Union Pacific Power Shortage?

Based on the last two trains I’ve photographed, you might think that the UP is going through a shortage of locomotives.

I caught a loaded UP ballast train at Stafford yesterday evening with only one unit, SD70M 4476,  for power. The sun was flirting with some clouds near the horizon and I knew getting good sun would be a coin toss. As you can see, the clouds won the coin toss for the shot of the head end.

I won the next coin toss, as the sun popped into the clear for a moment for the all-important shot of the UP ballast hoppers.

Today, 10/31/12,  I was swamped at home with editing chores, unable to get out to enjoy the clear skies. Around 4:00 PM, I heard the Glidden sub DS talk to UP 8406 West at Heacker. As I needed to run a few errands, I stepped out, camera in hand. My first stop was the small culvert at MP 20.97, just east of the Dulles Avenue grade crossing.

The train didn’t take long to arrive. It was the ASPEGR, the daily Spring, TX to Eagle Pass, TX empty auto racks. As it’s a relatively light train, it typically runs with a single locomotive.

There were 3 other trains set to go by within an hour, but being eastbounds, I decided to get back on task and get the desperately needed car wash before going back home to grill fajitas. Then I had to make sure the house was ready for Halloween – curtains closed and lights off. I don’t want to be an accessory to juvenile tooth decay….