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Wow! Mexican GE TFM 2619 leads the logs (SBOWD) as they blast
off from San Luis Obispo. Seen here across from Cal Poly San
Luis Obispo at the old siding location of Hathaway, TFM C44-9W
2619 leads C40-8 9047, B40-8 5665, and C44-9W 6847 plus three
SD40-2 helpers hooked up on the tail end of the train. Friday,
March 7, 2003. |
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Prototype GE GEVO AC45CW 5695 waits with SD70M 4615 at San
Luis Obispo for its next assignment as the Cuesta Grade Helper.
After a couple of days, 5695 found its way back into mainline
service, but on July 25, 2004, it sits quietly in front of the
SLO depot. |
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Away from their usual grain or coal train assignment, UP AC4400CW
6453 and 6454 and SD9043MAC 8179 pull into San Luis Obispo on
February 25, 2005. The Coast Line was still recovering fron
the bad winter storms and power assignments were sometimes unusual. |
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UP Extra 6453 South departs from the San Luis Obispo train
station on February 25th, 2005 after changing crews and allowing
the tail end helper to cut off and pull back up-town. Power
is 6453-6454-8179. |
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Renumbered UP GP40-2 1527 sits on the northbound mainline
at San Luis Obispo with a cut of cars dropped off by the Guadalupe
Switcher. A couple of former Trona rebuilt SD45-2's wait for
their next call as the Cuesta Helper. Flag Day, June 14, 2004. |
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A comparison of faces at San Luis Obispo. On Monday morning,
September 27, 2004, AC44CTE 5781 waits on the #1 siding with
the MWCPD while SD70M 5068 sits on the northbound main with
the ILCOA. Both trains are waiting on crew availability to continue
north from here. |
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With the MWCPD in the siding and the ILCOA on the northbound
main, the empty oil cans, ODOWP, comes up the wrong way on the
southbound main. Without any crews available, it looks like
a dispatcher nightmare, with all routes through SLO blocked.
Oil can power is 7535-7553-7501, MWCPD power is 5781-5818 and
the ILCOA has 5068-9541. September 27, 2004. |
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Progress Rail has been buying and leasing back a number of
UP SD40-2's. When the transaction occurs, the units are renumbered
into the 7800's and 7900's. Here 7899 leads former SP SD40-2M's
2761 and 2651 as the Cuesta Helper pulls out of the helper spur
at San Luis Obispo on April 9, 2004. |
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A more conventional looking helper set at San Luis Obispo
was to be found on May 21, 2004 with SD60M's 2281-2381-2167. |
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UP SD60 2201 and two other motors back out of the helper spur
at San Luis Obispo and prepare to run up the Cuesta Grade to
help another QRVML down the hill. July 3, 2003. |
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Brand new UP SD70M 5093 sits dead on the main line at San
Luis Obispo on New Year's Day 2003. The UP basically shuts down
for most major holidays. |
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The Cuesta Helpers, UP2671, HLCX6244, and HLCX6243 wait on
a sunny May 31st, 2004 for their next helper assignment at San
Luis Obispo. |
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HLCX (former Trona) 6243 at San Luis Obispo, May 31, 2004. |
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UP 2806 is a rebuilt SD45 that has gone through two heart
transplants. Starting as UP 3615, later renumbered UP 15, its
20-645E3 was replaced in the early 1980's by a Sulzer power
plant and renumbered UP 62. Retired by December 1983, and held
by the UP for four years before being sold to Precision National,
where it spent the next twelve years rusting away until being
rebuilt in 1999 with a 16-645 and Dash-2 electricals. I remember
UP's own SD45's, but few of them were this clean. San Luis Obispo,
May 17, 2002. |
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UP 2849 shares the sun with two other helpers at San Luis
Obispo on May 17, 2002. UP 2849 was originally built as SSW
SD45T-2 9161, was transfered to the UP upon the merger of the
two railroads, but unlike most of its brothers, this is one
of 40 rebuilt as SD40's and given a new lease on life with the
UP. The three radiator fan doors are the tell-tale sign of this
units origins as a SD45T-2. |
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Shot from the iron bridge at San Luis Obispo, Trona 3001 waits
for a turn as the Cuesta Helper on May 7th, 2004. |
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The Cuesta Helper on May 7th, 2004 consists of Trona SD45-2
3001 and 3006 and UP SD60 2167. |
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Trona 3001 at San Luis Obispo, May 7th, 2004. Externally still
a SD45-2, this engine was rebuilt to SD40-2 standards when sent
to the Trona from the Santa Fe. |
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UP 2167-2761-2651 pull the back part of a MWCPD out of SLO
and up to the headend that is just above the station. April
30, 2004. |
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Rebuilt UP SD45T-2 2853 waits at San Luis Obispo on February
13, 2004. |
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UP SD40T-2 4474 waits for its next helper assignment at San
Luis Obispo with SP 8560 and UP 3765. January 19, 2001. |
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Brand new SD70M 3886 spends a few days in April 2003 in helper
duty at San Luis Obispo. It wasn't long before someone figured
out that a two million dollar engine wasn't making much money
for the UP and it got replaced by something a lot older. |
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Late afternoon sunshine lights up a southbound train at San
Luis Obispo as it comes in for a crew change on October 20,
2000. UP 6300-6180-9031 lead this train with three helpers buried
mid-train, while a northbound is ready to leave off the #1 yard
track with 4 SD40-2's. |
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A northbound wails past the Grover Beach Amtrak station with
9532-2237-3078 in charge of 80 cars. In a few minutes, the train
will be in San Luis Obispo for a crew change. March 16, 2001. |
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Rolling through the S-curves north of Casmalia, CA, this UP
westbound is heading up the coast on October 15, 2001. Power
is again all GE, 9404-9301-9323. |
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The MWCPD on June 6th, 2003 is running heavy. 94 cars are
led by 5 SD70M's, 5008-4193-4609-4473-4222. Seen here north
of Devon, CA. |
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Another shot of the MWCPD on June 6th, 2003. |
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UP9376 leads DM&E (former CP) 6086 and SP9819 across the
Gaviota bridge. The 6086 actually has no DM&E markings on
it; just the "Rail" in "CPRail" remains
on the long hood. February 14, 2000. |
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September 16, 2005 finds a MWCPD roaring towards Gaviota,
CA. Power is 4503-5696-5729 and they are in charge of 97 cars. |
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At sunset on February 4, 2005, a ballast train is just
getting tied down at Capitan with SD70M's 5080, 4895, and
4465 and about 60 cars. This train had been dumping ballast
north of Gaviota all day. |
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UP C40-8W's 9404-9382-9354 are in charge of a MWCPD on January
14, 2002. Seen here at the east switch of Seacliff, this train
is just leaving CTC territory and entering the Seacliff DTC
block. Later in 2002, the CTC will be extended west of Santa
Barbara and DTC will fall in favor of track warrants. |
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The Leesdale Local wth 3194-8624-3699 gets ready to pull out
a 40 car transfer from the Ventura Country Railway yard at Oxnard
on September 2, 2003. |
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February 5th, 2001 finds UP SD40-2 9941 sitting in the dead
line at Oxnard. Having been renumbered from the 4000 series
in late November, 9941 probably didn't put too many miles on
with its last number. |
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UP GP38-2's 625 and 742 working as the Oxnard Switcher wait
for Amtrak to pass just east of Oxnard. December 3, 2001. |
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Broadside of UP625. Oxnard, CA, December 3, 2001. |
