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The ex-GN Columbia River Sub

      On Saturday 6-26-10 I drove over to Wenatchee to photograph a former GN rotary and ex-NP F9B power car with it stored at Appleyard. The morning drive over to Wenatchee can be found on the Scenic Sub Blog here:

http://scenicsubblog.qstation.org/?p=214

      After picking up some lunch in Wenatchee I headed over to Appleyard to wait on the Z-SSECHC to head my way. A pair of former GN block signals are still in service across from Appleyard and are easy to photograph from the road to Malaga. It was here that I photographed the BNSF 4603 East. I was able to get ahead of the train as it slowed for the Columbia River bridge and photographed it again near the Rock Island Dam.

      Next I drove up to Trinidad where I got a coming and going shot of the Z-train at the west switch. The GN CTC signals that were once here have been replaced with these newer models. I got back on the highway and waited up near the west switch of Quincy for one more photo shooting across this pleasant looking pond.

      With the Z-train gone I drove over to the former GN Quincy depot to take a look at it. According the the Washington State Railroad Depot book it was built in 1906 as a 30'x48' structure and extended to 100' in 1959. On my scanner I could hear a westbound approaching so I drove back to the east switch of Quincy for a photo at the GN CTC signals realizing they could be replaced like the ones at Trinidad. Leading the westbound stack train was the BNSF 980/4769. Sure won't complain about any H1 leading a train!

      I then started west after the BNSF 980 and made it to the bridge east of Trinidad with just seconds to spare. This was probably my favorite shot of the day. I turned for a back shot of the train heading downgrade and before leaving took a photo looking over towards the extinct volcanic crater which has always intrigued me.

      I then continued west back to Wenatchee and waited for the BNSF 980 at the east end of Appleyard where it was lined to enter the yard. After shooting the train I then photographed the rotary and power car as the light by then was perfect.

      The BN Rotary 972561 was built as the GN X-1510 in November of 1923. It was rebuilt by GN and converted to electric power by 1962. The B-unit is a former NP passenger F9B that once saw service on the North Coast Limited.

BN 972577 - BN 777 - BN 9811 - NP 6705B

      It was a great feeling to photograph this former NP F9B as it has been years since I'd last seen a former NP F-unit! (even if on former GN) I could hear a few more westbounds headed towards Wenatchee on the scanner so I went out past Malaga for the first, another stack train led by the BNSF 4054. Not far behind was the Z-CHCSSE and as the sun had come around on those ex-GN signals at Appleyard I waited there for the train with the BNSF 4915 leading.

14BNSF 4054 here 15BNSF 4915 here

      The Z-CHCSSE stopped at Wenatchee to add a unit before continuing on to Seattle. The sun was getting low by then so I decided it was time to head on west back home. I had accomplished my goal of photographing the rotary set so I'd have to say it was a good day!