Three of a Kind - Yet No Three the Same Three EMD GP40-2s rest on the roundhouse lead south of the Alaska Railroad's system diesel shop. While all three are the same model and all were built new for the ARR they all wear different schemes. 3003 in the middle is the oldest of the group having been built in 1975 as part of ARR's first order for seven units. She continues to wear her as delivered black and gold freight scheme from that era. 3011 dates from the ARR's second order in 1976 for five more and she originally wore black and gold as well. Rebuilt in 2000 in Livingston, MT she was outfitted with a 300kw HEP generator and a new paint scheme. And on the point here is 3012 which dates from the third and final 1978 order for four more GP40-2s. She was delivered in the Alaska Bold scheme but with a US Department of Transportation nose medallion originally. In 2011 she was repainted right here in Anchorage by a local contractor into the current scheme but kept her giant oversized front plow. Note the iconic Purina Chow style water tank atop government hill which is owned by the railroad and now serves as an antenna base station. My home was almost exactly 500 feet to the left and up the hill and across the road from the 3012. Anchorage, Alaska |
