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.

Railfanning in Vancouver & Skamania on April 26, 1998

On April 26, 1998, my dad and I went railfanning with his friend Fred Anderson. We started out at the Amtrak depot in Vancouver, Washington. We soon saw some interesting light motive power pass through.

LRCX SF30C #9529 was originally a 3,600-horsepower U36C that was built by General Electric in June 1972 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #8702. In February 1986 it was rebuilt by the Santa Fe's shops in Cleburne, Texas as a 3,000-horsepower SF30C and renumbered to #9529. It was sold to Livingston Rebuild Center Inc. on August 6, 1997, becoming LRCX #9529.

On the other leg of the wye came a northbound Union Pacific freight train. Union Pacific #9730 is a 4,380-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in August 1994.

Another light power move soon followed. Burlington Northern GP39E #2902 was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1965 as Great Northern GP35 #3039. It was originally powered by a 2,500-horsepower turbocharged 567 engine. After the Great Northern was merged into Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, it became Burlington Northern #2522. In June 1990 it was rebuilt by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors as 2,300-horsepower GP39E Burlington Northern #2902.

Burlington Northern #2279 is a 2,000-horsepower GP38-2 that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1973 as St. Louis-San Francisco (SLSF, also known as the Frisco) #424. The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern in 1980, and this locomotive was renumbered as Burlington Northern #2279. It still has a notch in its nose where the Frisco's oscillating warning light was mounted.

We left Vancouver and went down the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge to Skamania, Washington. Leading a westbound freight train, Montana Rail Link #325 was originally a 3,600-horsepower SD45 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in December 1968 as St. Louis Southwestern (SSW, also known as the Cotton Belt) #9064. The Cotton Belt was a Subsidiary of the Southern Pacific, and on September 23, 1985, this locomotive was upgraded at Southern Pacific's Sacramento Shops to an SD45R and became Southern Pacific #7554. Following the merger of the Southern Pacific into the Union Pacific, in January 1997 this locomotive was sold via Coast Engine & Equipment Company of Tacoma, Washington, to Montana Rail Link, where it was classified as an SD45-2 and became #325.

The second locomotive in this consist was Burlington Northern Santa Fe #1004, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in October 1996.

The last unit was EMDX #6043, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in December 1973 as Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific #4793 under a lease agreement. The Rock Island shut down on March 31, 1980, and in June 1980, the locomotive's lease was by the Illinois Central Gulf, and it become ICG #6043. Following the end of the lease period, it was returned to EMD, equipped with dynamic brakes (which it never had before) and added to the Electro-Motive Leasing fleet, becoming EMDX #6043 in January 1989.

Next came an eastbound freight train led by LMX #8547, a 3,900-horsepower B39-8E that was built by General Electric in October 1987. This is one of a group of 100 identical locomotives that were built for lease to Burlington Northern under a "power by the hour" arrangement, in which Burlington Northern payed only for the kilowatt-hours the locomotives produce, plus a base monthly charge. Under the agreement, General Electric handled the maintenance of the locomotives in Lincoln, Nebraska, using Burlington Northern union personnel under GE supervision. This train consisted of empty intermodal well cars, some of which had just come from Gunderson in Portland, Oregon, and were so fresh from the factory that we could smell the paint as they passed by.

We returned to Vancouver, where we saw Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #136, a 3,800-horsepower GP60M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in July 1990. Santa Fe's "Super Fleet" locomotives were still rare in the Pacific Northwest, and the GP60Ms were especially rare.

A southbound intermodal train arrived, led by Union Pacific #9222, a 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40C that was built by General Electric in September 1988.

The second unit of this train was Denver & Rio Grande Western #5358, a 3,000-horsepower SD40T-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1975.

This train came to a stop in front of the Vancouver depot, allowing for more opportunities for photographs. Rio Grande tunnel motors still weren't very common in the Pacific Northwest.

Union Pacific #9222 still looked pretty sharp considering it was just a few months from its 10th birthday.

A northbound freight train arrived, led by Union Pacific #8104, a 4,300-horsepower SD9043AC that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in March 1997.

The second unit was Union Pacific #8103, another 4,300-horsepower SD9043AC that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in March 1997.

This train also came to a stop in front of the Vancouver depot. These were the first SD90s I had seen, so I took the opportunity to take several photographs of these sequentially numbered twins, despite the fading daylight.

The SD90MAC was intended to be powered by a 6,000-horsepower 16-cylinder 265H four-stroke diesel engine, but there were problems in this new engine's development. Union Pacific purchased SD90MACs with the proven 4,300-horsepower 16-cylinder 710G3C two-stroke diesel engine, intending to replace the 710G3C engines with the 265H when the new engines were ready.

Union Pacific designated these locomotives SD9043AC, while the EMD designation was simply SD90MAC. The SD90s that were built with the 265H engine were called SD90MAC-H by EMD, but Union Pacific designated them SD90AC. Ultimately, the 265H engine would be deemed a failure, and the SD9043ACs would keep their 710G3C engines and remain in service longer then their more powerful 265H-powered sisters.

Railfanning at Hampton, Oregon, on July 20, 1997

I took these pictures at Hampton, Oregon, on July 20, 1997. This location is Union Pacific's the former Southern Pacific's Cascade Line, also known as the Natron Cutoff. This has always been a busy line, and all of these trains passed through with a short period of time, and all were northbound. It had been less than a year since Southern Pacific had been merged into Union Pacific, but the effects of the merger were already very evident in the locomotive consists of these trains.

The first train we saw was a freight train led by Union Pacific #5048, a 3,600-horsepower SD50 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in December 1984. It was originally delivered in Union Pacific colors but with Missouri Pacific lettering. It was relettered for Union Pacific in August 1990.

The second unit in the train, Southern Pacific #7512 was originally a 3,600-horsepower SD45 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1967 as Southern Pacific #8903. On June 29, 1984, it was upgraded at Southern Pacific's Sacramento Shops to an SD45R and was renumbered to Southern Pacific #7512.

The train's third locomotive was Union Pacific #3258, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in June 1974. In April 1976, it was converted for 80-mph high-speed freight service, becoming Union Pacific SD40-2H #8018. It was converted back to a standard SD40-2 in April 1981 and regained its original number.

The train's trailing unit was Chicago & North Western #6860, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1974. The Chicago & North Western was merged into the Union Pacific on April 24, 1995.

The next train was another freight, led by Southern Pacific #9810, a 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in June 1994.

The second locomotive in the train was Union Pacific #3216, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1973.

The third locomotive was Union Pacific #B4250, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in September 1978 as Missouri Pacific #3250. After the Missouri Pacific was merged into the Union Pacific in 1982, the locomotive became Union Pacific #4250 on July 13, 1988. On July 29, 1992, it was changed to trailing-unit-only service with the removal of cab signals, refrigerators, toilets, and cab seats, and was renumbered with the "B" prefix.

The fourth locomotive was Denver & Rio Grande Western #3098, a 3,000-horsepower GP40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1972. The Denver & Rio Grande Western had merged with the Southern Pacific in 1988, but Rio Grande locomotives were still rare in the Pacific Northwest.

The last locomotive in this train was Union Pacific #6329, a 3,800-horsepower SD60M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in September 1992.

Next came a four-unit helper set. The lead locomotive, Southern Pacific #8676, was originally a 3,600-horsepower SD45 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in October 1968 as Seaboard Coast Line #2023. After SCL was merged into CSX it became CSX #8923. It was retired and sold to VMV Enterprises in Paducah, Kentucky, where it became VMV #8923. In 1993, Southern Pacific contracted with MK Rail Corporation for 133 rebuilt 3,000-horsepower SD40M-2 locomotives. This locomotive was acquired by MK Rail and was rebuilt at its locomotive shop in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, and was released on November 11, 1994, as Southern Pacific SD40M-2 #8676.

At the other end of the helper set was Southern Pacific #8283, a 3,000-horsepower SD40T-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in June 1980.

The last train we saw was a freight train led by Union Pacific #6188, a 3,800-horsepower SD60M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in June 1989.

The trailing unit in this train's consist was Union Pacific #6154, a 3,800-horsepower SD60M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, in May 1989.

Trains in Oakridge, Oregon, on July 18, 1997

I took these pictures in Oakridge, Oregon, on July 18, 1997. Though it had been almost a year since the Southern Pacific had been merged into the Union Pacific, you wouldn't know it from the equipment stored in Oakridge, which consisted mainly of stored snowfighting equipment and helper sets.

Southern Pacific #4702 is a C-50-9 Bay-Window Caboose that was built by PACCAR Inc. in 1980.

Southern Pacific MW #329 is a flanger, which is used to clear snow from between the rails. I believe it was originally built in the 1950s with a wood body. It was rebuilt in 1971 with the steel body shown here.

This herald for the Southern Pacific Oregon Division was painted on the side of an old passenger car in maintenance of way service. Though I didn't take an overall picture of this car, I believe it was SPMW #5923, the Snowflake, which was originally built by Pullman-Standard in 1949 as Southern Pacific Dining Car #10207, Golden Viand, for the Golden State, and was transferred to maintenance of way service in 1971.

Southern Pacific MW #4033 is a Type J Jordan Spreader that was built in the 1960s by the O. F. Jordan Company of Chicago, Illinois. Behind it is SPMW #5923, the Snowflake.

Southern Pacific MW #4047 is a Type A Jordan Spreader that was originally built by the O. F. Jordan Company of Chicago, Illinois, in 1929 and was rebuilt in 1953.

Southern Pacific MW #322 is a flanger that was built in December 1928 by the Southern Pacific's Sacramento Shops.

Southern Pacific #8268 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40T-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1980.

Southern Pacific #8649 was originally a 3,600-horsepower SD45 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1969 as Chicago & North Western #959. It was retired on September 25, 1987, and was sold to VMV Enterprises in Paducah, Kentucky, in October 1989. In 1993, Southern Pacific contracted with MK Rail Corporation for 133 rebuilt 3,000-horsepower SD40M-2 locomotives. This locomotive was acquired by MK Rail and was rebuilt at its locomotive shop in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, and was released on August 3, 1994, as Southern Pacific SD40M-2 #8649. Originally built without dynamic brakes, they were added as part of the rebuild process.

Southern Pacific #8261 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40T-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1980.

Southern Pacific #8591 was originally a 3,600-horsepower SD45 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in October 1968 as Seaboard Coast Line #2020. After SCL was merged into CSX it became CSX #8920. It was retired and sold to VMV Enterprises in Paducah, Kentucky, where it became VMV #8920. In 1993, Southern Pacific contracted with MK Rail Corporation for 133 rebuilt 3,000-horsepower SD40M-2 locomotives. This locomotive was acquired by MK Rail and was rebuilt at its car shop in Hornell, New York, and was released on July 1, 1994, as Southern Pacific SD40M-2 #8591.

Southern Pacific #8648 was originally a 3,600-horsepower SD45 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1969 as Chicago & North Western #959. It was retired on September 25, 1987, and was sold to VMV Enterprises in Paducah, Kentucky, in October 1989. In 1993, Southern Pacific contracted with MK Rail Corporation for 133 rebuilt 3,000-horsepower SD40M-2 locomotives. This locomotive was acquired by MK Rail and was rebuilt at its locomotive shop in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, and was released on August 3, 1994, as Southern Pacific SD40M-2 #8648. Originally built without dynamic brakes, they were added as part of the rebuild process.

Southern Pacific #8676 was originally a 3,600-horsepower SD45 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in October 1968 as Seaboard Coast Line #2023. After SCL was merged into CSX it became CSX #8923. It was retired and sold to VMV Enterprises in Paducah, Kentucky, where it became VMV #8923. In 1993, Southern Pacific contracted with MK Rail Corporation for 133 rebuilt 3,000-horsepower SD40M-2 locomotives. This locomotive was acquired by MK Rail and was rebuilt at its locomotive shop in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, and was released on November 11, 1994, as Southern Pacific SD40M-2 #8676.

Southern Pacific MW #316 is a flanger that I believe was built in the 1920s.

Southern Pacific #4747 is a C-50-9 Bay-Window Caboose that was built by PACCAR Inc. in 1980.

Southern Pacific MW #8000 is a DE400 50-Ton Crane that was built by the Ohio Locomotive Crane Company in 1977.

SPMW #8000 also featured the Southern Pacific Oregon Division herald.

Southern Pacific #4812 is a 2,000-horsepower GP38-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May, 1980. Its Southern Pacific light package has been removed, but the hole in the short hood has been neatly filled.

Southern Pacific #4811 is a 2,000-horsepower GP38-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May, 1980. When its Southern Pacific light package was removed, the hole in the short hood was left.