Today’s Trains – March 2, 2010
With a two-hour gap between video jobs in Houston today, it seemed like a great time to turn on the radio and see what might be out and about.
Right off the bat, I hear UP 4056 on the East Belt sub just south of Tower 87. I was able to set up at the Wallisville Road grade crossing.
UP SD70M 4056 southbound at Strutt on UP's East Belt Sub in Houston on March 2, 2010
The industry on the right appeared to be a packaging plant for drilling mud. The product arrives here in covered hoppers where it’s bagged for distribution to drilling sites.
UP 4056/9653/5183 with a train of coke destined for export from the Port of Houston
The overpass in the background is the Englewood hump lead.
The train consisted of GATX hoppers loaded with export-bound coke.
The last time I posted a shot of GATX hoppers, a reader was able to ID the train as originating at the Conoco Phillips refinery in Borger, TX, but that was a BNSF train. Any help with the symbol for this train and/or where it originated will be appreciated.
Getting back into the car, I hear TD2 (UP Terminal Sub Dispatcher 2) talking to the QEWWC (Quality Englewood-West Colton), who was getting ready to blast off from the west end of Englewood Yard.
The QEWWC preparing to depart Englewood Yard on a sunny March 2, 2010.
A quick 10 minute drive to Bringhurst Avenue put me at the head end of the train. Two UP carmen were present to provide a roll-by inspection of the train as it departed.
Three flared-radiator EMD's on the point and 2 more as DPU's were the power for today's QEWWC
TD2 called the crew to see if they were qualified via Stella as that was the only route available at that time. The crew responded that they were, upon which TD2 said “I’ll let you go in about 10 minutes to allow a welder to clear up at T&NO Junction.”
Since I had the video camera with me and it was only 10 minutes, it seemed like a great time to set up for some video of the QEWWC departing.
10 minutes became 20 before TD2 said he was ready for the UP 8110 to depart. My patience was rewarded with a nice roll-by video.
Note the second unit firing up at 47 seconds into the video.
New Engine Ready Tracks at Settegast Yard
UP and CN power occupy the two new locomotive ready tracks at the far north end of Settegast Yard in Houston. Two GP-38-2's, in dire need of fresh paint, are shoving a cut in the background.
I got out a bit this past Sunday, as the day was nice for a change, and yard work can wait…
I came across two new engine ready tracks at the far north end of Settegast Yard. This area had a team track years ago, but it’s been vacant ground for a good 10 years.
It’s nice to see a new spot where units can be photographed easily.
The Brownsille Turn – Pic of the Day
Two MP GP18's are westbound through San Benito, TX on March 13, 1980
The MP used to run a local from Harlingen, its primary yard in the Rio Grande Valley, to Brownsville, about 25 miles southeast. It typically would do its work en route to Brownsville and deliver whatever cars were needed at the Brownsville Yard. Once their work was done at Brownsville, the crew would run around their train and return to Harlingen.
It seems that the Harlingen hostler didn’t set up the engines back to back, so the local’s crew has the pleasure of running long hood forward.
The Beast!
C&EI GP35 666 pulls a long manifest through Fort Worth, Texas on Sept. 1, 1974.
The MP acquired control of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois in 1963, yet continued to assign C&EI reporting marks to some locomotives until 1974.
Toward the end of its tenure as a C&EI unit, GP 35 666 leads C&EI 664 and UP U28C 2883 at Fort Worth, Texas on Sept. 1, 1974. The 666 was later re-numbered MP 2563.
You may remember the story about Santa Fe Dash 9-44CW 666. The Santa Fe re-numbered it to ATSF 599 after growing tired of crew complaints about operating a locomotive that bore the “mark of the beast” 666.
Old School Coal Train – Pic of the Day
Coal loads awaiting new crew at Marysville, Kansas on Oct. 14, 1990
UP SD40-2 3808 along with 2 BN C30-7’s are holding a loaded coal train at the Marysville, Kansas yard on Oct. 14, 1990. There are still find plenty of coal trains at Marysville, but steel hoppers have been replaced by aluminum hoppers. The SD40-2 and the C30-7’s have been replaced with hordes of GE AC4400CW’s.
Missouri City at Sunset – Pic of the Day
UP 2661 in the siding at Missouri City, TX on Dec. 21, 2005
UP SD40M-2 2661 holds a work train in the siding at Missouri City, TX on Dec. 21, 2005.
SD40M-2 is the model designation given this unit by M-K when it was re-manufactured from SP 9130, an SD45. Flared radiators or not, as far as the UP is concerned, it’s just another SD40-2.
What Have You Done To My GP50?
Brand-new UPY 2100, a MP20GP Genset unit, at Settegast Yard in Houston, TX on Feb. 18, 2007
UPY 2100 is a brand-new genset locomotive, designed for yard work and transfers.
In a previous life, it was MP GP50 3514, acquired in 1980 to power hot intermodals on the Chicago-Houston corridor. It was retired by the UP and converted by Motive Power Industries in April 2006. The genset is equipped with a CAT 3516C diesel engine, with Tier 2 compliance, which includes EFI fuel injection and aftercooling.
Matched set of SP AC4400CW’s – Pic of the Day
3 SP AC4400CW's await a fresh crew at Franklin Park, IL on Oct. 5, 1997
Matched sets of 4400 HP GE’s were short-lived on the SP. The 100-378 AC4400CW’s and the 8100-8200 CW4400-9’s arrived on the SP in 1995 and 1994, respectively.
UP control over the SP became official Sept. 11, 1996, but motive power patterns remained the same for a time after the merger. The era of matched sets of 4400 HP GE’s lasted 2-3 years at most. That’s just not fair…
PS-It must be noted that the only way SP was able to swing the roughly $5 billion purchase of 380 new GE’s was because the UP/SP merger was in the works. GE and the banks knew that they would get paid…
The Southern Pacific Ran to Miami? No way!
Yes way. The Southern Pacific served Miami until 1988. Miami, Arizona, that is.
Which Miami were you thinking about?
SP GP35 6588, accompanied by 2 GP9's, drags into Miami, AZ on Jan. 21, 1978
Miami was the end of SP’s Globe branch. This line came off the Sunset mainline at Bowie, AZ and ran 135 miles north into the copper mining area of Arizona.
The line was started by the Gila Valley, Globe & Northern Railway, but during construction the line came under control of the Arizona Eastern Railroad. The line was completed in January 1899.
The SP gained control of the Arizona Eastern Railroad in 1905. In 1924, the SP merged it into its system and the Arizona Eastern was no more.
Fast forward to 1988. All Class 1 railroads were spinning off branches that they couldn’t operate profitably. The SP was no exception.
The SP sold the Globe Branch to Kyle Railways in 1988. In a moment of inspiration, Kyle named the line Arizona Eastern Railroad.
The line has been sold several times over the last 22 years. It’s currently owned by Iowa Pacific Holdings, but it’s still called the Arizona Eastern Railroad.
KCS Contrast – Pic of the Day
Today’s Port Arthur – Laredo manifest has two units for power. ES44AC 4706 and SD70ACe 4014 provide a great illustration of the contrast between the new and the old paint schemes.
The lead unit is in the striking new “Heritage” image adopted in 2007, where the trailing unit wears the practical, yet handsome gray scheme that was the KCS image for almost 20 years, from 1989 to 2007.
Baytown Bullet – The Video
The video will give you a better idea of why I called this train the Baytown Bullet.
Can any horn experts identify the horn on this engine?
The Baytown Bullet
I had a few minutes between video depositions today. What to do? Get some lunch or see if something’s running? Duh…
UP SD60M 2422 crossing Greens Bayou on the Baytown Sub on Feb. 17, 2010
It didn’t take long before I came across UP 2422, a really sharp looking SD60M, leaving Market Street Yard with a trainload of empty plastics hoppers and chemical cars headed for Coady Yard in Baytown.
This train is at MP 3.5 of the Baytown Sub in east Houston, near the intersection of Federal Road and Market Street. This trackage is ex MP route to the chemical plants and refineries in Baytown, about 20 miles east of Houston.
The train was doing all of 10 mph as it went by me. The speed limit for this sub is 20 mph as it cuts through mostly residential areas, with numerous grade crossings.
Southwest Rails 