From The GN To The NP

My photo.

June 1, 2016

After being built to haul GN passenger trains, this SDP40 was relegated to freight service. Over the years it found it's way to regional line Montana Rail Link, who leased it out for shortline service on the Eastern Washington Gateway. It became the star of the summer of 2016, as all of us local fans burned though pixels of it hauling wheat in Eastern Washington. 

MRL 290

Former Great Northern SDP40 321, as the Montana Rail Link 290, leased to the Eastern Washington Gateway and seen in Coulee City, on March 7, 2016. This locomotive is notable in that it was one of 6 built for the GN in 1966 as a passenger engine.

Note in the first photo there are a few telegraph poles still standing here, along with a flanger sign (the dark grey/black sign near the left of the photo) which told plow crews where to raise the plow to avoid hitting crossings and such. In the right hand center background of the photo can be seen the grade which ran straight past this location, heading south to Adrian. This section was abandoned in 1953.

See this shot at Railpictures.net as well

Crossing county road J NE.

Entering Coulee City. The former depot, seen on the right, has been the Senior Center since 1977. The red building on the left once belonged to the Potlatch Lumber dealer.

Building the train by pulling cars from the south track first. 

Starting the pull to leave town. The concrete silos were constructed in the wake of the abandonment of the nearby Mansfield branch. On the left of the train is the former Centennial Mills crib elevator, steel tanks, and warehouse.