Trains in Kalama, Longview & Kelso, Washington, on February 26, 2007

I saw these trains in Kalama, Longview and Kelso, Washington, on February 26, 2007. First, at the Kalama Export Company grain elevator was a set of three BNSF Railway locomotives built by General Electric. BNSF #4304 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in January 1999. 

BNSF #4757 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in May 1998. 

BNSF #4651 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in February 2000. 

Kalama Export Company #632 is a 1,200-horsepower SW1200 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in November 1954 as Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad #2027. In 1959 it was renumbered to #632. 

The locomotive was retired in June 1983 and sold to Independent Locomotive Service Company, before being resold to Peavey Grain in 1984. It became Kalama Export Company #632 around 1998. 

Further south in Kalama was another set of three BNSF locomotives, each wearing a different paint scheme.

BNSF #7759 is a 4,400-horsepower ES44DC.

It was built by General Electric in June 2005. 

It was delivered wearing BNSF's new orange and black "Heritage III" paint scheme.

BNSF #710 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in July 1998.

It was delivered wearing the red and silver “Warbonnet” paint scheme of predecessor Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. 

BNSF #7699 is a 4,400-horsepower ES44DC.

It was built by General Electric in February 2005. 

It was delivered in BNSF's orange and green "Heritage II" paint scheme.

A southbound Amtrak Cascades train passed through Kalama, led by Amtrak #459, one of 15 3,200-horsepower F59PHIs built for Pacific Surfliner service between San Luis Obispo and San Diego, California. It was built in July 1998 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors with final assembly by Super Steel Schenectady of Schenectady, Pennsylvania. Aside from the paint scheme, it is identical to the Cascades F59PHI locomotives, and was presumably filling in for a Cascades unit in need of maintenance in Los Angeles, where all Amtrak’s F59PHI locomotives were maintained. 

Bringing up the rear of the Cascades train is Amtrak Cascades #90230, a Non-Powered Cab Unit or NPCU, which was rebuilt in February 1999 from Amtrak #230, a 3,000-horsepower F40PH that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1977, using components from traded-in Amtrak SDP40F locomotive #553. 

I took this picture from my car on State Route 432 along the Longview Switching Company yard in Longview of a 4,400-horsepower AC4400CW that appears to be Canadian Pacific #9600, which was built by General Electric in September 1997. 

From Gerhart Gardens Park in Longview, I photographed this northbound BNSF freight train across the Cowlitz River, with Ferromex SD40-2 #3215. This locomotive was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in November 1971 as Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico #8539, a 3,000-horsepower SD40. It was rebuilt in March 1992 at FNM’s San Luis Potosí shops as SD40-2 #13087. Following the privatization of the Mexican railroads, Ferromex began operating on February 19, 1998, and this locomotive became Ferromex #3215.

In this train, it was sandwiched between two BNSF Railway locomotives. BNSF #5003 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in August 2004. 

BNSF #2339 is a 2,000-horsepower GP38-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March 1972 as St. Louis-San Francisco (also known as the Frisco) #668. The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern on November 21, 1980, and this locomotive became Burlington Northern #2339. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2257 and was repainted in Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s “Heritage I” colors on May 8, 2000. 

Arriving at the Kelso depot with a northbound Amtrak Cascades train, Amtrak Cascades #466 is a 3,200-horsepower F59PHI that was built in November 1998 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors with final assembly by Super Steel Schenectady of Schenectady, Pennsylvania. 

Bringing up the rear of the Cascades train is Amtrak Cascades #90253, a Non-Powered Cab Unit or NPCU, which was rebuilt in January 1999 from Amtrak #253, a 3,000-horsepower F40PH that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in October 1977, using components from traded-in Amtrak SDP40F locomotive #574. 

Pulling a southbound empty BNSF coal train past the Kelso depot was a trio of 4,000-horsepower SD70MACs that were built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario. Leading is BNSF #9490, which was built in October 1994 as Burlington Northern #9490. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #9490 on January 23, 2002. 

The middle locomotive is Burlington Northern #9633, which was built in June 1995. The trailing locomotive is BNSF #9775, which was built in May 1996. 

Finally, as the coal train passed, a northbound BNSF freight train arrived, led by BNSF #4196, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built in July 2002.

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.

BNSF Freight Train at Kalama, Washington, on April 22, 2006

I photographed the locomotives of this Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train on April 22, 2006, from along the West Frontage Road in Kalama, Washington.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #754 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in August 1997.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #5275 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in August 2001.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4139 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in October 2002.

Norfolk Southern #9140 is a 4,000-horsepower Dash 9-40CW that was built by General Electric in February 1998.

Trains in Kalama, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, in December 2001

My dad, Cliff West, and I took these pictures in December 2001. First, we spotted this pair of lease units in Kalama, Washington, on our way to Portland, Oregon.

CEFX #113 is a 4,300-horsepower SD9043MAC that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group and assembled at Super Steel Schenectady, Inc. in Schenectady, New York, in November 1999 for CIT Group/Capital Finance, Inc. for lease service.

CEFX #110 is also a 4,300-horsepower SD9043MAC that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group and assembled at Super Steel Schenectady, Inc. in Schenectady, New York, in November 1999 for CIT Group/Capital Finance, Inc. for lease service.

We continued on to Union Pacific’s Albina Yard in Portland, Oregon, where we found another of these lease units among the Union Pacific locomotives.

Photo by Cliff West

CEFX #117 is a 4,300-horsepower SD9043MAC that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group and assembled at Super Steel Schenectady, Inc. in Schenectady, New York, in December 1999 for CIT Group/Capital Finance, Inc. for lease service.

Photo by Cliff West

Photo by Cliff West

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific #1166 and #1198 are 1,500-horsepower SW1500s that were built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors as Southern Pacific #2597 & #2654 in October 1971 and May 1972 respectively. After the Southern Pacific was merged into the Union Pacific on September 11, 1996, they became Union Pacific #1166 on March 25, 1997, and Union Pacific #1198 on April 4, 1997.

Union Pacific #4593 is a 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in April 2001.

Finally, as the sun began to set and the light began to disappear, a surprise revealed itself in the back of the engine terminal. Unfortunately for me, this was the last frame on the roll of film in my camera, but fortunately my dad was there to take his own pictures.

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific #4526 is a 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in October 2001. Along with sister units #4527 and #4528, this was one of the first three Union Pacific locomotives to receive the large American flag decals and the new “Building America” slogan following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Photo by Cliff West

The three units entered service on November 14, 2001, and were unveiled on November 16, 2001. At the time of this photo, they were still the only three “flag” units on the Union Pacific, making this surprise sighting an incredible stroke of luck. Additional “flag” units would begin to be delivered in January 2002, featuring a slightly different flag decal from that used on these first three units.