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BN 2109

I recently found some photos of BN GP38-2 2109 from 1984 when it took part in an experiment involving a propeller on a long pole mounted to the front of the unit. But before the photos first some history on this unit.

BN 2088-2109 were BN's second order of GP38-2's built 11/74 of which the 2109 was the last unit. The first time I saw the BN 2109 was April 24, 1975 on train #148 with units 2109/4240/4255 at Black River, WA on the Seattle-Portland mainline. I managed to see all of BN's new GP38-2's in the Seattle area in the mid-70's and I understand the 2102-2109 were assigned to Vancouver, WA in 1975.

Sometime after that the 2109 was reassigned elsewhere (Superior, WI comes to mind) along with most if not all of the other 2100's. They would show up in the Northwest once in awhile and in 1984 the 2109 and 2100 were regulars on extra sections of trains #3 and #4 with fuel tender 3 between them. The 2109 had test gear mounted to the front end that included a propeller mounted on a pole. It is probable a test of air resistance/drag was being conducted on trains of all articulated cars. I photographed the 2109 leading these trains numerous times on Stevens Pass.

First is westbound at Cashmere, WA on Advanced #3 7-29-84.

I photographed it eastbound on train #4 west of Index, WA 8-4-84.

And this last photo is of Advanced #3 at Deception Creek 9-2-84 with the 2109/FT3/2100.

This was the last time I saw and photographed the 2109 on the BN and no doubt the test gear was removed shortly after.

Can anyone recall the purpose of this testing? Someone else has said the 2109 was one of two or three units that experimented with LPG as a fuel but I think that was SD40-2's 7149 and 7890. It later got the whiteface scheme and then along came the BNSF merger.

Please excuse this look at the 2109 as a BNSF lettered locomotive but it was good to see it back in the Northwest once again considering it had been so long since I had last seen the 2109.

My next encounter with the 2109 came 23 years later in June 2007 when I finally saw it again in Seattle, but now lettered BNSF 2109 switching the Rabanko facility.

It certainly didn't look like the 2109 I remembered! More recently the 2109 was at Interbay near the Balmer Yard office on 6-10-09.

The 2109 may lead a more leisurely life now but for a short while back in 1984 it was leading some of the hottest trains on the BN!