Yep, primer alright. Sometimes new locomotives are so badly needed that the buyer receives them in primer so as to save days on delivery and other times the buyer determines that they'd rather paint them in their own shops. I forget which was the deal with NS's SD-70Ms. It'd be an easy first airbrush custom paint project.
I am guessing the tower was located somewhere behind the rear end of that engine, in the background area?
Hopefully @BNSF FAN can give us a fix on where Howell Tower once stood. I shot this on 04/11/1984. It's an enormous interlocking. I might be wrong, but that looks like a first gen Plymouth Barracuda there.
In my picture, there is a pile of ballast in the lower right corner. The site of the tower in Hardcoaler's pic would be just to the right of that pile of ballast. The tail end of the black Chevy pick up in the lower right of Hardcoaler's pic would be very close if not on where that ballast pile is in my pic. Also, hist pic is from the opposite side of mine. That help?
Thanks @BNSF FAN . It's been some 30 years since I was last at Howells, so my memory is a bit fuzzy. I found the below shot this morning, taken 08/22/1992. So we know the tower existed at least another eight years beyond my above photo from '84. I also just found the interlocking diagram. Holy cow, what a plant. The tower is at the center toward the top, marked by a small rectangle.
Long way from home today in Auburn, Wa.... Thoroughbred on the lead of a SB EVEPAS. For some reason, they were stopped and checking out the first car.
