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On Friday June 20 I was driving on Hanford St in Seattle and crossing the BNSF by Rabanco noticed a train approaching from the north.  I pulled off the road and got out the camera just in time to catch this southbound stack train that looked like an S-CHCTAC with 4 EMD’s.

Leading was the BNSF 7811/6735/6889/CEFX 6002 and the train passed by at 09:16.  In the background you can see the Rabanco switcher which happens to be the BNSF 1521 currently.  Here is a back shot of the train nearing Spokane Street.

I then continued on my way but later was back in Seattle around lunch time and saw another southbound coming out of the tunnel.  I pulled off at Holgate St and got this shot of the BNSF 7687/4627 on the new trackage at the coach yard at 11:43.

While eating lunch near Hanford St the Rabanco switcher came out for some switching giving me a close up look at the BNSF 1521. 

A bit of research turns up this GP28M is a former BN unit of the same number and was rebuilt from BN GP9m 1355.  The 1355 itself was the former GN 905 which GN classed as a GP5.  The GN 905 had been rebuilt from former GN FTB 400C in 1959.  The FTB was built in December 1943.  Makes you wonder if this would be one of the oldest operating units currently in service, theoretically speaking.  I am not sure what parts of the FTB still might survive in the BNSF 1521 today.  Kind of nice that the 1521 might be wearing the same shade of orange that the 400C had back in 1943 too.

On a sunny Monday morning 6-16-08 I was driving in Seattle and crossing Horton St and noticed a southbound train coming towards me.  I pulled over camera in hand and photographed what looked to be a S-CHCTAC with units 5192/EMD 9054/BNSF 8031/CSX 7748 at 0931. 

I thought it was a pretty colorful lashup.  Heading home later that day I stopped at South Seattle and noticed the same power set minus the 8031 was there along with some additional interesting power with  ex-Soo Line SD60 6014 at the north end alongside Airport Way.  After pulling over to take some photos I noticed a headlight come around the curve from the south so I decided to frame the train passing the 6014.  I wasn’t expecting three ex-BN geeps so I was quite pleased.

Back shot shows the BNSF 2974/2879/2079 leading the northbound.

Then it was back to the power sitting at South Seattle.  The entire lashup looked really nice and just as colorful as the set I saw this morning.

The line up from this end was CEFX 6014/BNSF 6723/CSX 7748/EMD 9054/BNSF 5192.  Here is a roster photo of the CEFX 6014.

Before leaving I noticed two BNSF SW1000′s had arrived and coupled up to two BNSF cars sitting at the north end of South Seattle.  They were consecutively numbered 3606/3607 making them kind of interesting. 

They soon left towards Argo with the two cars and I headed for home.  This was a nice little diversion from a regular commute home.

On Saturday 5-31-08 Mac Palmer of Missoula, MT was visiting in the area and asked me to ride along and show him some of the Seattle Sub since he was not too familiar with it.  I said sure and it was partly cloudy that morning as we headed south towards Tacoma with Steilacoom being our first planned stop.

Going by Tacoma we noticed a southbound UP freight headed through Reservation.  Coming into Steilacoom we parked by the ferry terminal and right away could hear a southbound headed our way and quickly set up above the parking lot.  The BNSF local with units 2900/2276 went by at 9:59am.

As the lighting was not really good here we decided to move a bit further north by the park.  Before leaving I did take a photo of the passenger only boat leaving the dock.

North of Steilacoom it wasn’t long before we could see the UP southbound seen at Tacoma coming around the curve in the distance.  We drove up to the small yard north of the park where we photographed a long general merchandise train with a good sized string of gondolas on the head end at 10:13am.  Power was UP 5016/4300/4795.

At 10:47am northbound Amtrak #500 went by headed for Seattle.  Behind the Talgo at 11:05am was a northbound BNSF rail train with units 7062/6703/2753/2730.

As can be seen the clouds were building and the thoughts of promised afternoon sun was beginning to fade away.  The ribbon rail train had a string of ballast cars on the head end and stopped to set some of them out at the small yard north of the park.  Amtrak #11 was coming and blew by the ribbon rail train on the opposite track at 11:19am with units 113/155.

Soon the set out was complete and the Ribbon Rail train was on the move again.  Bringing up the rear was BN caboose 12622 covered with a bit of graffiti.

This caboose was built as the Great Northern X-142 in 1969 and became the 10062 after the BN merger.  The caboose also had a crewman riding on it.  Here it is headed north towards Tacoma going by the park. 

The crew told the dispatcher they were going to yard the train at Auburn.  On the radio we could hear the BNSF PASVBC following the ribbon rail train and at 11:36am it slowly came around the curve with BNSF 4571/1024/5393 and a string of Swift doublestacks which caught us by surprise.

Here is a shot of some of the Swift doublestacks ahead of the regular boxcars and other freight.  Don’t recall seeing any Swift doublestacks before now.

Mac and I figured it was time to move on and my next planned location was the tall bridge over the tracks south of Nisqually.  I knew the scotch broom lining the tracks there should add a lot of color.  After arriving we could hear the UP 5125 North stopped to the south of our location calling the dispatcher.  Then we noticed one of the southbound signals was flashing yellow meaning a train was close.  It turned out to be the BNSF U-INBROO with units 8086/2718/6723 and it was by at 12:39pm.

This was probably my favorite shot of the day.  Lots of color.  Then the UP 5125 came by next at 12:46pm.  The shot was not in great focus but the location still looked really nice!

Then we moved down to the grade crossing and photographed a few trains there.  On was a southbound UP general merchandise train with autoracks on the head end.  UP 7798/4790 led the train by at 1:19pm.

After the BNSF M-EVEVAW went by with three GE’s at 1:58pm we headed back towards Renton as Mac had plans for the evening.  Still we saw some interesting trains in some very nice scenery.  It may have turned cloudy but it was not a bad day!