SP 6304 Parked in Moscow, ID

S

ScratchyAngel

Member
Mar 25, 2008
187
0
16
Pullman, WA
As a kid I always loved SP for some reason, and the first N scale locos I ever bought were a blood nose and a daylight diesel. The other day I was surprised to see a Black Widow F7A parked along the road in Moscow, ID. I was kicking myself to not have my camera. Well, it's still there today, and I had my camera this time. After some web searching I figured out it's actually moved to town, owned by the Washington & Idaho Railway.

One of the photos I found on the web called it an F9, but I'm pretty sure it's an F7A (EMD 10600 to 10699 seems to agree). I took about 40 photos of it (and more of WRIX 316 just down the road), and I can post more with the details if you like. I also got some pictures of the way some of the ties are irregularly angled and broken up on this little shortline. I am puzzled by this plate (a matching faded one on the left of the train has the same data) though. Is this a rebuild date for the loco's engine?

This is my first post :wave:, so if I messed up the attachment of the photos, I'll try to get it right below.

Also, this is a great community. I've been reading for the last week or two as I've been thinking about finally building my first grown-up N-scale layout and I've learned a lot from everyone here. Thanks.

Jason
 

Attachments

  • BlackWidow0001.jpg
    BlackWidow0001.jpg
    161.8 KB · Views: 22
  • BlackWidow0002.jpg
    BlackWidow0002.jpg
    100.9 KB · Views: 16
Judging by the nice fresh paint, I suspect that Bombardier did a complete refurbishment on that locomotive. I'm just curious if the Washington & Idaho Railway is going to put their name on it, or leave it in S.P. I'm not sure if they can legally operate it with the S.P. logo on the side. They can leave it in Black Widow paint however!
 
Here you go Viperman

I have no idea of their plans, but part of me can dream of buying matching passenger cars for railfan trips from Pullman to Spokane. I'd imagine with new reporting marks there's some way to keep the SP name on it, as the MRLX is already a non-SP leasing company. Here are a few more shots of it. Hopefully I'll catch it on a blue-sky day, once Winter decides to end here.
 

Attachments

  • BlackWidow0003.jpg
    BlackWidow0003.jpg
    206.6 KB · Views: 16
  • BlackWidow0004.jpg
    BlackWidow0004.jpg
    150.3 KB · Views: 19
  • BlackWidow0005.jpg
    BlackWidow0005.jpg
    83.7 KB · Views: 14
  • BlackWidow0006.jpg
    BlackWidow0006.jpg
    121.4 KB · Views: 17
  • BlackWidow0007.jpg
    BlackWidow0007.jpg
    111.9 KB · Views: 17
  • BlackWidow0008.jpg
    BlackWidow0008.jpg
    225.5 KB · Views: 15
Your right. I hadn't looked closely before, but it is an fp not a regular f unit. I think Via ran Fp-9s, I'm not sure if they ran any Fp-7s. After you mentioned Via , I looked more closely and sure enough it has the extra length and the steam generator in the rear of the cab.
 
ScratchyAngel said:
I have no idea of their plans, but part of me can dream of buying matching passenger cars for railfan trips from Pullman to Spokane. I'd imagine with new reporting marks there's some way to keep the SP name on it, as the MRLX is already a non-SP leasing company. Here are a few more shots of it. Hopefully I'll catch it on a blue-sky day, once Winter decides to end here.
Click to expand...

I've noticed a number of leasing companies that have bought and are leasing out ex U.P. locomotives with new reporting marks, but the U.P. is painted out, or if it isn't they were being leased by U.P. Since U.P. owns the Southern Pacific name, I doubt they will let someone else use the name "Southern Pacific" on the side of the engine and another company would like to have their own name on the side of their locomotive rather than the Southern Pacific name. That "black widow" paint scheme would sure look nice on it regardless of what name goes on the side of the locomotive!

Also they can't buy matching passenger cars. They would need to paint their own, that was a freight only scheme on the S.P., the passenger scheme used by S.P. at the time was the Daylight scheme, and some trains had a red & gray livery.
 
Thanks for nothing CNWman. Having to join something to view photos is a pain and not something I don't care to do. I am on enough junk mailing list already I have to delete daily. I would love to view the Black Widow pics, but not at the expense of giving away my email address to do so.
Why not post them for all to see, less the requirement to join yet another web site?
 
Wow, a really tangled past there, so it is an FP9 after all and the other citation was right. It also was apparently parked in a yard in Marshall, WA for a few years. I haven't heard of WI doing anything but freight, so I imagine that's what it'll do.

http://www.trainweb.org/chris/nrhsexpress.html has more on the tour CNWman pointed out.

According to CN F-units - CN Lines SIG it was originally CN 6509 before being sold to VIA, and this isn't the first time it had a special paint scheme as it helped pull a Centennial train across Canada in 1967.

The CN page and GMD A600 to A699agree it's an FP9A built in 1954 (Sept or Dec). I should probably drop them a line that the trail of road names ending with VIA 6509 breaks with the renumber to 6304 and the sale to MRLX.

Triplex I don't know about the new designation, but the CN page does say it was refitted in 1997 (but doesn't mention 1991 from the side plates).

Russ, I know what you mean, but I wonder how it's remained in SP scheme for the last 3 years? Does UP own or have an interest in Mid America Railcar Leasing (MRLX)? Maybe it was just painted with permission for the tour and no one form UP noticed it sitting idle to order a repaint.

Always something new with this engine. My wife says "Your obsessed with that train, aren't you?" I'm not sure if that's better or worse than obssesed with trains.
 
ScratchyAngel,

Great pictures considering the weather.

As far as WI buying that unit, that's news to me. Last I heard, it was leased to them. It was also painted in the WP Zephyr paint scheme in 2004 prior to getting painted in the SP Blackwidow paint. The WP Historical Society used it for a special run over Donner Pass as part of the WP Historical Societies annual convention.

SP did buy their FP7's in Blackwidow paint, the only SP/SSW FP7 to wear Daylight colors was one unit originally bought by the Cotton Belt. SP repainted all their FP's into the Grey and red soon after buying them.

Greg Elems
 
TexDoc said:
Thanks for nothing CNWman. Having to join something to view photos is a pain and not something I don't care to do. I am on enough junk mailing list already I have to delete daily. I would love to view the Black Widow pics, but not at the expense of giving away my email address to do so.
Why not post them for all to see, less the requirement to join yet another web site?
Click to expand...

oops, sorry TexDoc:oops: I didn't know that you needed to be a member of that site to see those pics:cry:
 
Triplex I don't know about the new designation, but the CN page does say it was refitted in 1997 (but doesn't mention 1991 from the side plates).
Click to expand...
That would be the second refit, which means it was one to receive the first refit (the 645 engine) in the early 80s. VIA retired their last 567-engined FP9s in '95. In '97, the re-engined units were converted from steam heat to HEP. They didn't last long in this form, being retired between 1999 and 2002. I'm not sure what significance 1991 has.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom