This trip started with a rising time of 1:15am on Sunday, December 7, 2003!!  My dad and I then left the house and headed for the Amtrak station in Spokane, WA.  We said goodbye and I boarded the westbound #27 bound for Vancouver, WA for a day of railfanning.  While waiting for the train to leave a westbound hopper train passed the station and then stopped to wait for us to pass it (EMD 9021, 9064, BN 9287, 9218).  Amtrak left on time at 2:45am and headed out of town.   I moved into the observation car which happened to be the car right behind the locomotive (Amtrak 99).  Looking through the door in the end of the car I could see over the engine and watch approaching trains and signals.  We took the Low side out of Spokane (which is normally reserved for eastbounds) and met a train at Empire.   Continuing on there was a westbound manifest stopped at Marshall, WA.  Then in Cheney, UP 4464 lead a northbound manifest at 3:00am.  In Babb siding an eastbound manifest was waiting and in Fishtrap it was a eastbound stack and TOFC.  As we approached Sprague we got a yellow over red and came to a stop at the west end of the siding.  But in a matter of seconds BNSF 5489 flew by with an eastbound stack train and we left as soon as he cleared.

     We didn't see another train until 4:00am at Essig where we met an eastbound stack with BNSF 4821 on the point.  Then at Sand, WA BNSF 4059 was leading a westbound hopper train.  AT Cunningham we ran around a westbound which was stopped at the end of the double track waiting for us (BNSF 4346 on the point).   We arrived in Pasco promptly at 5:30am where BNSF 6297 and 6263 were humping cars.   Also in the yard were several long lashups of locomotives but it was too dark to read many of the engine numberboards.  There was a westbound manifest with BNSF 987 on the point waiting to leave Pasco, WA though.  After a quick stop to change crews and let on or off passengers we were off.  At Yellepit we met an eastbound manifest at 6:00am.  Then at Berrian we passed a westbound hopper train.  BNSF 2157 was waiting for us at Plymouth, WA and then BNSF 638 was in the McCredie siding with a eastbound manifest.

     It was starting to get a little light as we reached Roosevelt, WA at 7:00am.  In the little yard there, a westbound garbage train was sitting (BNSF 2340, ATSF(BNSF) 6864, BN(BNSF) 8064).  Arriving at Wishram at 7:35am, it was finally light enough to see.  A westbound manifest and auto train (BNSF 964, 529, ????) and a westbound manifest train were waiting to leave (BNSF 4913, 4815).  A mile farther down the track we met the Z-PTLCHC which had 2 GP60m's (BNSF 4720, ????, SF(BNSF) 131, 118).  As we arrived at the Dalles the we started getting into lots of cloud cover.  Across the river I saw 2 eastbound UP trains, one at the Dalles and the other at Mosier, OR.  In Bingen siding we met an eastbound hopper train and at Cooks we did the same.  The train in Cooks had CSX 742 and CSX 7630 for power which is a little on the rarer side of things.  We passed the G-HIMINB9-03A at Stevenson, WA (BNSF 4370, 4494, 4101(DPU), 4518(DPU)). 

     Continuing on it started to rain and across the river I saw a westbound and eastbound UP train at Troutdale, OR.  At Skamania, WA we met an eastbound stack at 8:45am (BNSF 7027, BN(BNSF) 7931).  Finally at McLoughlin, WA we met the U-EVEROO1-06A which is a garbage train (BN(BNSF) 3123, 3018, BNSF 2703).   The train pulled into the Vancouver, WA station at 9:20am on the dot and I exited carrying my backpack and tripod.  Waiting for me was Robert Scott, Aaron Hockley, Zachary Hastings, and Steve Eshom.  We started talking and headed for the car when a southbound UP hopper train came around the corner and stopped at the signal right next to the depot (UP 8115, CP 8519).  We grabbed our cameras and walked down to get a couple of pictures of it.  The drawbridge was open so that a tugboat could go through and so both Amtrak and the UP were waiting for it to close.  We next drove up to BNSF's Vancouver, WA yard where there were a couple of locomotives in the engine servicing area and switching cars. 

     Then we headed up to Felida, WA where we were just in time to jump out and shoot the southbound M-EVELYD1-07A at 9:50am (BNSF 5430, 5383, ATSF 678).  We got back in the car and headed up to Richfield south for another shot or two.  On the way we heard the detector up north go off so we knew that it would be a close one to beat this train.  We reached the crossing and the light was still green so we knew that it was still coming.  A couple of minutes later we heard the horn and UP M-LJPD curved into view (UP 4770, 9657).  Amtrak was due in about a half an hour so we decided to stay put.  It was raining so we hopped in the car and waited for the signal to turn on.  At 11:00am it came into sight doing only about 65mph (Amtrak 469, 90250).  We knew there were several more southbounds on the way so we quickly headed up to a bridge just north Richfield, WA.  The first train was the S-TACBPA1-06V which we all shot at 11:25am (BNSF 4321, BN 9289, FURX 8097).  On the scanner we heard that 2 more trains were within 15 minutes or so away.  Driving down to the town of Richfield we set up next to the tracks to wait for the BNSF X-KALHVR1-06A.   It arrived in a matter of minutes with BNSF 5489 and 705 for power.  After that Steve Eshom headed back home and the rest of us headed back to Vancouver and Portland. 

     In Portland, OR we drove over to the Peninsula Terminal Railroad where we found PTRR 138, 140 and an ex-Wisconsin Southern switcher 1201.   After shooting these locomotives we drove over to T6.  The M-RRBVAW1-03A arrived with about half of its train at 12:40pm (BNSF 4815, 4913).  In the Rivergate yard there were 4 light engines waiting to get out to Vancouver, WA (BNSF 6732, 8631, ????, ????).  Also a UP intermodel train was waiting to do a double over of his train (UP 4954, 4400, 9734).  At 12:45pm a northbound Amtrak cruised through (Amtrak 90250, 469).  We then headed back into the different terminals and yards.  Down in the scrap yard we found a couple of International Terminal switchers and another switcher from a different railroad.  Next at Barns yard there were several UP switcher sets including UP 1474 and UPY 1151 also unpatched SP 258 and UP 8126 were in the yard. 

     Back up at the wye to T6 the G-NWERGT9-05 arrived and stopped just short of the crossover with 125 cars (CP 9143, 9656, BNSF 791 SF(BNSF) 910).  It was waiting for the southbound Amtrak Coast Starlight which would be coming in about 20 minutes.  We decided to drive down to the UP Peninsular Jct. where the UP comes out of the Peninsular tunnel.  There was a train lined out of the tunnel but we drove back over to the BNSF to catch Amtrak.  We grabbed a couple of shots at St. Johns as it roared through (Amtrak 120, 113).  Next we drove back up to get pictures of the G-NWERGT as it pulled into T6.  After that we decided to drive down to BNSF's Lake yard and Willbridge yard to see what we could find.  On the way down we passed a big house moving on a trailer.  It evidently had broken down because it was stopped in the middle of the road blocking all traffic coming the opposite way we were going.   In the Willbridge yard we found BNSF 4383, 2877 and several other locomotives.  In Lake yard the only thing we saw was three UP engines (UP 5746, 4355, 9283). 

     Next we rolled in McDonalds to grab some lunch since it was already 2:30pm.  After that it was over to UP's Albina yard to eat and watch the action.  As we arrived so did the northbound Z-LASE with a short train (UP 5033, 4980, 4621, 4123).  In the yard itself there were quit a few engines including UP 4000, 5718, 9433 and unpatched SP 2634, 2732.  Finally around 3:05 or so we left and drove down to the Brooklyn yard where we saw UPY 1152 and UP 1077.  Then down a little farther to a spur track with some interesting power.  There was the Oregon Pacific 100 with Christmas lights on the nose.  Also there was an SP 70 tonner 5100 in what looked like brand new paint.  Also some other engines included Oregon Pacific 1810 and an ex SP slug 1010 unpatched.  There was an ex-GN NW5 switcher #187 and also Oregon Pacific 500.  Another interesting locomotive was an ex-Pacific Lumber Company 101 engine sitting on regular railroad car trucks.  After shooting most of these guys we headed back up to the Brooklyn yard where we watched a pair of ex-SP switchers shuffle cars around.  They were UP 1186 and UPY 1462 and where both still in SP paint with just a patch. 

     By this time it was 3:30pm and so we drove over to the old roundhouse at the yard.  The guys I was with knew the people who worked at the Roundhouse repairing locomotives so we got to take a walk around.  They were working on an old F40PH Amtrak 231 when we got there.  They needed to connect the drive shaft back up, oil it, attach some filters and do a little electrical work and then they were going to fire her up.  Right next to her was a PA-1 #866 in primer paint which is suppose to be painted into into SP&S paint.  Right behind Amtrak was Doyle McCormick's Nickel Plate RSD-5 #324.  After shooting those locomotives and going inside the cab of the F40PH we walked into the Roundhouse.  Inside SP&S 700 and SP Daylight 4449 waited side by side for a time to get out and run an excursion train.   Also inside was a PA-1 #190 which Doyle McCormick repainted into a Nickel Plate scheme.  After getting a bunch of different pics of the locomotives we headed back outside.  In back of the roundhouse Great Northern 274 an F7A sat by itself.  It was getting late and so we drove back up to the Vancouver station to catch my train.

     We got to the station about 20 minutes early and found a BNSF M-PASINB train (BN(BNSF) 3006, ATSF(BNSF) 8734, BNSF 771).  At 4:50pm the X-KALHVR1-06A which we had seen earlier in the day finally left Vancouver yard and headed west.  A southbound Amtrak and the Amtrak #28 which I was to board both arrived at the same time.  I waved goodbye and got on the train.  We got stopped somewhere on the east side of Vancouver for over 30 minutes and by the time we reached Bingen we were already 50 minutes late.  I didn't keep track of how many westbounds we met or eastbounds we passed but I know there were quite a few.  We finally reached Pasco, WA 45 minutes late.  In the engine servicing area there were BNSF 989, 724, 809 and several others.  I slept from then on until Spokane, WA so I don't know what the traffic was like.  But we arrived in Spokane only 15 minutes late so somehow we had managed to make up a half an hour on the trip.  My dad met me at the station and we drove home reaching it around 1:00am.  It was a long day but full of fun.   Thanks to the guys for the great tour of the Portland area and hope to see you guys again soon!