Re: Whereabouts of BNSF 1600?
Author: Taco Bell
Date: 06-25-2008 - 15:57
Unit suffered a short in one of the main generator leads, was stored at Interbay for some time before being retired. It is a bit of a historic unit, was part of Northern Pacific's first order of GP-9's and was used as the NP's controbution towards dieselizing the Camas Prairie RR in Lewiston, ID. It was given BN number 1702 and was the unit that went for a swim in the Clearwater River after hitting a rockslide. Was chopnosed and rebuilt at Hillyard Diesel Shop in Spokane, WA (an ex-GN shop) and was the last locomotive repaired there---it nearly wasn't finished before the shop closed---and was the only non-dual control unit on BN to recieve nose stripes on both ends. Was the first unit painted into BNSF colors. (Other notes, was reassigned to the former Frisco shortly after the BN-Frisco merger, but eventually found its way back to the Northwest, after repainting into BNSF colors it returned to the Northwest and did do a brief stint in California, but again returned home to the NW and served a year before the generator problem sidelined it.) It's current ownership is unknown, although rumors persist that it made a parts donation to the FP-9 that the W&I RR is using although the actual truth is unknown. If you have nerve enough, maybe you could ask someone at CEECO about it.
The unit is worthy of perservation. Thanks.