Albany & Eastern #3859

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.

WRIX GP9 #3186 at Kalama, Washington, on April 22, 2006

On April 22, 2006, I photographed this former Southern Pacific GP9 at the Kalama Export Company grain elevator at the north end of Kalama, Washington.

This 1,750-horsepower GP9 was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors as Southern Pacific #5603 and was placed in service on June 27, 1954.

It was the last of a group of four GP9s numbered #5600-5603 that were built for secondary passenger service and featured steam generators, dual-station cab controls, plow pilots, large signal lights at each end, dynamic brakes, and fuel and water capacity of 800 gallons each. Originally equipped with 61:16 gearing, it was regeared to 60:17 between June 1960 and July 1961, and at some point the dynamic brakes were disconnected.

It was renumbered to #3003 as part of Southern Pacific’s systemwide renumbering of 1965. As Southern Pacific’s secondary passenger trains were discontinued, it was reassigned to San Francisco-San Jose commute service.

On February 26, 1975, it was upgraded at Southern Pacific’s Sacramento Shops to GP9E #3186, the first of Southern Pacific’s passenger GP9s to be upgraded. As part of the upgrading, the dual-station cab controls and dynamic braking were removed.

It remained in San Francisco-San Jose commute duties until Caltrain’s F40PH-2 locomotives were delivered in 1985, and then joined Southern Pacific’s many more common GP9s in freight service. It was retired on September 18, 1995, and sold to Progress Rail in Exeter, California, on January 31, 1996. It wound up as Nevada Industrial Switching Services #3186 at Apex, Nevada. In January 2000 it was sold to Joseph Transportation, Inc.

It ended up as Western Rail Incorporated (WRIX) #3186 and came to the Kalama Export Company in 2006. Still looking largely as it did in its final days with the Southern Pacific a decade earlier, it would soon be rebuilt with a chopped short hood and repainted.

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 Vancouver, Washington, and Rainier, Oregon, in June 2002

I took these pictures at the Amtrak depot in Vancouver, Washington, in June 2002.

First, leading a light motive power move to Portland is Burlington Northern Santa Fe #5370 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in December 2000.

In the middle of the consists is Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #809, a 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40CW that was built by General Electric in June 1992.

Bringing up the rear is Oakway, Inc. #9046, a 3,800-horsepower SD60 built in November 1986. It is one of 100 such locomotives built in late 1986 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors, and leased to Oakway, Inc., a subsidiary of Cornell Rice & Sugar. These locomotives were assigned to the Burlington Northern under a “power-by-the-hour” arrangement in which the railroad purchased only the kilowatt-hours of electricity produced by the locomotives while in use.

Arriving with the eastbound Empire Builder, Amtrak #42 is a 4,250-horsepower P42DC built by General Electric in December 1996. It has been repainted in an updated version of Amtrak’s Acela-inspired Phase V paint scheme, with only a single large Amtrak locomotive and a lower-positioned red sill stripe, with the lower blue band removed.

Leading a westbound freight train from the Columbia River Gorge, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6331 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1972 as Burlington Northern #6331, part of Burlington Northern’s first order of SD40-2s. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6331 on August 11, 2001.

Trailing is Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4416, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in April 1999.

Leading a southbound freight train, Union Pacific #7574 is a 6,000-horsepower AC6000CW that was built by General Electric in December 2000. Called a C60AC by Union Pacific, it was among the first units to wear Union Pacific’s new paint scheme with the wings on the nose and the lightning stripe on the sides between the yellow and gray.

The AC6000CW was one product of a mid-1990s horsepower war between General Electric and the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors, spurred on by railroads’ desire for 6,000-horsepower locomotives to replace existing 3,000-horsepower locomotives nearing retirement on a two-to-one basis. Powered by a 16-cylinder 7HDL diesel engine developed in a joint venture with Deutz Motoren Werke Mannheim AC (MWM) of Mannheim, Germany, the AC6000CW was introduced in 1995. Ultimately, neither GE nor EMD found success with their 6,000-horsepower models, and the railroads ended up standardizing on locomotives with 4,300-4,400 horsepower. AC6000CW production ended in 2001, with Union Pacific and CSX the only domestic purchasers.

The second unit is Union Pacific #9351, a 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40C that was built by General Electric in December 1988.

Bringing up the rear is Union Pacific #9547, a 4,135-horsepower Dash 8-41CW that was built by General Electric in November 1993.

Finally, running down the middle of A Street in Rainier, Oregon with an eastbound local freight train on another day, Willamette & Pacific #1802 is a 1,750-horsepower GP9 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1956 as Denver & Rio Grande Western #5944. In June 1984 it was retired and sold to Mid-America Car Leasing. It was leased to the Kyle Railroad as their #5944 from July 1984 to December 1986. It was used on the Austin & Northwestern Railroad as #44 from April 1987 to November 1995, where it received the paint scheme shown here. It went to the Central Oregon & Pacific in December 1995, and was sold to the Willamette & Pacific in June 1998. The Portland & Western overtook the Willamette & Pacific in December 2000 but this locomotive retained its Willamette & Pacific lettering and reporting marks. This locomotive would be damaged in a derailment south of Albany, Oregon, in August 2004, and would be scrapped in January 2005. This was the Willamette & Pacific’s second GP9 #1802; the first, a former Southern Pacific GP9E, had been retired in 1995 and scrapped.

Train Pictures from Fall 1999

Photo by Cliff West

  
These pictures were taken by my dad, Cliff West, around October of 1999. First, we start at the Amtrak station in Vancouver, Washington.

Photo by Cliff West

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #1600 is a 1,750-horsepower GP9 that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in June 1954 as Northern Pacific #202. After the Northern Pacific was merged into the Burlington Northern in March 1970, it became Burlington Northern #1702. In early 1976, Burlington Northern #1702 derailed on the Camas Prairie Railroad near Lewiston, Idaho, and rolled into the Clearwater River. Considered 70% destroyed, after recovery it was sent to Burlington Northern's Hillyard diesel shop in Spokane, Washington. A low priority, Burlington Northern #1702 had to wait 3 years for a rebuild incorporating the latest modifications. It was finally completed on June 30, 1979, emerging with a low short hood and an anticlimber pilot, and considered a better locomotive than it was when it was new. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe in 1996, it became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #1600 on April 3, 1998.

Photo by Cliff West

Moving on to Union Pacific's Albina Yard in Portland, Oregon, we find Union Pacific #3285, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1974.

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific #6632 is a 4,400-horsepower AC4400CW that was built by General Electric in June 1997.

Photo by Cliff West

CP Rail #5808 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the General Motors Diesel Division in London, Ontario, in January 1974.

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific #9821 is a 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in August 1994.

Photo by Cliff West

Here is another picture of Southern Pacific #9821.

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific #5524 is a 3,500-horsepower GP50 that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in June 1980 as Chicago & North Western #5068. Following the merger of the Chicago & North Western into the Union Pacific on April 24, 1995, this locomotive became Union Pacific #5524 on June 25, 1997.

Photo by Cliff West

Denver & Rio Grande Western #5405 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40T-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March 1980.

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific #9823 is a 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in August 1994.

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific #6044 is a 3,800-horsepower SD60 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1986.

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific #6003 is a 3,800-horsepower SD60 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March 1986.

Willamette & Pacific #1801 in Rainier, Oregon, in Summer 1998

In the summer of 1998, the Portland & Western Railroad assigned Willamette & Pacific GP9R #1801 to work on the Astoria Line between St. Helens and Wauna, Oregon. This locomotive was notable for being painted in Southern Pacific's "Black Widow" paint scheme from the 1950s, but with "Willamette & Pacific" lettering. This locomotive had been used on the line previously, and my dad had taken pictures of it, but this was my first chance to take my own pictures of it as it passed through Rainier, Oregon, with a short eastbound train.

Built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1959 as Southern Pacific GP9 #5830. (Interestingly, this locomotive was delivered after Southern Pacific had changed its locomotive paint scheme to Lark Dark Grey and Scarlet, and thus never wore the "Black Widow" colors while owned by Southern Pacific.) In Southern Pacific's system-wide renumbering of 1965 it became Southern Pacific #3693. On September 14, 1977, it was rebuilt at Southern Pacific's Sacramento Shops to a GP9R, and was renumbered to Southern Pacific #3855. It retained its original 1,750-horsepower rating after the rebuilding. Southern Pacific retired the locomotive on December 10, 1992, and it was sold to Willamette & Pacific on May 14, 1993. It was painted in the "Black Widow" colors in November 1993.

Willamette & Pacific GP9R #1803 "Sherwood" in Rainier, Oregon, in June 1998

Admittedly, this is not a very good picture, but this is Willamette & Pacific GP9R #1803 Sherwood in Rainier, Oregon, in June 1998. This was the largest locomotive to run through Rainier since Portland & Western had taken over the line from Burlington Northern Santa Fe a year earlier. This locomotive was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1957 as Southern Pacific GP9 #5739. In Southern Pacific's system-wide renumbering of 1965 it became Southern Pacific #3579. On June 29, 1976, it was rebuilt at Southern Pacific's Sacramento Shops to a GP9R and was renumbered to Southern Pacific #3790. It retained its original 1,750-horsepower rating after the rebuilding. Southern Pacific retired the locomotive in March 1987, and it was sold on March 13, 1987 to the Louisiana & Delta (another railroad owned by Genesee & Wyoming like the Willamette & Pacific and the Portland & Western) where it was renumbered to #1752. In 1994, it was transferred to the Willamette & Pacific, becoming #1803.