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.

Union Pacific Freight Train at Albany, Oregon, on March 30, 2006

I photographed this southbound Union Pacific freight train from my car on Interstate 5 at Albany, Oregon, on March 30, 2006. Leading the train, Union Pacific #3888 is a 4,000-horsepower SD70M built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, and was delivered on March 7, 2003. The second unit is Union Pacific #3188, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1972. The third unit is a Union Pacific SD70M that appears to be #4067, which was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, and was delivered November 6, 2000. The fourth unit is a Union Pacific SD40-2 that appears to be #3222, which was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1973.

The trailing locomotive is Union Pacific #3319, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1976 as Union Pacific #8049. This locomotive was originally one of Union Pacific’s “Fast Forties” with high-speed gearing for a top speed of 80 miles per hour. In July 1980 it was converted to standard gearing and renumbered to Union Pacific #3319.

Here are a couple of interesting boxcars that were part of this freight train. On the left is a boxcar from the Northern Alberta Railways. The Northern Alberta Railways was chartered in March 1929, combining the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway, the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway, the Central Canada Railway and the Pembina Valley Railway into a joint subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway extending from Edmonton to McMurray and Hines Creek in Alberta and to Dawson Creek, British Columbia, and later connecting at Grimshaw, Alberta, with the Great Slave Lake Railway to Hay River, Northwest Territories, which opened in 1964 and was operated by Canadian National. On January 1, 1981, Canadian National bought out Canadian Pacific’s share in the Northern Alberta Railways and it was merged into CN. Thus, this boxcar dates to before 1981 and has not been repainted since then. Next to it is this former Golden West Service boxcar. Golden West Service started around 1990 using former Southern Pacific and Cotton Belt (SSW) freight cars that were sold to Greenbrier, refurbished by Gunderson, and leased back to Southern Pacific wearing the reporting marks of short line railroads. These cars were restored to their original reporting marks and road numbers when they were released from the arrangement in the early 2000s. Cotton Belt (SSW) boxcar #66220 is a class B-70-67 boxcar with two 8-foot sliding doors on each side and a capacity of 5,283 cubic feet that was built by FMC between April and June of 1973. It was refurbished for Golden West Service with GVSR reporting marks of the Galveston Railroad and numbered in the 767200-767258 or 767275-767291 series. It had since been restored to its original reporting marks and road number but still wore its Golden West Service paint scheme.

Trains in Lebanon, Oregon, on March 3, 2006

 

I took these pictures on the Albany & Eastern Railroad near the depot in Lebanon, Oregon, on March 3, 2006.

Albany & Eastern #2001 was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1970 as Illinois Central #9502, one of an order of 20 2,000-horsepower GP38AC locomotives.

In 1972, the Illinois Central merged with the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio to become the Illinois Central Gulf, and the locomotive became Illinois Central Gulf #9502.

After their original 15-year lease expired, this was one of 18 of the 20 to be leased to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas in 1985, and it became MKT #327.

The Missouri-Kansas-Texas was acquired by the Union Pacific, and the locomotive became Union Pacific #1984 on February 6, 1991.

After the MKT lease expired, Union Pacific purchased it on October 23, 1996.

It was renumbered to Union Pacific #1785 on August 27, 1997.

It was assigned Union Pacific #285 in December 1999, but was retired by Union Pacific on May 25, 2001, before being renumbered. In 2002 it came to the Albany & Eastern as GP38-3 #2001.

Southern Pacific #4716 is a C-50-9 Bay-Window Caboose that was built by PACCAR in 1980 as part of an order of 75 that would be Southern Pacific’s last new cabooses.

The Southern Pacific was merged into the Union Pacific in 1996.

This caboose was no longer on Union Pacific’s roster in January 2002.

This caboose still had its round radio antenna and rooftop red light.

Though still lettered for Southern Pacific, I believe this caboose was owned by the Albany & Eastern at this point.

Southern Pacific #263 looks like a boxcar but is actually an Air Repeater Car.

It is one of seven Air Repeater Cars numbered 260 to 266 that Southern Pacific placed in service between November 1975 and March 1977, all converted from existing 70-ton boxcars.

Southern Pacific Air Repeater Car #263 was converted from B-70-6 Class Boxcar #673652, originally built by Pacific Car & Foundry in March 1961.

It was built as a 50’-1” long insulated box car with 9’-0” Youngstown plug doors, a Hydra-Cushion underframe, a Car Pac loader, and a capacity of 4,644 cubic feet.

It was converted to an Air Repeater Car at Southern Pacific’s Sacramento Shops in December 1976.

An Air Repeater Car was placed at or near the middle of a long freight train to improve the response of the air brakes during cold weather, using an on-board diesel-powered air compressor to receive pneumatic signals from the brake pipe from the front of the train and relay those signals to produce a corresponding action brake pipe at the rear of the train.

The Air Repeater Car features a diesel fuel filler and fuel level light glass for the diesel-powered air compressor.

The cars could be operated in either direction, with two air connections at each end.

The green pipe connected to the front of the train and the yellow pipe connected to the rear of the train.

Air repeater cars were used at Eugene, OR, Sparks, NV, and Roseville, CA.

Later, they were used as stationary air compressors wherever they were needed.

The last date on the COTS (Clean, Oil, Test & Stencil) Stencil under IDT (In-Date Test) is February 19, 1981, suggesting it was not used much after that date, however it did remain on the property long enough to become Union Pacific Building 7910.

Despite all indications that this car was still Union Pacific property, I believe at this point it was owned by the Albany & Eastern.

Little Giant Trakrane Model 32. John Lewis Grundon of Des Moines, Iowa, founded the Des Moines Dragline Company in 1946 and incorporated it as the Little Giant Crane & Shovel Inc. in 1960. The company was sold to Avis Industrial Corporation of Upland, Indiana, in October 1995. The Little Giant factory in Des Moines was closed in January 2001, and production was moved to the Badger Equipment Company of Winona, Minnesota, founded in 1945 and purchased by Avis Industrial in 1978. Badger and Little Giant were sold to Manitex International in 2009.

The Trakrane featured this herald for the Albany & Eastern Railroad Company.

Later in the day, I saw this train at the Tangent Street railroad crossing, pulled by Albany & Eastern #2002, sister engine to #2001.

Albany & Eastern #2002 was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1970 as Illinois Central #9511, one of an order of 20 2,000-horsepower GP38AC locomotives. In 1972, the Illinois Central merged with the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio to become the Illinois Central Gulf, and the locomotive became Illinois Central Gulf #9511. After their original 15-year lease expired, this was one of 18 of the 20 to be leased to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas in 1985, and it became MKT #335. The Missouri-Kansas-Texas was acquired by the Union Pacific, and the locomotive became Union Pacific #1992 on March 6, 1991. After the MKT lease expired, Union Pacific purchased it on October 23, 1996. It was renumbered to Union Pacific #1792 on July 25, 1998. It was assigned Union Pacific #292 in December 1999, but was retired by Union Pacific on May 25, 2001, before being renumbered. In 2002 it came to the Albany & Eastern as GP38-3 #2002.

Trains in Lebanon, Oregon, on January 19, 2006

I took these pictures on January 19, 2006, near the Santiam Travel Station in Lebanon, Oregon, on the Albany and Eastern Railroad.

Albany & Eastern #5129 is a 50-foot 5347 cubic foot boxcar, one of 300 built by the FMC Corporation for the Green Bay & Western in December 1979 and January 1980 in the 16000-16299 series. Cars 16100-16149 went to the Northwestern Oklahoma Railroad (NOKL) around 1993, and later became AERC 5100-5147. This car still wears its original yellow paint, with the “Green Bay Route” logo changed to read “Santiam River Route.”

Southern Pacific #4716 is a C-50-9 Class Bay-Window Caboose that was built by PACCAR in 1980 as part of an order of 75 that would be Southern Pacific’s last new cabooses.

The Southern Pacific was merged into the Union Pacific in 1996.

This caboose was no longer on Union Pacific’s roster in January 2002.

TTX Boxcar TBOX #666396 is a 60-foot boxcar built in 2004 by National Steel Car of Hamilton, Ontario.

This boxcar was on jacks while work was being done on its trucks, which were disassembled nearby.

Albany & Eastern #3859 was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1959 as 1,750-horsepower GP9 #456 for the Texas & New Orleans, a subsidiary of Southern Pacific.

After the 1965 system renumbering, it became Southern Pacific #3660.

On January 9, 1978, it was upgraded by Southern Pacific’s Sacramento Shops as GP9R #3859.

It was retired on February 20, 1991, and was sold on February 5, 1992 to the Willamette Valley Railway.

It was later leased to the Albany & Eastern, which purchased it in 1999.

Trains in Late 2005

Photo by Cliff West

My dad, Cliff West, took these train pictures in late 2005. First are three photos of a Willamette & Pacific locomotive in Rainier, Oregon.

Photo by Cliff West

Willamette & Pacific #2307 “Independence” is 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 #3606. It was retired in December 1992 and was sold to the Willamette & Pacific Railroad in June 1993.

Photo by Cliff West

This bridge over Fox Creek in Rainier, Oregon, is located at railroad milepost 46.0. This wooden bridge probably dates from the railroad's original construction in 1897-98. The first train came through Rainier from Astoria to Portland on the morning of May 16, 1898. The railroad was originally called the Astoria & Columbia River Railroad. On February 24, 1911 the Spokane, Portland & Seattle took over. The SP&S became part of the Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970. The line to Astoria was purchased by the Portland & Western Railroad in 1996. 

Photo by Cliff West

This picture of BNSF equipment was taken at the Amtrak depot in Vancouver, Washington. In the foreground, BNSF #518 is a 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40BW that was built by General Electric in October 1990 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #518.  Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, it became BNSF #518 in April 2001 and was repainted into BNSF’s “Heritage II” paint scheme in May 2001. In the background, BNSF #3126 is a 3,500-horsepower GP50 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in August 1985 as Burlington Northern #3126. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, it became BNSF #3126 on June 3, 2002. 

Photo by Cliff West

Montana Rail Link #45028 is a Pullman-Standard PS2-CD 4427-cubic-inch 100-ton covered hopper that was originally built in March 1971 as part of lot 9532, a group of 200 such cars built for the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, or Frisco, numbered from 79300 to 79499. The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad in April 1980, and these cars became Burlington Northern 439000-439199. A group of 50 of these cars went to the Montana Rail Link after its creation in October 1987, and were numbered 45001-45050. Initially painted dark blue, they were used to carry materials such as lime, talc, and decorative rock, which caused the dark blue paint to weather quickly. When my dad photographed this car in Linnton, Oregon, it had recently been renovated and repainted light gray, which was expected to hold up better than the dark blue.