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.

1991 Train Pictures

My dad usually got his train pictures developed as slides, but occasionally he would get them as prints as well. Here is a group of my dad’s train pictures from early 1991. 

Photo by Cliff West

This retired caboose was on private property in Tokeland, Washington. It was originally built between 1913 and 1921 as Northern Pacific #1710. Later it was renumbered to Northern Pacific #10710. Northern Pacific was merged into Burlington Northern in March 1970, and this caboose became Burlington Northern #10933, though it never received Burlington Northern's Cascade Green paint scheme before being retired.

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific GP15-1 #1584 is pictured at Albina Yard in Portland, Oregon.

Photo by Cliff West

This locomotive was built by EMD in December 1976 as Missouri Pacific #1584 and retained its original number after Missouri Pacific was merged into Union Pacific in 1982.

Photo by Cliff West

GP15-1 #1584 was painted in Union Pacific's Armour Yellow paint scheme on June 17, 1986.

Photo by Cliff West

Burlington Northern #28 is an EMD SW1500, or an SW15 as BN called them. It is pictured at Hoyt Street Yard in Portland, Oregon. It was originally built in October 1968 as St. Louis-San Francisco (SLSF, also known as the Frisco) #323. The Frisco was merged into Burlington Northern in 1980.

Photo by Cliff West

Burlington Northern #214 is an EMD SW1200 or an SW12 in BN parlance. It is pictured at Hoyt Street Yard in Portland, Oregon. It was originally built in July 1957 as Northern Pacific 155.

Photo by Cliff West

Burlington Northern GP38-2 #2259 is pictured at Hoyt Street Yard in Portland, Oregon. It is another former Frisco locomotive, originally built by EMD in June 1973 as SLSF #404. It has been repainted in Burlington Northern's new "White Face" paint scheme, which was introduced in April 1989.

Photo by Cliff West

St. Louis Southwestern (SSW) GP60 #9684 at Southern Pacific's Brooklyn Yard in Portland, Oregon. It was built in March 1990. The SSW, as its name implies, operated from St. Louis, Missouri, southwest through Arkansas into Texas, and was also known as the Cotton Belt.

Photo by Cliff West

DLMX #9201 Clackamas River is a sleeping car for the crew of Daylight steam locomotive Southern Pacific #4449, which was stored in the roundhouse at Brooklyn Yard in Portland, Oregon. This car was built by Pullman in 1941 for the Southern Pacific, Union Pacific and Chicago & North Western's City of San Francisco as 10 roomette-5 bedroom sleeper Rincon Hill. It was transferred to Southern Pacific in 1947 as #9201 & was retired in 1966. The Friends of SP 4449 acquired it in 1990 from a private individual in North Dakota. Though a Southern Pacific car, the Daylight paint scheme isn't historically correct as it was only used on day trains, not sleeping cars.

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific GP60 #9732 is pictured at Brooklyn Yard in Portland, Oregon. It was built in May 1991.

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific #9732 was brand new and was one of the first locomotives to wear the new "Speed Lettering" that was introduced in 1991.

Photo by Cliff West

Here is another picture of Cotton Belt (SSW) GP60 #9684 at Brooklyn Yard in Portland, Oregon. The St. Louis Southwestern was a subsidiary railroad that the Southern Pacific had controlled since 1932. It would not be completely taken over by SP until 1992, but its locomotives could be found across the Southern Pacific system since the 1960s.

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific C-40-3 Caboose #1140 is pictured at Brooklyn Yard in Portland, Oregon. It was built in 1942. It had probably been retired and sold by this point, and was only being stored here.