Identity Crisis Locomotive Style
This cache
is located on a F9A locomotive at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive
Center in Stevenson Washington. It was built by the Electro-Motive
Division of General Motors in LaGrange Illinois for the Northern
Pacific Railway in March 1956. It was originally numbered #7013D
and was a freight locomotive. In April 1965 it was assigned to
passenger service and renumbered #6704A, (taking the number of
another 1956 F9A that had been reassigned to freight service and
renumbered to #7052A in 1960). As #6704A, one of its assignments
was to pull the Vista Dome North Coast Limited passenger
train between Chicago and Seattle.
The
Northern Pacific Railway became part of the Burlington Northern
Railroad in March 1970 and the locomotive became Burlington
Northern #9816. Amtrak took over passenger service in 1971 and the
locomotive was reassigned back to freight service. In June 1973 it
was renumbered to #782. In December 1981 it was converted into
Rotary Snow Plow Power Unit (RSPU) #972569 and used in the
mid-west. It was retired in 1998 and BNSF donated the empty car
body to the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum for static
display. The museum has restored it as Spokane, Portland &
Seattle Railway #802. The real SP&S #802 was an earlier F3A
built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in November
1948. The Spokane, Portland & Seattle (SP&S) did not own
any F9As. When SP&S became part of Burlington Northern,
SP&S #802 became Burlington Northern #9752. It July 1972 it
became Rotary Snow Plow Power Unit #972551, but a locomotive
shortage returned it to service as locomotive #9752 in 1974. It was
renumbered to #712 in 1976 & was retired in November 1981 &
scrapped.
Now that
you have had your history lesson, check out the tons of old
machinery by the cache. This cache has been placed with permission
from the Columbia River Gorge Interpretive Center. Some of the
employees know exactly where the cache is located so feel free to
ask for help.