Western Railroad Discussion > ARR 2003 @ Seattle, Wa; 08/1986

Freshly painted ARR 2003 is seen at the BN Stacy Street yard, in Seattle, Washington, on a summer evening in August 1986

Note the building in the background was a Sears store

Jonathan Fischer
West Seattle, WA

---

---

---

Also noted that evening was ARR 3017 in the UP Argo yard. While the 2003 was heading north, 3017 was heading in the other direction

Jonathan Fischer
West Seattle, WA

---

Wow, 2003 looks great! By the time I got to the Alaska Railroad, she was still a good runner, although in pretty bad cosmetic shape, but still wearing that same paint job. Here she is with freshly painted 3012 on the south end of the Anchorage diesel shop in August 2014.

Interesting bit of 2003 trivia. It is the only locomotive in the entire ARR fleet that has a electric (push button) hand brake (obviously added later). It's also the only one I know of that rolled out of the south end of the yard unmanned one morning (in 2016 IIRC), down to the Port of Anchorage, and smashed into a car mover at the ABI cement plant in the port. Someone forgot to push the button. Anchorage Yard is on a 1% grade so proper securement is everything there.

I was on-duty that morning on the 7AM yard job preparing to yard the inbound Fairbanks freight and we heard the call over the radio about a loose engine sailing south through the yard. So me and my engineer, Will, flagged down our driver, piled into the Suburban, and gave chase.

We almost caught up to it at the "wye within a wye" at the south end of the yard but got held up by traffic. Then we got stopped at the security gate at the port and as we fumbled for our TWIC IDs trying to get the guard to let us go, we helplessly watched as 2003 rocked violently while sailing down the rickety port lead parallel to the road we were on at a high rate of speed (they estimated 35 MPH) and headed down the ABI spur colliding with the parked and, fortunately, unmanned car mover in a giant cloud of cement dust. We were the first ones there and after determining nobody was on board and nobody hurt, we secured it against any further movement. It was clearly badly wounded and leaking fluids all over the place.

The collision destroyed the car mover which the ARR had to replace. 2003 had some damage, including some sheared off bolts holding the alternator and compressor to the chassis, plus some bent water pipes and radiator damage. But they put her back together and she is still running today. 

Edited to add a shot of me and my engineer that fateful day, Will, on the same job, different date, different engine, in 2015 spotting a car on the APU Spur in Anchorage.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,3799950

Will and I often worked together and were both the only completely bald guys on the railroad so we had the dubious honor of being "The Chrome Dome Crew". The 2002 was my favorite yard engine. Good runner and a sweet horn. Will moved on from railroading a few years ago and I since moved to BNSF. Those were some of the best times of my life though. Last photo by Frank Keller.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/20 17:50 by trainjunkie.

---

---

---

I assume that was when the 2003 was being shipped to the ARR for the first time after they purchased it used?

That Sears location in the background is now the Starbucks headquarters isn't it?

Probably correct on both counts Milwaukee. 2003 was ex-Conrail, née PC and joined the fleet in 1986. I have a pic of the SB HQ somewhere I took from a cruise ship and from recollection it sure has the same shape as the Sears building. I'll see if I can locate it tomorrow. 

Correct, the old Sears building in Seattle is now Starbucks global HQ.

Definitely resembles the Sears building.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/14/20 09:41 by trainjunkie.

---