BNSF SD40-2 #6731 in Wishram, Washington, in Fall 2003

 

Photo by Cliff West

BNSF #6731 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in September 1979 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #5072. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6731 on March 12, 1999. My dad, Cliff West, photographed it at Wishram, Washington, in the fall of 2003.

Trains in Vancouver, Washington in September 2002

I took these pictures at the Amtrak depot in Vancouver, Washington, on September 6, 2002.

First, Amtrak Cascades #466 is a 3,200-horsepower F59PHI that was built in September 1998 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors with final assembly by Super Steel Schenectady of Schenectady, Pennsylvania. It is leading southbound Cascades train #753 into the Vancouver depot. This train was due at Vancouver at 4:47 PM.

Bringing up the rear of Cascades train #753 is Amtrak Cascades #90251, a Non-Powered Cab Unit, or NPCU, which was rebuilt in December 1998 from Amtrak #251, a 3,000-horsepower F40PHR that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in October 1977 using parts from retired Amtrak SDP40F #575.

Leading a westbound train from Portland toward the Columbia River Gorge, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #8088 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Diesel Division of General Motors of Canada, Ltd. in August 1979 as Burlington Northern #8088. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #8088 on April 20, 2001.

Trailing is Burlington Northern Santa Fe #7165 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1979. 

Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #7165 on September 10, 1998.

Switching around the Vancouver depot, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2087 is a 2,000-horsepower GP38-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1972. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2087 and was repainted into Burlington Northern Santa Fe's "Heritage I" paint scheme on August 16, 2000.

A consist of six BNSF road locomotives idled in the Vancouver yard near the depot. First is Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6841, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1978 as St. Louis-San Francisco (also known as the Frisco) #951. The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern on November 21, 1980, and this locomotive became Burlington Northern #6841. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6841.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6341 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in November 1977 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #5026. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6341 on January 10, 1998, and was repainted into Burlington Northern Santa Fe's "Heritage I" paint scheme on February 17, 1999.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #780 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in September 1997.

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #639 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in February 1994.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4551 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in September 1999.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #989 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in August 1996.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2733 is a 2,000-horsepower GP39-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1981 as Burlington Northern #2733. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #2733 and was repainted into Burlington Northern Santa Fe's "Heritage I" paint scheme on May 31, 2000.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #3623 is a 1,000-horsepower SW1000 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in January 1971 as Burlington Northern #430 and classified as an SW10. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #3623 on October 5, 1998.

Here is another view of Burlington Northern Santa Fe #989 as the consist moved around the Vancouver yard.

This additional view of Burlington Northern Santa Fe #6341 clearly shows the 123” “Snoot Nose” low short hood of this former Santa Fe unit. Santa Fe had 40 SD40-2s built with 123” low short hoods to contain radio equipment for Locotrol, a remote-control system for mid-train and rear helper locomotives. On the Santa Fe’s 40 equipped units, the even numbered units were “masters,” while the odd numbered units were “remotes.”

Amtrak #45 is a 4,250-horsepower P42DC that was built by General Electric in January 1997. It is leading the northbound Coast Starlight, train #14, into Vancouver. The Coast Starlight was due into Vancouver at 4:23 PM, before Cascades train #753, but was apparently running late.

Trailing behind Amtrak P42DC #45 was an Amtrak F59PHI painted in Pacific Surfliner colors. The Pacific Surfliner service was established in 2000 between San Luis Obispo and San Diego, California, replacing the San Diegan service. A total of 15 of these 3,200-horsepower F59PHIs numbered 450 to 465 were built for Pacific Surfliner service in 1998 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors with final assembly by Super Steel Schenectady of Schenectady, Pennsylvania. Aside from the paint scheme, they were identical to the Cascades F59PHI locomotives numbered 466 to 470. All of Amtrak’s F59PHIs were maintained in Los Angeles. When the Cascades F59PHIs needed major maintenance, they had to be transported to Los Angeles via the Coast Starlight. This Pacific Surfliner F59PHI may have been being transferred to the Pacific Northwest to fill in for a Cascades unit in need of maintenance in Los Angeles.

This Burlington Northern Santa Fe Police Ford Explorer was stationed near the Amtrak depot. In an interesting coincidence, the officer driving this vehicle was the husband of my Spanish teacher from my Junior year of high school.

Amtrak #161 is a 4,250-horsepower P42DC that was built by General Electric in May 2001. It is leading eastbound train #8, the Portland Section of the Empire Builder, into Vancouver. It was due into Vancouver at 5:07 PM. I would board this train for Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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.

Trains in Vancouver and Portland in October 2001

Photo by Cliff West

This group of pictures was taken by my dad, Cliff West, in October of 2001 at the Amtrak depot in Vancouver, Washington, and at Union Pacific’s Albina Yard in Portland, Oregon. We begin in Vancouver with Burlington Northern #7807, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in June 1977 as Colorado & Southern #937. Colorado & Southern was a subsidiary of Burlington Northern, and its locomotives were painted in Burlington Northern colors, but they had their own numbering system. These locomotives began to be renumbered in the Burlington Northern’s main numbering system in December 1978, and this locomotive became Colorado & Southern #7807. The Colorado & Southern was formally merged into the Burlington Northern on December 31, 1981, and this locomotive became Burlington Northern #7807. Following the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 22, 1995, this locomotive became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #7807.

Photo by Cliff West

These four Chicago & North Western 100-Ton 5,250-Cubic-Foot 4-Bay Covered Hoppers at the Great Western Malting Company at the Port of Vancouver are part of a group of 100 numbered #490000 to #490999 that were built by Thrall between September 1993 and April 1994. These were some of the last freight cars built for the Chicago & North Western, and they became much more common in the Pacific Northwest after the Chicago & North Western was merged into the Union Pacific on April 24, 1995.

Photo by Cliff West

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #7336 was originally built by General Motors Diesel, Ltd. in London, Ontario, in December 1968 as Canadian National #5075, a 3,000-horsepower SD40. It was retired in 1999 and was rebuilt by Alstom to an SD40-2 on October 5, 1999, and became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #7336, one of a group of 40 former Canadian National and Grand Trunk Western SD40s that became Burlington Northern Santa Fe #7300 to #7339.

Photo by Cliff West

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #853 is a 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40CW that was built by General Electric in October 1992.

Photo by Cliff West

It was still somewhat rare at this point to see older locomotives that had been repainted in Burlington Northern Santa Fe's "Heritage I" paint scheme, so here are some more pictures of Burlington Northern Santa Fe SD40-2 #7336.

Photo by Cliff West

The motive power consist for this freight train represented the 1995 merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, with a BNSF-painted locomotive leading a locomotive in Burlington Northern's Cascade Green and a locomotive in Santa Fe's Blue & Yellow "Warbonnet."

Photo by Cliff West

It is interesting that despite being recently rebuilt for BNSF service in 1999, this unit did not have its headlight moved from the cab to the short hood following the Santa Fe's practice that BNSF continued.

Photo by Cliff West

Burlington Northern #7052 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in April 1978. Though this locomotive's BN paint scheme has not been modified yet, it has had its headlight moved from the cab to the short hood .

Photo by Cliff West

Moving on to Albina Yard in Portland, we see Union Pacific #5762, a 4,400-horsepower AC4400CW that was built by General Electric in March 2001. Union Pacific refers to this locomotive as a C44ACCTE, to make the model designation correspond to the form introduced by General Electric with the “Dash 7” line of 1977, and to indicate that this locomotive is equipped with General Electric’s “Controlled Tractive Effort” software, which limits maximum tractive effort when the locomotive is used as a distributed power unit in the middle or at the rear of a train.

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific #4011 is a 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, and was delivered on July 31, 2000.

Photo by Cliff West

Southern Pacific #67342 is a O-100-7 Class 23,500-Gallon Tank Car built by American Car & Foundry at Milton, Pennsylvania, in early 1974, part of a group of 50 numbered #67300 to #67349.

Photo by Cliff West

Union Pacific #8725 is a 3,000-horsepower SD40T-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in December 1978 as Southern Pacific #8525. After the Southern Pacific was merged into the Union Pacific on September 11, 1996, this locomotive became Union Pacific #4455 on November 23, 1997. It was renumbered to Union Pacific #8725 on May 6, 2001.

Photo by Cliff West

Finally, Union Pacific #4203 is a 4,000-horsepower SD70M that was assembled by Bombardier Inc. in Sahagun, Mexico, for the General Motors Locomotive Group in August 2000.

Trains in Vancouver, Washington, in February 2001

I took these pictures at the Amtrak depot in Vancouver, Washington, in February of 2001. First, leading a southbound freight train, is Union Pacific #9668, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in April 1994 as Chicago & North Western #8699. Following the merger of the C&NW into the Union Pacific on April 25, 1995, it became Union Pacific #9668 on June 16, 1995. This was the first former Chicago & North Western locomotive to be renumbered and repainted for Union Pacific. Since then, it had received an air conditioner from an unrepainted C&NW locomotive.

Parked in the diesel servicing area near the Amtrak depot, Burlington Northern #3128 is a 3,500-horsepower GP50 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in August 1985. Since the merger of the Burlington Northern and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe on September 12, 1995, to form Burlington Northern Santa Fe, this locomotive has had its headlight lowered into the nose following Santa Fe practice.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4304 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in January 1999. Here it is arriving with an eastbound freight train bound for Portland with its nose door opened.

Naturally, after I took the picture, a member of the train crew closed the door.

The second unit in this consist was Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #630, a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in February 1994.

Arriving with southbound Amtrak Cascades Train #753 is Amtrak Cascades NPCU #90250, a Non-Powered Cab Unit, or NPCU, which was rebuilt in February 2000 from Amtrak #250, a 3,000-horsepower F40PHR that was originally built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in 1977 using parts from retired Amtrak SDP40F #560.

Bringing up the rear of Train #753 is Amtrak Cascades #468, a 3,200-horsepower F59PHI that was built in October 1998 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors with final assembly by Super Steel Schenectady of Schenectady, Pennsylvania.

Leading Amtrak's eastbound Train #28, the Portland section of the Empire Builder, is Amtrak #133, a 4,250-horsepower P42DC that was built by General Electric in December 2000.

This was one of Amtrak's newest locomotives, being only about 2 months old.

The Portland section of the Empire Builder had previously been pulled by a pair of 3,000-horsepower EMD F40PH locomotives, but a single P42DC could handle the train by itself.

This locomotive was painted in Amtrak's new Acela-inspired Phase V paint scheme. Amtrak #133 was one of the first to wear this scheme; the P42DCs began receiving it with #123.