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BN 5666

BN 5666 was the first of 12 Northern Pacific's U28C's numbered 2800-2811 built in April of 1966. As the NP 2800 it and the other 11 U28C's were assigned to the Rocky Mountain division's Livingston shops for maintenance up until the time of the BN merger.

As this is being written in July I checked the Easton, WA Station Record of Train Movements for July 1969 and saw the NP 2800 entered twice leading, westbound on 7-6-69 and east on 7-7-69.

I found it interesting that three of NP's U28C's were leading trains on July 6th.

In checking my own personal records I have the NP 2800 marked down on 11-1-69 on train #603 at Easton, WA. Units on the westbound that day were the 3618/2806/2800/7004C (SD45/U28C/U28C/F9B)

Fours months later came the BN merger and the 2800 was assigned BN number 5666, following the CB&Q U28C's 5650-5665. All of the ex-NP U28C's were assigned to the Twin Cities Region at Miss. St. right after the BN merger where I have seen photos of it with other U-boats pulling pellet trains. By 1974 the 5666 along with 6 more ex-NP U28C's moved west to the former NP facility at Glendive, MT for assignment, probably for use on the increasing number of BN coal trains. With more and more SD40-2's and U30C/C30-7's being delivered many of the U25C's and U28C's were released for other service and started showing up in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1970's which gave me another chance to see these units before they were retired.

It took 8 years for me to see the 5666 and by then it was green and pretty dirty. On 4-3-78 an eastbound left Interbay for Stevens Pass with units 6638/5666/6632/6500 (F45/U28C/F45/SD45) and I was there to photograph the 5666.

I photographed the 5666 one last time on 2-22-80, again at Interbay but this time in the engine facility. Much cleaner it looks as if it made a trip through Interbays washrack.

One month later in March 1980 the 5666 was wrecked at Livingston, MT and scrapped that December.