Does anyone know off the top of their head whatever happened to BN original #2072, a GP38 that was supposed to be SP&S's newest loco?
BN 2072 BN 2072 was ordered by the Spokane Portland & Seattle Ry. as the second number 200. 2072 was delivered to BN in March 1970. It is now BNSF 2139. BN 2072-2077 were the first BN locomotives delivered after the merger. The original SP&S 200 was an Alco FB-1 traded in to Alco for a C-424 or C-425 in the mid 1960's.
Hey, thanks for the history info Mr. SP! :thumbs_up: I snapped a couple of pic's way back in the 80's in Interbay, and lost track of her. Do you have a way of tracking her down?
Don't forget it was also a wreck rebuild. It got beat up pretty bad in a 1973 derailment. Looks like it was nearly freshly rebuilt in September 1974. Info from the 1974-1975 BN Annual by F. Hol Wagner.
Might check out www.Trainpix.com and go to the photo archives for the BNSF. There could be a photo if the unit on the site. I haven't looked yet.
I've always wondered about those late 1960's orders. SP&S, GN, NP, and... Were they really done in anticipation of the comsumated merger? Or actually intended for the RR which supposedly placed the order? I tend to believe the former. Keep thinking that I have a slide of 2072. But my BN are in filed chronological order. So,.... Boxcab E50
The SP&S GP38 number 200 was ordered because Alco had shut down and no more Alco's could be had. It is purely conjecture but had Alco's been available the SP&S would have bought more C-425's and C-636's. Both models as well as four more C-415's were in the works when Alco shut down. The SP&S was kind of the Delaware & Hudson of the west coast mostly Alco powered. Some modelers have painted models of the would have been 200 using Athearn models.
I was on one of these SP&S GP38's the other day in Spokane, it was the BNSF 2142 and it still had working class lights . Anyways I knew it was a SP&S unit because the blue card had SPS listed as the owner of the unit. Kevin
