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Portland-Area Spottings
Author: Tom McCann
Date: 05-04-2009 - 12:13
Here are some spottings from the Portland metro area in the past few days:
April 30 -- TriMet has apparently placed some of its 400-series Siemens S70 light rail cars in revenue service. I spotted a two-car set in Blue Line service at the NE 82nd Avenue stop heading west toward downtown Portland. These cars will show up as married pairs because only the "A" end has an operator's cab. The "B" ends have passenger seating.
May 1 -- Amtrak #14, the northbound Coast Starlight (operating on time -- a happy and more frequent occurrence these days) had a pair of Sound Transit "Sounder" coaches deadheading behind the power and in front of the baggage car. Apparently these were part of the set leased to Metrolink in the L.A. area, and were headed home to Seattle two at a time (the previous day's #14 also had a pair).
Amtrak Cascades #513 (Bellingham-Portland) had a P42 leading instead of the normal F59PHI. Amtrak has regularly substituted P42s and the occasional 500-series P32BWH onto these trains. NPCU #90278, in the platinum and blue scheme and with full baggage doors, has also been spotted in Cascades service. Amtrak has also repainted F59PHI #465 into Cascades colors for this service. Originally, this unit appeared in the Pacific Surfliner scheme and went into service in California.
May 3 -- A Kansas City Southern GE, in full "Southern Belle" livery, was in the the Portland area. I saw it parked as the middle unit of a three-locomotive BNSF set at the north end of Wilbridge Yard in northwest Portland. BNSF normally parks its "herders" (light engine moves) here to await manifest trains being made up in the yard, or outbound intermodal trains from the Portland Hub Center.
Portland & Western had an ex-St. Lawrence & Atlantic GP40 serving as the St. Helens switcher. This unit is still in the SLR yellow and black, but has the orange and black logo characteristic of Genesee & Wyoming-owned locomotives. If you're going after a roster shot, the unit is parked on a siding about three blocks north of the St. Helens yard when it's not in service. This is right alongside U.S. Highway 30.
TriMet is also scheduled to begin operator training and train testing this week along the new MAX Green Line ROW in downtown Portland and along Interstate 205. If you're in the Portland area, be on the lookout for these trains.
April 30 -- TriMet has apparently placed some of its 400-series Siemens S70 light rail cars in revenue service. I spotted a two-car set in Blue Line service at the NE 82nd Avenue stop heading west toward downtown Portland. These cars will show up as married pairs because only the "A" end has an operator's cab. The "B" ends have passenger seating.
May 1 -- Amtrak #14, the northbound Coast Starlight (operating on time -- a happy and more frequent occurrence these days) had a pair of Sound Transit "Sounder" coaches deadheading behind the power and in front of the baggage car. Apparently these were part of the set leased to Metrolink in the L.A. area, and were headed home to Seattle two at a time (the previous day's #14 also had a pair).
Amtrak Cascades #513 (Bellingham-Portland) had a P42 leading instead of the normal F59PHI. Amtrak has regularly substituted P42s and the occasional 500-series P32BWH onto these trains. NPCU #90278, in the platinum and blue scheme and with full baggage doors, has also been spotted in Cascades service. Amtrak has also repainted F59PHI #465 into Cascades colors for this service. Originally, this unit appeared in the Pacific Surfliner scheme and went into service in California.
May 3 -- A Kansas City Southern GE, in full "Southern Belle" livery, was in the the Portland area. I saw it parked as the middle unit of a three-locomotive BNSF set at the north end of Wilbridge Yard in northwest Portland. BNSF normally parks its "herders" (light engine moves) here to await manifest trains being made up in the yard, or outbound intermodal trains from the Portland Hub Center.
Portland & Western had an ex-St. Lawrence & Atlantic GP40 serving as the St. Helens switcher. This unit is still in the SLR yellow and black, but has the orange and black logo characteristic of Genesee & Wyoming-owned locomotives. If you're going after a roster shot, the unit is parked on a siding about three blocks north of the St. Helens yard when it's not in service. This is right alongside U.S. Highway 30.
TriMet is also scheduled to begin operator training and train testing this week along the new MAX Green Line ROW in downtown Portland and along Interstate 205. If you're in the Portland area, be on the lookout for these trains.
| Subject | Written By | Date/Time (PST) |
|---|---|---|
 Portland-Area Spottings |
Tom McCann | 05-04-2009 - 12:13 |