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BN 175

One of three SW1200's at Tacoma, WA's Temco grain facility is the 175 which has the distinction of carrying the same number from the time it was built all the way to the present, and changing hands a number of times.

The 175 was built by EMD for the Northern Pacific in January of 1958 as part of a 15 unit =rder of SW1200's numbered 163-177 that were also the last group of SW1200's NP ordered. I do not know where it was assigned at first but the =ocomotive assignments for July 1964 show it on the Fargo division at =amestown. This comes from the NP Color Pictorial Vol 2 by Joseph Shine which also has a =hoto of the NP 175 working Jamestown on Page 26. William Kueblers' NP Color Pictorial Vol 3 states the 175 was assigned to the Tacoma Division in 1969 at Auburn yard.

At the BN 1970 merger the SW1200 kept the number 175 and continued to be assigned to Auburn. The first time I saw the BN 175 at Auburn on 4-2-72, still in NP colors. It was eventually painted BN green in early 1974 and remained assigned to Auburn where I photographed it on March 23, 1980.

BN retired the 175 in August of 1986 and it was eventually sold to Continental Grain and shipped to Tacoma, WA after being painted blue and yellow. It worked the grain elevator there along with two other former NP SW1200's, each keeping their BN numbers. In the mid-1990's the three SW1200's received over sized spark arresters making them very unusual looking! Though the photo is of pretty poor quality, here is the 175 at Tacoma on 7-20-97.

Ownership of the grain terminal had already been transferred to TEMCO at the time that photo was taken. TEMCO eventually removed the spark arresters and the 175 was repainted once again, this time black and white and still kept the number 175! This photo was taken at Tacoma this past summer on 8-30-09 and the SW1200 still looks pretty good considering it was 51 years old!

The 175 has been moved around the facility from time to time but I am still not sure if it is =perable or not. Maybe later this month I'll head back down to Tacoma and see what's up with this former NP SW1200.