Union Pacific GP38-2s #1035 & #1045 at Albany, Oregon

On September 15, 2006, I photographed this southbound Union Pacific freight train from my car on Interstate 5 at Albany, Oregon, powered by Union Pacific 2,000-horsepower GP38-2s #1035 & #1045. These two locomotives were originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors as 3,000-horsepower GP40 locomotives. Union Pacific #1035 was originally built in May 1966 Seaboard Air Line #602. On July 1, 1967, the Seaboard Air Line merged with the Atlantic Coast Line to form the Seaboard Coast Line. Seaboard Air Line locomotive #602 became Seaboard Coast Line locomotives #1517. On December 29, 1982, the Seaboard Coast Line merged with the Louisville & Nashville to form the Seaboard System Railroad, and the locomotive became Seaboard System #6674. On July 1, 1986, the Seaboard System Railroad became CSX Transportation, and the locomotive became CSX #6674. Retired by CSX, the locomotive joined the VMV Enterprises lease fleet by 1988, becoming VMVX #6673. On January 19, 1989, Union Pacific leased the locomotive from Helm Financial, and the locomotive became Union Pacific #858. Union Pacific #1045 was originally built in October 1967 as New York Central #3097. On February 1, 1968, the New York Central merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad to form Penn Central, and on April 1, 1976, the Penn Central was merged into Conrail. The locomotive retained its original through these mergers to become Conrail #3097. Retired by Conrail, the locomotive became Kyle Railroad #3118 by 1988, then went to Helm Leasing as #3118. On November 21, 1989, Union Pacific leased the locomotive from Helm Financial and it became Union Pacific #874. In 1998 they were returned to Helm Financial and rebuilt by Boise Locomotive Corporation into GP38-2 locomotives, though they retained the three radiator fans of a GP40. The former Union Pacific #858 was again leased to Union Pacific as #2535 on August 14, 1998, and the former Union Pacific #874 was again leased to Union Pacific as #2545 on September 2, 1998. Union Pacific #2535 was renumbered to #1035 on August 21, 2001, and Union Pacific #2545 was renumbered to #1045 on September 15, 2001.

Willamette & Pacific GP39-2 #2313 in Lebanon, Oregon

 On September 14, 2006, on the Albany & Eastern in Lebanon, Oregon, I photographed Willamette & Pacific #2313 “Lake Oswego,” a 2,300-horsepower GP39-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in August 1974 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #3612. It was retired in December 1992 and was sold to the Willamette & Pacific Railroad in June 1993.

Union Street Railroad Bridge

 

Union Street Railroad Bridge on September 10, 2006

The Union Street Railroad Bridge in Salem, Oregon, was built during 1912 and 1913.

Union Street Railroad Bridge on September 10, 2006

The bridge originally connected West Salem, Dallas and Falls City on the other side of the river to the Southern Pacific Railroad along 12th Street via tracks down the middle of Union Street.

This view looking east from the Union Street Railroad Bridge on September 10, 2006 shows the abandoned tracks from the bridge curving to align with Front Street. Note that if the tracks were straight (as they once were), they would go down the middle of Union Street in the background.

The railroad tracks were removed from Union Street in 1967, and the bridge was connected to the tracks in Front Street belonging to the Oregon Electric Railway, a subsidiary of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway.

The tracks leading from Front Street to the Union Street Railroad Bridge had clearly been out of service for a very long time when I took this picture on September 10, 2006, but I’m not sure if this dismantled rail joint was the work of metal thieves or was the railroad’s attempt at a permanent derail when the bridge closed.

The lift span was permanently closed to river traffic in 1980, and rail service across the bridge ended in the 1990s.

Union Street Railroad Bridge on September 10, 2006

The City of Salem bought the bridge from the Union Pacific Railroad for $1 in 2003. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 11, 2006.

Union Street Railroad Bridge on September 10, 2006

On February 21, 2007, the bridge received a $1,000,000 Oregon Transportation Commission Grant, and was scheduled to be converted into a bicycle and pedestrian bridge by the end of 2008.

Additional Links:
Historic Railroad Bridge at Salem Historical Quarterly
Union Street Railroad Bridge at Discover-Neighborhood-History
Interpretive Signs for the Union Street Bridge at Salem Heritage Network
Friends of Two Bridges in Salem, Oregon

Historical Photos:
Bridge Under Construction, 1912 (Salem Public Library)
Union Street Railroad Bridge, 1913 (Salem Public Library)
Bridge Opening, March 8, 1913 (Oregon State Library)
Bridge Opening, March 8, 1913 (Oregon State Library)
Bridge Dedication, 3/15/1913 (Salem Public Library)
Union Street Railroad Bridge, 1915 (Salem Public Library)
Union Street Bridge, Unknown Date (Salem Public Library)
Union Street Bridge in December, 1964 (Salem Public Library)
Union Street Bridge in December, 1964 (Salem Public Library)
Union Street Bridge, Unknown Date (Salem Public Library)
Union Street Bridge, Unknown Date (Salem Public Library)
Burlington Northern engine on bridge post-5/81 (pnwrailfan.com)Burlington Northern engine on bridge post-5/81 (pnwrailfan.com)

SDP40F #644 in Lebanon, Oregon

I photographed DLMX #644 on the Albany & Eastern in Lebanon, Oregon, on September 6, 2006.

This locomotive was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in August 1974 as Amtrak #644, one of a total of 150 3,000-horsepower SDP40F locomotive built between June 1973 and August 1974 numbered from #500 to #649.

Between 1974 and 1976, Amtrak SDP40Fs were involved in 13 minor derailments resulting from a combination of the truck design, lateral motion from the steam generator water tanks, harmonic vibrations between the heavy locomotives and lightweight baggage cars, and track conditions. As a result, several railroads imposed speed restrictions on the SDP40Fs, and some others banned the SDP40Fs from their rails entirely.

Between 1977 and 1987 Amtrak traded in 132 of the SDP40Fs back to EMD for four-axle F40PH locomotives. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe never had any problems with them, and was willing to accept 18 SDP40Fs in trade for 25 CF7 road switchers and 8 SSB1200 switchers for use at Amtrak stations in September 1984. This locomotive was part of the trade.

In May 1985, it was repainted and renumbered to ATSF #5266 as an SDF40-2. In late 1988 the nose and pilot were modified to create at front platform with standard stepwells.

The locomotive’s maintenance was transferred to Morrison-Knudsen in April 1994. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6976 on April 12, 1998.

After being retired in May 2002, it was painted light blue and silver for Maersk Sealand and posed with matching Norfolk Southern SD40-2 #3329 for a promotional photo shoot in late 2002.

Subsequently sold for scrap in Illinois, in 2003 it was acquired by Chris Fussell and the Northwest Rail Museum and returned to operating condition and to its original road number.

In addition to the photos, I also recorded some video footage of this locomotive in operation. This was some of my first railroad video footage.

Union Pacific ES44AC #5695 in Lebanon, Oregon, on September 1, 2006

On the Albany & Eastern in Lebanon, Oregon, on September 1, 2006, I found another Union Pacific mainline locomotive.

Union Pacific #5695 was the first of five Pre-Production ES44AC Tier II V12 AC test units.

It was built by General Electric in January 2003.

It was delivered to Union Pacific on April 1, 2003, along with sisters #5696 and #5697; they were the first GEVO locomotives delivered to a railroad, though they remained owned by General Electric.

Union Pacific gives its ES44AC locomotives the designation C45ACCTE.

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 AC4400CW #5788 in Lebanon, Oregon, on August 23, 2006

I found this very dirty Union Pacific locomotive on the Albany & Eastern in Lebanon, Oregon, on August 23, 2006.

Union Pacific #5788 is a 4,400-horsepower AC4400CW that Union Pacific designates as a C44ACCTE.

This locomotive was built by General Electric in February 2002 and was delivered to Union Pacific on February 16, 2002.

This single large mainline locomotive sitting alone on this shortline was an unexpected surprise.