2006. The only locomotive with a visible road number is Alstom Canada (GCFX) #3071, a 3,000-horsepower SD40 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in June 1970 as Kansas City Southern #624. By 1987, it had been retired and acquired by the Soo Line Railroad and renumbered to #6402. While the Soo Line was absorbed into its parent company Canadian Pacific in 1990, this locomotive remained in Soo Line’s candy apple red paint scheme when it was retired and became part of National Railway Equipment’s lease fleet as NREX #6402. By 2003 it had been acquired by Alstom Canada for lease service as GCFX #3071 and painted gray as it appears here.

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 BNSF’s orange and green 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.

Albany & Eastern Fairmont TKO Tie Remover/Inserter

This is a Fairmont TKO Tie Remover/Inserter belonging to the Albany & Eastern Railroad. It uses rail clamps and jacks to lift the rails to allow an old tie to be removed and a new tie to be inserted with minimum disturbance to the track. On one side, a telescoping tie remover/inserter boom with an articulated gripper head helps to remove old ties and pick up new ties from trackside and guide them into position.

Fairmont Railway Motors, Inc. was founded in 1905 by Frank E. Wade as Fairmont Machine Company, a small machine shop in Fairmont, Minnesota. Fairmont began producing small single cylinder engines in 1907, and was incorporated in 1909 and began to manufacture handcar-like rail vehicles powered by the two-cycle engines. Fairmont Railway Motors became Fairmont Gas Engine and Railway Motor Car Company in 1915, and then became Fairmont Railway Motors, Inc. in 1923. Fairmont acquired Mudge & Company of Chicago, another railway motor car business, in 1928. In 1940, Fairmont developed HY-RAIL® attachments to allow automobiles and trucks to be used on rails as well as roads, developed the first hydraulic spike puller in 1953, and acquired the railcar interests of Fairbanks-Morse in 1955. In 1979, Fairmont was acquired by Harsco Corporation, a company based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with a history that dates back to 1853, when it was founded as the Harrisburg Car Manufacturing Company. Under Harsco, Fairmont became a major supplier of tie replacement equipment and other track maintenance equipment. In 1992, Harsco Corporation acquired the Tamper Corporation, which was founded in Canada in 1934, creating Fairmont Tamper. In 1999, the Pandrol Jackson Company was merged with Fairmont Tamper to form Harsco Track Technologies.

Union Pacific Freight Train at Albany, Oregon, on April 27, 2006

On April 27, 2006, I photographed this southbound Union Pacific freight train from my car on Interstate 5 near Albany, Oregon, powered by an unknown Union Pacific 4,400-horsepower GE AC4400CW that Union Pacific designates as a C44ACCTE, followed by at least three more locomotives, including a Union Pacific 4,000-horsepower EMD SD70M and a Union Pacific 4,000-horsepower GE Dash 8-40C.