Riding Amtrak's Westbound Empire Builder in December 2002

I took these pictures on December 21, 2002, while riding Amtrak’s westbound Empire Builder. This historic depot was built in 1912 and once served the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad, or Soo Line, which is now part of the Canadian Pacific Railway. This depot is no longer owned by the railroad. It is located in Minot's historic downtown district and houses the Old Soo Depot Transportation Museum.

This depot is the one currently served by Amtrak. It is located just west of the old Soo Line depot, on the opposite side of the U.S. Highway 83 overpass. This depot was originally built in 1910 by the Great Northern Railway. A major renovation in 1975 replaced the original gabled roof with a flat roof, covered the original brick with stucco and remodeled the interior. Here Amtrak's Empire Builder can be seen making its station stop. Just to the north of the depot, on the other side of the tracks and past some trees, is the Souris River.

Just to the west of the Amtrak station, and visible from its platform, is crossing of the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad and the Canadian Pacific Railway. In this 2002 photo, Amtrak's Empire Builder is stopped on the BNSF track and the freight train crossing in front of it is on the CP track. This crossing is the busiest rail crossing in the state of North Dakota. The building visible behind the Canadian Pacific freight train is the Minot Public Library.

During the Empire Builder’s service stop in Minot, North Dakota, I braved the winter snow to check out the motive power consist and discovered Amtrak #383, a 3,000-horsepower F40PHR that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1981 using parts from retired Amtrak SDP40F #518. It is painted to match the Pacific Surfliner equipment used in southern California between San Luis Obispo and San Diego.

Pictured in Havre, Montana, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #3441 is a 1,500-horsepower SW1500 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1973 as St. Louis-San Francisco (also known as the Frisco) #356. The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern on November 21, 1980, and this locomotive became Burlington Northern #61. Burlington Northern classified EMD’s SW1500s as SW15s. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #3441 on February 19, 1998, and was repainted in Burlington Northern Santa Fe's "Heritage I" paint scheme on April 28, 2000.

Also in Havre near the shops, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #8615 is a 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40B that was built by General Electric in June 1988 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #7425. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #8615 on January 12, 2000, and was repainted in Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s “Heritage I” paint scheme on December 16, 2000.

I took this picture the next day on December 22, 2002, while riding the Portland section of Amtrak’s westbound Empire Builder through Wishram, Washington. Unless running extremely late, the Empire Builder generally made an extended station stop in Wishram to allow cigarette smokers an opportunity to satisfy their addiction, as the smoking car was part of the train’s Seattle section. I merely turned my attention and my camera to the railroad equipment outside the window. Burlington Northern #2871 is a GP39M that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1964 as Southern Pacific #7452, a 2,500-horsepower GP35. After 1965 it was renumbered to Southern Pacific #6564. It was retired in January 1991 and was sold to Morrison-Knudsen of Boise, Idaho, who rebuilt it into 2,300-horsepower GP39M Burlington Northern #2871 in July 1991. With it is Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2083, a 2,000-horsepower GP38-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1972 as Burlington Northern #2083. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2083 and was repainted in Burlington Northern Santa Fe's "Heritage I" paint scheme on October 2, 2000.

Trains in the Twin Cities in September 2002

I took these pictures in St. Paul, Minnesota, on the morning of September 8, 2002, while traveling on Amtrak’s eastbound Empire Builder. St. Paul was a highlight for me, as the Minnesota Commercial and Soo Line equipment visible from the train seemed exotic to an Oregonian like me.

Switching at Amtrak’s Midway Station in St. Paul during the Empire Builder’s service stop, Minnesota Commercial #316 is a 2,400-horsepower RS-27 that was built by Alco Products in March 1962 as Chicago & North Western Railway #903.  Only 27 examples of the RS-27 were produced; the Chicago & North Western owned four, which were returned to Alco in 1966 in trade for C-424s. Alco leased them to various railroads in 1967 and 1968. This unit was sold to the Green Bay & Western in 1968 and became #316. It was later joined by two of the others. On August 27, 1993, the Green Bay & Western was merged with the Fox River Valley Railroad to form the Fox River & Western, a subsidiary of the Wisconsin Central, and this locomotive was sold to the Minnesota Commercial Railroad.

Parked on a track at Midway Station were three privately-owned passenger cars, the Caritas, the Sierra Hotel, and the Puget Sound.

The Caritas was built in 1948 by Pullman as a 4-Bedroom, 14-Roomette Sleeping Car for the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, or Frisco for short. The car was originally named Pierre Laclede after the founder of St. Louis. The car was originally assigned to the Texas Special, which ran between St. Louis, Missouri, and San Antonio, Texas, over the Frisco and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas. The Frisco discontinued its portion of the Texas Special (the northern portion) in 1959. In 1964, this car was sold to the Canadian National and named Churchill Falls. High Iron Travel bought the car in 1983 and rebuilt it to its current configuration, with 3 double bedrooms and a master room, dining area, galley, wine cellar, and lounge. I had seen the Caritas here before in 1999 wearing a red and white paint scheme; it had since been repainted in the same pattern but using Milwaukee Road colors, as shown here.

Sierra Hotel was built by the Budd Company in October 1948 as Chicago, Burlington & Quincy #251 Silver Lounge for use on the California Zephyr between Chicago and Oakland. This mid-train Dome-Dormitory-Buffet-Lounge car originally included dormitory space for 15 crew members, a lounge under the dome that was remodeled into the “Cable Car Lounge” in 1964, and a buffet with seating for 19 passengers. After the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy was merged into the Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, it became Burlington Northern #251. The California Zephyr made its last run on March 24, 1970, and when Amtrak took over passenger service on May 1, 1971 it was sold to become Amtrak #9811. It was used on Amtrak trains including the North Coast Hiawatha and the Texas Chief before being retired in October 1981 and being sold into charter service as Vandalia Railroad #9811. In 1989 the car was rebuilt by Midwest Railcar as open-end observation car Sierra Hotel. The open observation deck was built into what was originally the front of the car, so it now typically operates in the opposite direction of what was intended when it was built.

Puget Sound was built by the Budd Company in June 1955 as Great Northern #1323 for use on the Empire Builder between Chicago and Seattle. It was originally built as a Great Dome coach with 46 revenue leg-rest seats plus seating for 24 people in the dome. After the Great Northern was merged into the Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970, it was assigned Burlington Northern #4603, but it did not receive this number before Amtrak took over passenger service on May 1, 1971 and it was sold to become Amtrak #9463. It was retired in 1985 and sold into private ownership and stored in Fargo, North Dakota, and Sault Ste Marie, Wisconsin, until being converted into sleeping car Puget Sound by Avalon Railcar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2000. As part of the rebuilding, its original smooth side panels were replaced with fluted panels to match Sierra Hotel.

Amtrak’s Empire Builder passes Minnesota Commercial’s nearby roundhouse in Minneapolis. Minnesota Commercial #1978 is a 2,250-horsepower B23-7 that was built by General Electric in April 1979 as Conrail #1978. It was retired in 1999 and sold to the Minnesota Commercial Railway, where it retained its original number.

Conrail #2002 is a 2,250-horsepower B23-7 that was built by General Electric in August 1979. It was retired by Conrail in 1999 and was sold to the Minnesota Commercial Railroad, but has yet to be placed in service and still wears full Conrail paint and lettering.

Minnesota Commercial #1B is a 1,600-horsepower RS3 that was built by the American Locomotive Company in September 1950 as Lake Superior & Ishpeming #1504 and was soon renumbered to #1604. It was retired in September 1989 and was sold to Clint Jones. It was sold to the Minnesota Commercial Railway in 1998 and was rebuilt as 1B in 1999.

Soo Line #4002 is a Fuel Tender that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1958 as Milwaukee Road #2371, a 1,750-horsepower GP9. Milwaukee Road renumbered it to #263 before rebuilding it into “GP20” #949 in the 1970s. The Soo Line purchased the bankrupt Milwaukee Road in February 1985. The locomotive was rebuilt into Fuel Tender #4002 in November 1987. Coupled to it is a CP Rail 40-foot boxcar, which was rare to see in the 21^st century. It is painted in the “Multimark” paint scheme, which was applied from 1968 to about 1987.

Soo Line Flatcar #954541 is a flatcar with an Operation Lifesaver display of crossing signals and an automobile involved in a grade crossing accident. Also pictured here are former Soo Line #1400 & #1401, 1,500-horsepower SW1500s that were built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in November 1966 as Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern #36 & #37. The Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern was merged into the Soo Line on January 1, 1986. These were the only SW1500s on the Soo Line. They had been recently retired with their road numbers stricken out. Also pictured here is a Soo Line extended vision caboose. The road number is unclear but appears to be either #60 or #80. In either case, it was built by the International Car Company in 1973.

Soo Line MP15AC #1548 is a 1500-horsepower MP15AC that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in September 1975 as Milwaukee Road #482. The Soo Line purchased the bankrupt Milwaukee Road in February 1985, and this locomotive became Soo Line #1548. It was never repainted into Soo Line colors and remains in its Milwaukee Road paint with its former road name and number painted out with black paint. Patched former Milwaukee Road locomotives on the Soo Line were known as “bandits.” In the background is one of four former North Louisiana & Gulf MP15DCs #42-45, built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in November 1975, that has been acquired by CP Rail in 1996 and became CP Rail #1434-1437. The North Louisiana & Gulf was purchased by the MidSouth Rail Corporation on September 8, 1987, which operated it as the MidLouisiana Rail Corporation. On January 11, 1994, MidSouth was taken over by Kansas City Southern. Also (barely) visible is a Soo Line extended vision caboose in the later brown paint scheme.

Soo Line MP15AC #1538 is another 1500-horsepower MP15AC that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in September 1975 as Milwaukee Road #472. This MP15 was paired with CP Rail #776, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in October 1974 as Soo Line #776, for hump yard service at Pig’s Eye Yard in St. Paul. The Soo Line was consolidated into owner CP Rail in 1991, and in March 1993 SD40-2 #776 received the new CP Rail System paint scheme combining the American and Canadian flags, symbolizing CP Rail’s operations in both the United States and Canada.

Trains in Havre, Montana in September 2002

I took these pictures in Havre, Montana, on September 7, 2002, while riding Amtrak’s eastbound Empire Builder.

Being serviced during the stop at the Havre depot, Amtrak P42DC #100 is a 4,250-horsepower P42DC that was built by General Electric in June 1997. It wears the newer version of Amtrak’s Phase V paint scheme, while lead P42DC #161, built in May 2001, wears the original version of the paint scheme with the higher “belt line.”

Back aboard Amtrak’s eastbound Empire Builder, this Burlington Northern Santa Fe Dash 9-44CW was sitting outside the Havre shops. The reflections in the windows of the Sightseer Lounge cars sometimes made it difficult to get a clear picture of things outside the train.

Also at the Havre shops, Burlington Northern #5590 is a 3,000-horsepower C30-7 that was built by General Electric in June 1979.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #3441 is a 1,500-horsepower SW1500 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1973 as St. Louis-San Francisco (also known as the Frisco) #356. The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern on November 21, 1980, and this locomotive became Burlington Northern #61. Burlington Northern classified EMD’s SW1500s as SW15s. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #3441 on February 19, 1998, and was repainted into Burlington Northern Santa Fe's "Heritage I" paint scheme on April 28, 2000.

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.

Havre, Montana, in February 2000

I took these pictures in Havre, Montana, in February of 2000 during a trip to Chicago and back on Amtrak's Empire Builder. On the eastbound trip on February 9, 2000, I photographed Great Northern steam locomotive #2584, an S-2 Class 4-8-4 that was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1930 and put on static display next to the depot on May 15, 1964.

Near locomotive #2584 is Hands Across the Border Park. This small park consists primarily of a statue of an American Border Patrol officer shaking hands with a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer. Havre is only 40 miles from the Canadian border, and the Border Patrol meets Amtrak's Empire Builder in Havre, to catch illegal aliens attempting to board the train.

In front of the Havre depot on the street side is a fountain with a statue of James J. Hill. Hill formed the Great Northern Railway in 1889 from the bankrupt St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, and extended it to Seattle by 1893. The commercial possibilities realized in the northern United States due to Hill's Great Northern Railway earned him the nickname of "The Empire Builder."

On the westbound trip on February 13, 2000, I photographed Burlington Northern Santa Fe SW1500 #3442 in the Havre yard from Amtrak's Empire Builder. This 1,500-horsepower locomotive was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1973 as St. Louis-San Francisco (SLSF, also known as the Frisco) #357. The Frisco was merged into Burlington Northern on November 21, 1980, and this locomotive became Burlington Northern #62. Burlington Northern classified EMD's SW1500s as SW15s. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #3442 in February 1998, though it was still painted in Burlington Northern colors.

The depot in Havre, at 235 Main Street, is not only an Amtrak station; it is also a local base of operation for Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight operations and maintenance crews. As a result, it is a large depot for a city of Havre's size. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe was formed on September 22, 1995, when the Burlington Northern Railroad (successor to the Great Northern) and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad merged together. Almost 5 years later, the station still showed signs of its Burlington Northern heritage, leaving it with an apparent identity crisis.

Railfanning in Portland, Oregon, on July 13, 1997

On July 13, 1997, my dad and I were railfanning with his friend Fred Anderson. After taking pictures of trains in Vancouver, Washington, we crossed the Columbia River to check out Union Pacific's Albina Yard in Portland, Oregon.

One of the locomotives at Albina was Union Pacific #2378, a 2,300-horsepower GP39-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1984 as Missouri-Kansas-Texas #379. MKT 360-379 were built after normal GP39-2 production had ended and as a result have GP49 carbodies, including the large radiator intake screens. The MKT was purchased by the Union Pacific in 1988, and this locomotive was renumbered to Union Pacific #2378 on December 29, 1989. 

A pair of Southern Pacific Tunnel Motors moved through the yard.

Southern Pacific #8244 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40T-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1980.

Southern Pacific #8265 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40T-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1980.

Both of these locomotives were now Union Pacific property, as the Southern Pacific had been merged into the Union Pacific in 1996.

Another Southern Pacific locomotive at Albina Yard was Southern Pacific #2623, a 1,500-horsepower SW1500 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1972.

We ended up heading back to Vancouver for more railfanning, as will be seen in the next post.

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.