Prototype USA 1978

JasonD

Western Thunderer
Bah! Can't get remotely near that. Mind you, travelling on Amtrak from LA to NO in Oct !974 we took to a passing siding to let a w/b frt past. So I went to the tail car and looking out the tailgate noticed one of the crew on his radio waving up at me, or rather the tail light. It was a red lamp on a well-used piece of wire hanging inside the window right in front of me, but it wasn't illuminated so .... The crewman gave me a friendly wave and I haven't washed my thumb and forefinger since :cool:
Jason
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
When I was a member of the Gulf Coast Chapter we organized several trips using the UP heritage train. At the time 844 was out of service but the E8s and Challenger 3985 were both visitors to Houston.

A comment about the smoke on run bys. This was still being done in the 1990s but I understand it has now been banned by UP as a "bad for society" message. My memory is failing me here, but the two men in charge of the steam engines were "married" to them. I wish I could remember their names - Steve ?Smith and Ron K-----------. Can anyone fill in the blanks? I know that Ron retired first.

Repairs were often needed on these trips. Challenger 3985 lost power to one of its four cylinders but carried on down to Houston at 62mph on the Saturday run. On Sunday it was back on 4 cylinders thanks to some "oil field welding".

I have Proto 2000 models of the E8s and a Rivarossi Challenger somewhere in my stash. Great memories!
 

PhilH

Western Thunderer
My memory is failing me here, but the two men in charge of the steam engines were "married" to them. I wish I could remember their names - Steve ?Smith and Ron K-----------. Can anyone fill in the blanks? I know that Ron retired first.

Steve Lee was the Manager of the Union Pacific Railroad's Steam Crew until his retirement in 2010.

UP have just donated a number of items to the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America, including Challenger No.3985, 2-10-2 No.5511 and Centennial No.6936. RRHMA are based at the former Rock Island RR shops at Silvis, Illinois and have restored and operate Milwaukee Road No.261. They plan to restore 3985 (which last ran in 2010) first and then 5511 which has never run since withdrawal from normal service in the 1950s.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Thanks, Phil, for the update. Steve Lee was a “larger than life” character when in charge. I think UP’s management was quite fearful of his enthusiasm for the steam locos. Mind you, he ran the locos so that they could tour the system!
 

PhilH

Western Thunderer
5. UP101B © PGH.jpg

8444 backs down for the second photo runpast at Lynch on Track 3 of Sherman Hill.


6. 28711B © PGH.jpg

For some obscure reason I decided to take the actual runpast in black & white, which was carried out with slightly less excessive smoke effects.
The wild open nature of the landscape is apparent and belies the fact that Sherman Hill rising to an elevation of just over 8,000 feet was the greatest obstacle on the Union Pacific's transcontinental main line. Track 3 was opened in 1953 and took a slightly longer and more circuitous route on the east side of the hill to reduce the gradient from the maximum of 1.55 per cent on the existing Tracks 1 and 2 to a maximum of 0.82 per cent. Lynch is just two sidings on the otherwise single track line at an elevation of 7070 feet.


7. UP106B © PGH.jpg

The third photo runpast still on Track 3 just west of Harriman. Track 3 joined Tracks 1 and 2 just before the Hermosa Tunnel on the west side of the summit.


8. UP112B © PGH.jpg

8444 and train at Laramie, turned and ready for the return trip to Denver. Note that the bell has been replaced in its bracket.​

Unfortunately we couldn't do the return leg back to Denver as we had to travel west from Laramie on Amtrak enroute to Portland, Oregon.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Great photos, Phil. One thing I noticed about the UP excursion train then and later on in the 1990s was the lack of dome cars. There were several on the Houston based trips, including the tail end San Francisco and the super executive Harriman. The Harriman's dome also had a speedometer which was where the 62mph was recorded on the run in to Houston on 3 cylinders.
 

PhilH

Western Thunderer
A four hour wait at Laramie for westbound Amtrak No.5 turned into twice that long as the train was running about 4 hours late, apparently quite a normal occurrence. Still there was plenty of passing trains on the Union Pacific main line to keep us entertained, of which the following are a small sample.


UP110B © PGH.jpg

An eastbound freight headed by Union Pacific SD40-2 No.3483, a Union Pacific GP30B and Burlington Northern Nos.5619 and 6396.


UP116B © PGH.jpg

The eastbound Amtrak No.6 leaving Laramie with Union Pacific E9 No.951 leading two Amtrak SDP40F locomotives. UP 951 was retired in July 1980 but reinstated in 1984 as part of the Union Pacific's heritage fleet, although its been out of use since 2017 requiring new wheels and axles to return it to service.


UP122B © PGH.jpg

A westbound freight headed by Union Pacific U30C No.2902 and Chicago & North Western SD40-2 No.6932.


UP124B © PGH.jpg

The Laramie switcher - Union Pacific GP9 No.170.


UP126B © PGH.jpg

A westbound piggyback van train headed by 3 Union Pacific units, the first two being 'Centennial' DD40X locomotives, the largest diesel electric locomotives ever built, with No.6914 leading.


UP132B © PGH.jpg

Another westbound with 160 cars headed by Union Pacific SD40-2 No.3482, Burlington Northern No.5618 and Southern Pacific and Chicago & North Western units.

From Laramie we travelled west by Amtrak No.5 on one of the roughest rides I've ever had on a mainline train, trying to make up time on a track battered by heavy freight trains. We were due to change at Ogden on to Amtrak No.25 'The Pioneer' for the journey north to Portland, but with no chance of making the connection we were taken off at Green River and then had a 4 hour bus ride (in the dark !) to catch The Pioneer at Pocatello at about 2 am.


UP137B © PGH.jpg

In Portland we managed to locate Southern Pacific GS4 No.4449, stored in a warehouse near the Union Pacific roundhouse. It was still in the red white and blue livery it received for the "Freedom Train" specials in 1975 to commemorate the United States Bicentennial and had last been used for a special train just two months before our visit. (sorry about the poor quality of this photo !)
 
Top