Trains on April 8, 2006

I took these train pictures on April 8, 2006.

We begin at the Portland & Western's small base of operations on Salem Industrial Drive NE in Salem, Oregon, with Willamette & Pacific #2316 “Albany.”

This is a 2,300-horsepower GP39-2.

It was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in August 1974 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #3615.

 

It was retired in December 1992 and was sold to the Willamette & Pacific Railroad in June 1993.

Portland & Western #3004 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 #381.

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 #3000. 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 #726. 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 #201.

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 #3204. 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 #3004 in mid-2005, it still wears its St. Lawrence & Atlantic yellow and black paint scheme.

This base of operations formerly belonged to the Oregon Electric (O.E.) Railway, later the Burlington Northern Railroad and now the Portland & Western Railroad. The Oregon Electric was owned by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle (SP&S) Railway, which also operated the route to Astoria nicknamed the "A Line." This safety sign, which depicts the East Coast railroads in the game of Monopoly while declaring "Railroading is not a game: work safely when on board" was erected by the O.E. - A Line Safety Committee, and may predate the 1970 merger that absorbed the SP&S into the Burlington Northern Railroad.

Moving on to Portland, Oregon, I took this photograph from my car of a Union Pacific freight train crossing over Interstate 205, led by Union Pacific #4707, a 4,000-horsepower SD70M built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, and delivered on October 6, 2001.

From my car on Interstate 5 near Martin’s Bluff near Longview, Washington, I took this photograph of Norfolk Southern #7516, a 4,000-horsepower ES40DC built by General Electric in November 2005 and delivered in primer gray so it could be placed in service as soon as possible.

Finally, I photographed this pair of 3,000-horsepower GP40-2s in the Longview Switching Company yard in Longview, Washington, from my car on Washington State Route 432. Union Pacific #1422 & #1434 were built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March and April of 1980 as Southern Pacific #7671 and #7949. After the Southern Pacific was merged into the Union Pacific on September 11, 1996, Southern Pacific #7671 became Union Pacific #5322 on October 10, 2002, then was renumbered to #1422 on October 30, 2003, while SP #7949 became Union Pacific #1434 on December 20, 2000.

Union Pacific Freight Trains at Albany, Oregon, in early April 2006

I took these pictures from my car on Interstate 5 near Albany, Oregon. First, on April 4, 2006, I photographed a northbound Union Pacific freight train led by a pair of 4,000-horsepower SD70M locomotives. I can’t make out the road number of the lead unit, but the second is Union Pacific #4593, which was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, and delivered on April 9, 2001.

On April 5, 2006, I photographed this southbound Union Pacific freight train, powered by a pair of 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 locomotives. In the lead is Union Pacific #3424, which was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in March 1978. The second unit is Union Pacific #7896, which was built by the Electro-Motive Division in June 1974 as Union Pacific #3257 and was renumbered to Union Pacific #7896 on November 26, 2003.

I photographed these locomotives pulling a southbound Union Pacific freight train on April 6, 2006. The lead locomotive is a 4,400-horsepower General Electric AC4400CW, which Union Pacific designates as a C44ACCTE. The road number is difficult to make out, but I believe this is Union Pacific #5803, which was built in February 2002 and delivered on March 8, 2002. The second unit is Union Pacific #9175, a 4,000-horsepower Dash 8-40C that was built by General Electric in July 1988. The third unit is a Union Pacific AC4400CW. I did not get the cab in the frame to know the road number, but the fact that it is painted with the lightning stripe but without the large American flag and “Building America” slogan leads me to believe it is a C44ACCTE from the #5700-5769 group built in early 2001. This group were the first AC4400CWs to feature the Controlled Tractive Effort software that allows these AC traction locomotives to mimic the operating characteristics of DC traction locomotives when desired in certain circumstances.

Trains on April 1, 2006

I took these train pictures from my car on April 1, 2006. First, at Willbridge Yard in Portland, Oregon, Burlington Northern Santa Fe #4400 is a 4,400-horsepower Dash 9-44CW that was built by General Electric in April 1999. With it is Norfolk Southern #9373, Dash 9-40CW that was built by General Electric in May 1999.

Next, at Saint Helens, Oregon, Willamette & Pacific #2306 is a 2,300-horsepower GP39-2 that was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in August 1974 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #3605. It was retired in December 1992 and was sold to the Willamette & Pacific Railroad in June 1993.

Union Pacific #5443 at Albany, Oregon, on March 31, 2006

From my car on Interstate 5 at Albany, Oregon, on March 31, 2006, I photographed a southbound Union Pacific freight train led by Union Pacific #5443, a 4,400-horsepower General Electric ES44AC that was delivered on April 27, 2005. Union Pacific gives its ES44AC locomotives the designation C45ACCTE.

Albany & Eastern #2002 & #2001 at Lebanon, Oregon, on March 31, 2006

I photographed this Albany & Eastern freight train at Lebanon, Oregon, on March 31, 2006. In the lead is Albany & Eastern #2001, which was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1970 as Illinois Central #9502, one of an order of 20 2,000-horsepower GP38AC locomotives. In 1972, the Illinois Central merged with the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio to become the Illinois Central Gulf, and the locomotive became Illinois Central Gulf #9502. After their original 15-year lease expired, this was one of 18 of the 20 to be leased to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas in 1985, and it became MKT #327. The Missouri-Kansas-Texas was acquired by the Union Pacific, and the locomotive became Union Pacific #1984 on February 6, 1991. After the MKT lease expired, Union Pacific purchased it on October 23, 1996. It was renumbered to Union Pacific #1785 on August 27, 1997. It was assigned Union Pacific #285 in December 1999, but was retired by Union Pacific on May 25, 2001, before being renumbered. In 2002 it came to the Albany & Eastern as GP38-3 #2001.

 

The trailing unit, Albany & Eastern #2002, was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1970 as Illinois Central #9511, one of an order of 20 2,000-horsepower GP38AC locomotives. In 1972, the Illinois Central merged with the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio to become the Illinois Central Gulf, and the locomotive became Illinois Central Gulf #9511. After their original 15-year lease expired, this was one of 18 of the 20 to be leased to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas in 1985, and it became MKT #335. The Missouri-Kansas-Texas was acquired by the Union Pacific, and the locomotive became Union Pacific #1992 on March 6, 1991. After the MKT lease expired, Union Pacific purchased it on October 23, 1996. It was renumbered to Union Pacific #1792 on July 25, 1998. It was assigned Union Pacific #292 in December 1999, but was retired by Union Pacific on May 25, 2001, before being renumbered. In 2002 it came to the Albany & Eastern as GP38-3 #2002.

Union Pacific Freight Train at Albany, Oregon, on March 30, 2006

I photographed this southbound Union Pacific freight train from my car on Interstate 5 at Albany, Oregon, on March 30, 2006. Leading the train, Union Pacific #3888 is a 4,000-horsepower SD70M built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, and was delivered on March 7, 2003. The second unit is Union Pacific #3188, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1972. The third unit is a Union Pacific SD70M that appears to be #4067, which was built by the General Motors Locomotive Group in London, Ontario, and was delivered November 6, 2000. The fourth unit is a Union Pacific SD40-2 that appears to be #3222, which was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1973.

The trailing locomotive is Union Pacific #3319, a 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in July 1976 as Union Pacific #8049. This locomotive was originally one of Union Pacific’s “Fast Forties” with high-speed gearing for a top speed of 80 miles per hour. In July 1980 it was converted to standard gearing and renumbered to Union Pacific #3319.

Here are a couple of interesting boxcars that were part of this freight train. On the left is a boxcar from the Northern Alberta Railways. The Northern Alberta Railways was chartered in March 1929, combining the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway, the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway, the Central Canada Railway and the Pembina Valley Railway into a joint subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway extending from Edmonton to McMurray and Hines Creek in Alberta and to Dawson Creek, British Columbia, and later connecting at Grimshaw, Alberta, with the Great Slave Lake Railway to Hay River, Northwest Territories, which opened in 1964 and was operated by Canadian National. On January 1, 1981, Canadian National bought out Canadian Pacific’s share in the Northern Alberta Railways and it was merged into CN. Thus, this boxcar dates to before 1981 and has not been repainted since then. Next to it is this former Golden West Service boxcar. Golden West Service started around 1990 using former Southern Pacific and Cotton Belt (SSW) freight cars that were sold to Greenbrier, refurbished by Gunderson, and leased back to Southern Pacific wearing the reporting marks of short line railroads. These cars were restored to their original reporting marks and road numbers when they were released from the arrangement in the early 2000s. Cotton Belt (SSW) boxcar #66220 is a class B-70-67 boxcar with two 8-foot sliding doors on each side and a capacity of 5,283 cubic feet that was built by FMC between April and June of 1973. It was refurbished for Golden West Service with GVSR reporting marks of the Galveston Railroad and numbered in the 767200-767258 or 767275-767291 series. It had since been restored to its original reporting marks and road number but still wore its Golden West Service paint scheme.

MAX Trains near the Beaverton Creek Station

 

Beaverton Creek is a station on TriMet’s Westside MAX Blue Line in Beaverton, Oregon, between Portland and Hillsboro, which opened on September 12, 1998. This station features a Park and Ride lot and is near the Nike World Headquarters. I took these pictures of MAX light rail trains near the Beaverton Creek station on March 28, 2006.

The car on the right is a MAX Type 1 light rail vehicle. A total of 26 MAX Type 1 cars numbered #101-126 were built by Bombardier Corporation in a joint venture with La Brugeoise et Nivelles (BN) of Belgium. They are based on a Brazilian Cobrasma design used under license by BN for a group of cars for Rio de Janeiro. Bombardier built the frames in Quebec, with 80% of the production and assembly in Barre, Vermont, and electrical propulsion equipment from Brown, Boveri & Company. The cars were delivered in 1984 and service began on September 5, 1986. The cars have 76 seats and a total capacity of 166 passengers. These original cars would be the only MAX cars not built by Siemens, the only high-floor MAX cars, and the only MAX cars that lack regenerative braking. When built, the cars featured bell cords and hand-cranked destination signs and lacked air conditioning, though all these features were changed over the years. Because of the high floors of these cars, wheelchair lifts had to be installed at every MAX station. Once the low-floor Type 2 and Type 3 MAX cars were delivered, the Type 1 cars always ran coupled to a low-floor car so the lifts could be eliminated.

These two cars are MAX Type 2 light rail vehicles. A total of 52 MAX Type 2 Siemens SD600 cars numbered #201-252 were built from 1996 to 2000. They were the first low-floor light rail vehicles used in the United States and the first MAX cars delivered with air conditioning. They have a capacity of 166 passengers and were built with 72 seats, though 8 seats were removed later for bicycle storage. The initial 39 cars numbered 201-239 were ordered in May 1993 to expand the fleet for the Westside MAX Blue Line. The first car #201 was delivered in July 1996 and the first nine of these cars entered service on August 31, 1997. The initial order was expanded to 46 cars with cars 240-246 built by 1998. The order was expanded again to a total of 52 cars, with the final car being delivered in April 2000.

The car on the left is a MAX Type 3 light rail vehicle. A total of 27 MAX Type 3 Siemens SD660 cars numbered #301-327 were built from 2003 to 2005. They have 64 seats and a capacity of 166 passengers. They are virtually identical to the Type 2 cars, but feature improved air conditioning, more ergonomic seats, and automatic photoelectric passenger counters. They were also delivered in Trimet’s new paint scheme that was introduced in 2002. These cars were purchased to expand the fleet for the new Interstate MAX Yellow Line from downtown Portland to the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center in North Portland, which opened on May 1, 2004. The first of these cars was delivered in February 2003 and entered service in September 2003. The initial order was for 17 cars, with 10 more added to the order in 2002. The final car was delivered in March 2005.