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Evergreen Pacific & Eastern Switcher

The first diesel on the EP&E, this GE 44-tonner arrived in 1948. Bought secondhand from the Army in 1947, a second example, numbered 11, arrived from a Seattle industrial railroad a few months later. In switcher and transfer duty, they hopped from yard to yard in rotation with two of the line’s older steam engines. In time they took over all such duties on the line.

The two diesels were the first EP&E rolling stock to use the green-and-white color scheme since 1919, when the line’s last passenger cars were delivered. They also display updated lettering and a new logo, both of which remained in use until the Burlington Northern bought out the EP&E in 1975. The engines were scrapped in 1978 after the BN was unable to find a buyer.