Over the years I have managed to acquire a number of locomotive number boards. Most of them are BN and nearly all I have a personal connection to, mainly I photographed the locomotive it came from before it was sold or scrapped.
My last purchase ranks up there as one of my most treasured number boards. I browse the internet from time to time checking to see if there are any new listings. Usually I see just one or two a year that I am interested in. A month or so back I saw a new listing that made me look twice. A pair of number boards from BN GP38-2 2344. BNSF had retired the EMD and it was purchased by a shortline who renumbered the locomotive making the number boards surplus and the “boards” were put up for bid. As I have a personal connection to the BN 2344 I wanted those two number boards in the worst way.
First a little background. In September 1987 I had been invited to join the BN Paradise Local crew for a train ride to Thompson Falls and return to Paradise. This was about 6 weeks before the BN would give up the line to MRL I was at Paradise, MT the morning of 9-16-87 and met up with the crew and we boarded the west facing GP38-2 on our power consist, BN 2344. From there I rose the 2344 to Thompson Falls and returned to Paradise of the east facing sister GP38-2 2341.
BN 2344 is ex-Frisco GP38-2 673 built in March 1972. I found this nice photo of the 673 on the Frisco Archive site taken in Missouri in 1976 when it was painted orange and white:
After BN merged with the SLSF in 1980 the orange and white GP38-2 was painted BN green and numbered BN 2344 and eventually assigned to the NP Glendive, MT facility for maintenance. Now back to September 16, 1987.
The engineer got their warrant showing slow orders and MOW locations in the Paradise depot and I was given a copy to keep.
Then we headed west stopping at Woodlin, MT to switch the lumber yard there. Note the engineer had the white nose gyralight working.
Then a roster of the BN 2344 at Woodlin.
After finishing the work we continued west to W&L Lumber at Thompson Falls and did some switching there leaving the caboose on the main line..
After switching was complete the local headed back to Paradise with us changing ends and riding the 2341 eastward. Back at Paradise tied up and the crew long gone I stuck around and enjoyed the company of the 2344 a little while longer taking a last roster of the BN 2344.
Note that the cab shade is Mandarin orange, Looks like not all the Frisco GP38-2 got green paint.
Now back to the bid for the 2344′s number boards. Asking price was $50 and my bid was not challenged so the two number boards were mine. I had no thoughts whatsoever in 1987 that one day I would own two of the number boards off the 2344. It wasn’t in my dreams then, but it sure is reality now.
