Rio Grande Valley This and That
I haven’t posted anything from the “good ole days” in the Valley recently, so here goes:
SP 6577 / 7876 / 7823 coming onto home rails at Harlingen, TX on May 5, 1980
The crew has just parked the HEBVY (Hearne-Brownsville Manifest) in the MP’s Harlingen, TX yard and they are coming onto SP track to tie down their power.
MP U30C 2989 and B23-7 2292 with a northbound manifest at Combes, TX on Jan. 29, 1980
Grubby weather or not, catching a U30C on the point of a train in the Valley was worth chasing, at least to Combes, the first little town north of Harlingen.
With McAllen being the end of the line for the SP in the Valley, 3 units was a good catch. The 3326 and 4113 came in on the road freight from Alice. In the background is GP9E 3762 which was holding down switching duties in McAllen. Photos taken in May, 1978, before SP abandoned its line from Victoria to the Valley in favor of MP trackage rights from Placedo to Harlingen.
Southwest Rails 
These are incredible! I’m still trying to pinpoint where the location of the SP #3326. The scene completely changed around there. But there’s still an offloading platform where the flat cars could drop off the trailers.
Did you manage to take any pictures north of Edinburg?
The engines are parked on what is now the east side of the DEA building. I have some pictures with Johnson’s Ropa Usada in the background.
I’d like to see those if you have the chance to post them. I think I do remember that Ropa Usada site, did a track run in between two large yellow-ish buildings?
One last thing, do you have any pictures west of Mission TX?
I saw a link to your UP 844 photos on railspot- these are great photos of action down in the Valley. When I was a kid in the 80’s, we used to go down and visit extended family in the Valley in the summers. I remember SP Gp’s in their Brownsville yard and seeing UP trains going through Raymondville where my Great Aunt lived.
Do you have any photos of the SP yard in Brownsville or any shots in Raymondville?
Thanks,
David Shoemaker
Here’s a post I did about the SP Yard in Brownsville