As MRL 108 has recently left the MRL for the SRY in BC it seemed it was time to make an update on this GP9.
MRL 108 was built as Great Northern 683 in April 1956 and assigned to the Montana Division. After the 1970 BN merger it was given the number 1835 and continued to work in Montana assigned to the Havre shops on the ex-GN. The high short hood was chopped and made the front end. (GN’s GP9’s operated long hood first)
By 1987 when I first saw the 1835 it was working on the ex-NP lines in Western Montana. This is my first photo of the 1835 as the middle unit on the Paradise Local at Sandpoint, ID 4-23-87 just before heading east.
The next morning the 1835 was set out at Paradise to be picked up by the Polson Turn which arrived at Paradise with 2 GP38-2’s and GP9 1717. The 1835 was added to the point and then headed east for Missoula passing Quinns at 11:10 AM April 24, 1987.
Earlier that same morning I had rostered the 1835 at Paradise before the Polson Turn arrived as the early morning sunlight looked really nice.
Later that year came the MRL and the 1835 became part of MRL’s roster being numbered 108. By August 1988 it was painted blue and I first saw it as the MRL 108 at Paradise, MT 7-12-90 at just about the same spot I had photographed it as the BN 1835 as it was working the Paradise Local which was not running that day however.
That was the last time I would photograph the 108 until December of 2007 when I saw it in storage 12-15-07 at Livingston on a winter trip to catch the ex-NP SW1200’s also in storage there.
Of course when I photographed it I had no idea of it’s heritage and that it was really an old friend I had photographed before when a BN unit. The 108’s time in Montana would soon end as by September 2008 it along with MRL GP9 128 departed the MRL for the SRY in British Columbia arriving there later that month. Word is that it will be used for parts or turned into a slug. While I was glad neither the 108 or 128 were ex-NP GP9’s it is still sad to see any GP9 leave the MRL.
Update: Thanks to recent info from the MRL Yahoo List it was learned the MRL 108 and an SD9 died and froze up in a UP Chicago yard on a cold December day while being returned to MRL after being leased to IMRL. This happened a year or two before the demise of IMRL. The locomotive was not worth repairing which is why it will be used for parts.
MRL 127 is a former Great Northern GP9.
It was built in May 1954 as the GN 680 and delivered in the classic orange and green. It and the GN 679 were delivered with steam generators and assigned to the Mesabi Division and kept near Superior for passenger train service on the Gopher or Badger when their consists required additional power. Water for the steam generator was carried in tanks between the trucks and fuel tank so the air reservoirs were moved up to the roof. In photos I have seen the headlight on the long hood, front for GN GP9’s, was set lower than normal as a single red warning light was mounted just above it. Later the 680 was painted in the simplified orange and green and then Big Sky Blue.
At the BN merger in 1970 the 680 was assigned BN number 1832 and had the short hood chopped and made the front end. I first saw the BN 1832 at Billings, MT 7-4-82 on an eastbound BN freight train on the ex-NP.
In a bit more than 5 years it would be sold to MRL at start up 10/87 and given number 103. Here is a photo of the 103 at Bonner, MT 6-6-89 in MRL blue, still with the air reservoirs on the roof.
The 103 would be renumbered again 1/91 to the MRL 127. Here is the 127 heading up a work train westbound near Woodlin, MT 8-16-91 running the way GN intended. The lower mounted headlight can easily be seen.
On a trip east of Billings I photographed the MRL 127 on a westbound BN freight at Forsyth, MT 7-13-95 along with F45 390.
Note in the photo at Forsyth the smooth roofline. The GP9 was delivered without dynamic brakes. On a recent trip to Montana this summer I ran across the 127 again on the Paradise Local. I did not notice it at the time but now you can see it has dynamic brakes and the air tanks are mounted between the fuel tank and rear trucks. This photo was taken at Paradise on 7-14-08, 13 years after the Forsyth photo was taken.
And lastly here is a rear end photo taken at Woodlin, MT the same day 7-14-08. You can see the lower rear headlight is unchanged.
Considering only two GN GP9’s were built for passenger service it is interesting that one of the two is still in service on the MRL today. Makes me wonder if it has ever pulled an MRL passenger train?
MRL GP19-1 151 was rebuilt from MRL GP9 1744 in June of 1991.
Originally built as Northern Pacific GP9 306 in February of 1957 it was assigned to the Idaho Division while in service for the NP. After the BN merger in 1970 the 306 was renumbered BN 1744. I was a bit surprised to find out I saw it on the Stampede Pass line at Easton, WA 1-31-71 in the consist of BN train #174. BN units 6469/1744/1777/846/1842/1866 led that days train and the 1744 was still in NP colors.
Eventually it was repainted BN green but I did not see the 1744 again in service while it was on the BN. At the startup of MRL in 1987 the 1744 was acquired and had its BN markings painted out but kept the number 1744 with small MRL initials.
On my first trip to see the new MRL in 1988 I photographed the MRL 1744 leading the westbound Paradise Local at Woodlin, MT 2-19-88 as it was arriving at Thompson Falls, MT with the MRL 1732 trailing. Note the caboose is in the middle of the train.
After arriving at Thompson Falls the MRL local took the siding to meet westbound BN freight #195 which had cars to drop off for the local. Here the 1744 waits in the Thompson Falls siding.
The 1744 was chosen to be upgraded and rebuilt into a GP19-1 (though still with 1750 HP) and entered service as the MRL 151 in June 1991. From the front end it hardly resembled a GP9 and even the rear carbody was raised somewhat making it quite different. While MRL planned to rebuild other GP9’s this was the only unit done making it one of a kind.
On Oct 14, 2000 I got to ride behind the 151 on a fall colors special from Sandpoint, ID to Plains, MT and return. The train had 12 cars and was pulled by units 151/109 (GP19-1/GP9) eastbound. Here the train sits at Plains, MT after unloading the passengers.
I saw the 151 a few times after the 2000 trip but did not take any more photographs of this unique locomotive. On the evening of Wednesday June 25, 2008 the 151 was leading a local at Huntley, MT and struck a cut of cars sending one crewman to the hospital with minor injuries. The 151 received extensive front damage when one of the cars climbed up onto it as well as a bent frame. Word is it has been moved to Livingston to be scrapped.
MRL SW1200 18 has been in storage for awhile at Livingston but on a Dec 2007 trip I got a decent photograph of the ex-BN switcher in the deadline.
The 18 was built as the NP 157 in July of 1957 and was assigned to the Tacoma Division.
My first encounter with the SW1200 was on 4-15-75 well after the BN merger. It was at Auburn, WA on that date and was painted BN green and numbered 216 at the time. It remained assigned to the Northwest while in service on the BN. This photo of the 216 was taken at Tacoma, WA 3-1-81.
In October of 1987 the 216 left the BN and was acquired by the MRL as part of their startup. It was renumbered 18 and painted by 1989. There were 7 SW1200’s on the MRL numbered 12-18 making this one the final SW1200 of the series. The SW1200’s could be found most often working at Laurel or Billings. Age started to catch up with the 18 and by 2007 it was in storage at Livingston, MT. More than 50 years after it was built on 12-15-07 I photographed the 18 stored at Livingston.
I would have rather seen the 18 in service but that is rather unlikely now. I am just glad to have seen it one last time on the sunny day in December 2007. Catching any of the SW1200’s at Livingston, stored or not was one of my main goals of that trip so I was glad to have succeeded.
MRL SD45 359 was built as BN 6514 in June of 1971.
The 6514 does have a bit of infamy. On 1-19-80 the 6514 was involved in a spectacular derailment near Ridgefield, WA when it and BN SD45 6467 slid down an embankment after a mudslide struck their train. The 6514 was rebuilt and is seen here at Interbay on 11-11-80.
Most of the BN SD45 fleet was retired in 1986 and the 6514 was no exception. However it found a new home on the NYSW in early 1987 and was repainted black and yellow and renumbered 3626 for its new owner. The locomotive was sold to the MRL in September of 1993. It was eventually renumbered 359 but kept the yellow and black paint. I photographed it at Glendive, MT on 7-15-95 during the NP Hostorical Society Convention.
It was apparently never painted into MRL blue. Info from the MRL Yahoo list has it listed for sale at Livingston 4/07 and being to Progress Rail 7/24/07. It departed Laurel for Chicago on 8-5-07 ending its years of service on the MRL.
This is the first in a series of various MRL locomotives I have photos of in their “before” paint schemes and “after” MRL colors. MRL GP35 6355 is still in GT paint at Helena, MT 6-8-89.
It is originally ex-DTI 355 (before being Grand Trunk) and was eventually renumbered MRL 402 and painted blue. Here it is on the Paradise Local at Woodlin, MT 11-26-07.
