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BN 1900
BN 1900 was built as the NP 283 in July of 1956 as part of a 24 unit order numbered 261-284. Five of the group were built with dynamic brakes (269-274) while the others were not. Upon delivery the last two units 283-284 of the order were assigned to the Tacoma Division.
I first noted the NP 283 on 7-28-69 at Black River, WA on train #675 headed north towards Renton and Sumas with units 5409D/5410C/6018C/6009C/283/6011A (FT A-B/2 F7B/GP9/F7A).
At the BN March 1970 merger the 283 was assigned the BN number of 1900 but you would think the merger had not taken place if you'd been at North Bend, WA on 7-17-70 as NP 283/240 and NP caboose 10305 were there tied up. It was a trip to Auburn, WA on 12-13-70 when I finally saw the BN 1900 and still in NP colors. The BN 1900 stayed assigned to the Northwest at Auburn up till the day the shops there closed in the early 1980's.
As for photos I caught the BN 1900/1846 leading Crew 5 southbound into Seattle on 12-28-78.
Both GP9's are former NP. Here is a roster of the 1900 taken on the same day in 1978, 8 years after the merger.
Nice to see the NP steam era bell is still on the short hood as well as the NP horns on the cab roof.
On 7-17-79 the 1900 led the days Maltby Turn northbound across the Wilburton Trestle at Bellevue, WA.
BN retired a large number of their GP9's in the mid-1980's but the 1900 remained on the roster until it was remanufactured to BN GP28M 1538 in January 1993. From the frame up it didn't at all like a GP9 anymore but it did from the frame down. I never photographed the BN 1538 and from the photos of it seen here was probably assigned to the eastern end of the BN system.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=120295
At the BNSF merger it was relettered BNSF 1538 and has moved around quite a bit (photos from Springfield, MO to Santa Fe's Abo Canyon and back to Minneapolis) but is currently around Superior, WI from the looks of it, and still in BN green. These photos can be found here:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/LocoPicture.aspx?id=15359
It has been 19 years now since the 1900 was rebuilt to GP28M 1538. Hopefully it will be abound for many more years.