PUBLISHED MID-APRIL, 1982 CONTAINING EARLY APRIL NEWS C'P' ISSUE NUMBER 236 $2.00

ALSO In THIS ISSUE: ESPEE'S GE U50'S, LAMM LUMBER'S SHAY onE, ST. LOUIS MUSEUM AnD MUCH MORE!

(@ BOISE'S (@ mORRlson-HnUDSEn COmPAny 1981 LocomOTIVE PRODUCTion

SOUTHERN PACIFIC BAY AREA STEAM BY HARRE W. DEMORO

When Cab-Forwards Passed Niles Tower

Once they seemed to be everywhere, whistling through Port Costa in the shadow of the high bluffs along Carquinez Strait , rumbling over the steel bridge across Alameda Creek at Niles, barking through the girders of the Dumbarton Bridge, taking commuters home along Seventh Street in Oakland, and to Burlingame, Palo Alto and San Jose, south from San Francisco.

The steam engine has now vanished , but its spirit continues on the pages of this volume about the aromatic daysof smoking Southern Pacific locomotives in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Here is a collection of vintage photographs, the work of some of the best rail cameramen of the era is represented : artists such as R. H. McFarland , D. S. Richter, Will Whittaker, Ralph W. Demoro, John C. IIlman , Waldemar Sievers and Ted G. Wurm .

$22.50 Plus 6% Sales Tax In California

Huge cab-forwards, Daylight 4-8-4's , tank locomotives , switch engines and the sturdy little Consolidations are covered along with just about every type of steam locomotive Southern Pacific operated in the Bay Area from the 1860's until diesels conquered . The trains themselves also are covered, from the Lark and Daylight to Monterey, San Jose and Sacramento locals, commuter runs , and , yes, even the City Of San Francisco in steam! At the back of the book is an index with the complete history of every locomotive in the volume. There is a section about the Northwestern Pacific and just enough coverage of SP and NWP ferries and electric trains to round out the tale .

ORDER YOUR COPY TODA Y

• Hardbound with a full-color dust jacket photograph at Oakland Pier by Stan Kistler. 144 big 81f2x11" pages printed on a high-quality paper • 202 photographs of 179 steam locomotives • Composite track map of the San Francisco Bay Area • Southern Pacific Bay Area history • Full locomotive index with history of each ..steam locomotive seen in the book • Complete bibliography.

If you saw steam, the book will kindle fond memories. If you missed steam, here is your opportunity to witness the fragrance of railroading before diesels. 202 PHOTOS OF THE BEST IN SP STEAM Now available for immediate shipment!

VIRGINIA & TRUCKEE LOCOMOTIVES

BY KARL R. KOENIG

4-4-0 NUMBER 22, THE 'NYO , AT VIRGINIA CITY ABOUT 1876 -D. S. RICHTER COLLECTION

Here is a detailed locomotive study of the all-time 32-locomotive roster of Nevada's fabled Virginia and Truckee Railroad from the first built to present-day operations, including a detailed historical account of the railroad itself. The book is lavishly illustrated with over one hundred rare photographs. All locomotives but one, which was never photographed, are presented with roster photographs, specifications, names and a completely thorough life-long history. Tabulations, maps, graph , index and bibliography are also included . FINALLY, A MAJOR BOOK ON THE VIRGINIA & TRUCKEE!

$14.00 * FULL COLOR COVER * PERFECT BOUND WITH 88 BIG 8'12)(11" PAGES * OVER 100 PHOTOGRAPHS * DETAIL TABULATIONS * ROSTER DATA * A HISTORY OF ALL 32 LOCOMOTIVES *

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2 NUMBER 236

Pacific lie s

Inside Chatham • • • One form of railroading that has come into being in

recent years is the individual railroad historical society devoted to the study of just a particular company. Some railroads even have more than one of these ; competitors each seeking that segment of the railroad enthusiast and railroad modeler family that devotes sufficient interest to anyone particular railroad to at least join a specific historical society. Some are devoted entirely to modeling.

The re are at least three dozen of these groups known to us, and not one is affiliated in any officially formal way with the railroad of its devotion. The topic railroads represented read like a list of the most favorites pulled from the Official Guide, and some have long vanished.

Do you follow the Great Northern? You probably already belong to the Fraternal Order Of Empire Builders. The Katy has the Katy Railroad Historical Society, the Missouri Pacific the MoPac Historical Society and for the Milwaukee there 's the Milwaukee Road Railfan 's Association . The Milwaukee Road group is headquartered in Milwaukee, the Wabash Historical Society is in Fort Worth , Texas and Santa Fe model enthusiasts have Santa Fe Modeler f rom Geo rgia. Southern Californi a hosts the Southern Pacifi c Historical and Technical Society and also the Northern Pacific Railroad Historical Association. The logic of location, it seems, is directly related to the ambitions of an indi vidual member and the willingness to handle the day-to-day cho res of the group .

As a result of growing interest in ind ividual railroad historical societies , we would like to publi sh a list of these in an upcoming issue of PACIFIC NEWS. If you are the secretary or any other official of one of these groups be sure to let us know at once the official address and dues , and whether or not your group has a newsletter. Is it devoted to modeling or to the full size version , or both ? We'll share this with the readers of PACIFIC NEWS. If you do not write and confirm your ex istence you will not be on the list. If you have a newsletter send us at least two issues and we' ll comment on it , and be sure you advise accuracy of publication and mailing dates for the newsletter.

While on the topic of content for upcoming issues of PACIFIC NEWS , and specific railroads , the magazine's desire to expand its own columnist coverage is again brought to light. We recentl y added Mike Blaszak's fine Chicago and North Western reporting , but other railroads remain left out from regular inclusion. Want to be a columnist? We probably want you . Write me direct w ith your suggestions, and include your qualifi cations for reporting and accuracy. No experience is necessary, just the desire to share and promote good accurate news information on your own very favorite railroad. -Karl R. Koenig

COVER: Morrison-Knudsen GP7 510 on the St. Maries River Railway in September, 1980 (Keith E. Ardinger) .

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

No. 236 PUBLISHED IN MID-APRIL

WITH NEWS TO EARLY APRIL, 1982

(JUNE, 1981; PUBLISHED IN 1982)

VOLUME 21 NO.6

~

Tourist Railway ~o~i~J ~rpo rated KARL R. KOENIG

Associa tion o f Rai lroad Edito rs

• EDITOR TOM GRAy ., ... , ..... .. , ... PRODUCTION STAFF HAROLD C. KOENIG . ... CIRCULATION MANAGER JOHN PARSON ....... . . . , . . . . . OFFICE MANAGER D. S. RICHTER .. . . . . . . . EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

Kenneth M. Ardinger .. ... ..... . ......... Contributing Staff Michael w. Blaszak . ..... . . , . . , . .. . ..... , Contributing Staff George R. Cockle . , ', ." ." . . , ." ." ., .. Contributing Staff R. C. Farewell. . . , " .. . . . ... . . .. , .. .. . Contributing Staff Mark W. Heinz . . .... . . .. ... . , . . .. . . .. . .. Co ntributing Staff Don Jewell. . .. ... . . . . . .. . . . . Contributing Staff Neil Lang.. . .. . . . .•. ,. Contributing Staff Joe McMillan . . ... Contributing Staff Ken Meeker ......... . ...... .. . . , . .. .. , . . Contributing Staff Peter J . Replinger . , . . . .. . .. . .. • .. . .. , "Contributing Staff Allen Rider , . . •... . . . . .. Contributing Staff J . Harl en Wil son. .. .. .. . ..... . . . ....... Contri buting Staff

qx ©Contents Copyright 1982 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

IN THIS ISSUE OF PACIFIC NEWS MORRISON-KNUDSEN 1981 WORK ... , .. . .. . . .. , 4 RAILROADING COLUMNS ... . .. . , ... , . . , . , . . , . 12 BLASE SHAYS NEVER EXiSTED, . . . .. . . , ...... . 16 THE FIRST AND THE LAST ..... ... , . . . .. . . .. . . 18 CAMERA CAR PHOTO SECTION . . . , .. ' . , , .. , .. 19 SHORT STUFF ... , . ... . . , . . . , , . ... . , . .. .. , . , . ,. 25 NEWS PHOTOS . . , .. , . . . , . . . ... . , . , , , . . .. , . , . . , 26 LETTERS/REVIEWS . . , , . .. .. .. . .. . .... , .. . , . , .. 30 EXCURSIONS/CLASSIFIED .. . , , . . , , .. , .. .. , ... , 31

SUBSCRIPTIONS BY DIRECT MAIL United States: $20.00 for one year, $37.00 for two years. Single copies $2.00. Foreign: $24.00 per year. Foreign - only - First Class Mail and Air Mail rates are both available upon our receipt of a specific written request.

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• TO REACH A PACIFIC NEWS CONTRIBU TOR: En close you r own letter in an enve lope wit h th e name o f the con tributor you wis h to reach , add postage and enclose this envelope in another envelope and mai l both to PACIFIC NE WS. We will fo rward for you, but can not guarantee any reply .

• ALL PHOTOGRAPHS (ONLY) ARE PAID FOR ON A PERIODIC BASIS ARTICLES IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE CONTRIBUTED BY ITS READERS PA CIFIC NEWS ( ISSN 0030-879X) is published mon th ly by the Chat ham Publ ishing Co mpa ny, 1012 Oak Grove Ave nue, Burl ingame. Califo rn ia 94010. (415) 348-0331. Printed in the U.S.A. Second C lass postage paid at Bu r lingame. California 94010. PA CIFIC NEWS assumes no responsibi l ity fo r the safe return of editorial or advertising material. Acceptable photographs are filed for potential future publi cat ion and are paid for after use. AdvertiSing rates are avai lable on request fo r rate card: Rate Card Number 7. Ap r il , 1980, is now in effect and supersedes all others.

• CHANGE OF ADDRESS : Post of fi ce does not regu larly forwa rd 2nd C lass Mail and PACIFIC NEWS will not replace copies not forwarded and destroyed by the post o ff ice - replaceme nt copies, and post office notificat ion c harges, will be billed. Please allow PACIFIC NEWS at least four weeks fo r any address changes to insuRe uninterrupted mail delivery.

PACI FI C NEWS 3

MORRISON-KNUDSEN 1981

LOCOMOTIVE REBUILDING ACTIVITIES

Amtrak's F40PH number 274 is seen head-on at Boise, Idaho November 4,1981 as an example of the current F-design nose. Gone are the nice curved lines of the E- and F -units, which made the passenger locomotive a thing of pleasing appearance. With high labor costs, such curving lines have given way to square corners and tapers that make for faster production. The 274, built by Electro-Motive in December of 1977, was at Boise for wreck repairs that kept being delayed until late in 1981.

4 NUMBER 236

NORMAN E. ANDERSON PHOTOGRAPHY ITHE AUTHOR

Anyone who has lived in the same place for more than a couple of yea rs kno ws that it is adv isable, if not a lm ost manda tory, to clean house periodica lly. It seems tha t as time passes, the drawers and closets become fi ll ed with items saved for poss ible future use. It therefore becomes necessa ry to thin o ut the ava ilab le storage space to make room for fu ture collectib les. As it happens in homes, so it a lso happens in the business and indust ri a l world. As this sto ry of the 198 1 locomot ive rebuilding acti vi ti es at Morr ison- Kn udsen unfolds , it will become clear that 1981 was a yea r of general housekeeping at the Boise Indust rial Complex in Idaho wit h a major reducti on in the number of loco motives he ld fo r dispos ition.

Two of th e first three loco m o ti ves remanu factured in 198 1 were a co mpletion of a proj ec t sta rt ed in 1980. T he P o tl a tc h Co rporation purchased 11 5 miles of Mi lwa ukee Road trackage in northern Ida ho in 1980 to form the St. Maries River Railroad in order to conti nue its lumbering activit ies when the Mi lwaukee termina ted its wes tern serv ice. Included in the purchase of the ra ilroad were high-hood GP9's 292, 30 1 and 322 along with

SW I200's 6 12 and 618. Potlatch sen t the three G P9 uni ts to M-K for remanufacturing.

T he num ber 30 1 was completed in December of 1980 becoming St. Maries River Rai lroad 102 (PA CIFIC NEWS, lss ue228), whi le the 292and 322 were completed ea rly in 198 1 as the 101 a nd 103, respect ively. The locomotives were re ma nu factured throughou t and received a cho pped shor t nose in the process. The front pilot recei ved a snow plow and ditch lights for visibility when moving around tight mountain curves. The number 101 a lso rece ived Oa ngers on the front truck to clear snow and ice from the rai ls in winte r. The ca b in each locomotive was co mplete ly redone and was equi pped with an AA R contro l stand , new sea ts and the latest in bulletproof glass. The electrica l cabi net was rewired, the engi ne overha uled and a ll o ther components of the locomotive rema nufactured to pu t new life in the 22-yea r-o ld units. T he three continue serv ing the lumber industry where they prev iously trod in the o range and black paint of the Mi lwaukee bu t today they spo rt the paint scheme of Potla tch's S t. Maries R iver Railroad.

Afte r the rema nufacture of the three G P9's was completed, the St. Maries River Railroad decided to have its two ex-Milwaukee SW 1200's done. The remanufacturing o f the switchers was not quite so extensive, ho wever, s ince few new featu res were added. T he trucks , carbody a nd cab were rebuilt in ki nd . The o rigina l control

sta nd was reconditioned a long with other cab fea tures a nd bulletproof glass was a pplied in p lace of the origina l safety glass. Obsolete electrica l co mponents were replaced with newer devices a nd the locomotives were completely rewired. One interesting change was the fitting of multiple unit con trol equipment. The 6 18, whi ch was actually eleven months o lde r than the 6 12, did not have M U recep tacles , and the 6 12 was not up to current standards, so full provisions were applied for electri c and pneuma tic M U controls with each other a nd with the three GP9's. When completed , the locomoti ves were painted similar to the G P9's and renumbered from Milwaukee 6 12 a nd 6 18 to 50 I a nd 502, res pectively.

A seco nd project in process at the onset of 198 1 as a carryove r from 1980 in vo lved the remanufacturing of former Ba ltimore a nd Ohio F7 loco motives for the Ma ryland Department of Transportation (MOOT). This project was al so the first one of 1981 that result ed in a reduction of M-K in ventoried units a nd contributed toward the general ho use clea ning. M- K had purchased twenty B&O F7 A a nd F7B units in 1974-1 975 and over the yea rs had scra pped nine of them for pa rts and so ld three to th e Long Isla nd Railroad for conversion to power ca rs, leaving six F7 A's and two F7B's by the end of 1979. Thus, when MOOT ordered six remanufactured F-type units early in 1980, M-K was ab le to fill the o rder from it s own inventory.

M DOT's o rd er ca lled fo r five powered locomotives, designated model F9PH with 1800 horsepower for traction and a 350 K W head end power pla nt (H EP), a nd one unpowered Aux iliary Power Control Unit (APCU) with a full operating cab a nd a 350 K W HEP plant (PA CfFlC NEWS, Issue 228). These s ix units were ordered fo r commuter service over the Bal t imore a nd Ohio between Washington , D.C. and Brunswick a nd Baltimore, Maryland and required the HE P plants to furni sh power to coaches be ing rema nufactured with a ll electrica l eq uipment o pera ting from 480-vol t H EP trainli nes . Since MOOT units would be opera ted by the C hessie System, the road numbe rs were se lected to be consistent wi th C hessie locomotive numbers: the F9PH units are 7 18 1-7 185 and the A PCU is 7100. B&O F7A units used fo r th is o rder were 4580, 4582, 4566, 4472, 4590 and 4553, respecti vely. MOOT 718 1 was com pleted a t the end of 1980, o n December 22, while the rest were fini shed during the first four mo nths of 198 1.

The M DOT remanufacturing spec ification was quite ex tensive and actually went beyond upgrading the units to a n F9 configura ti on. T he orig ina l 16-567B o r BCe ngine was replaced with

Amtrak F40PH 274, top , was hurting from end to end and from top to bottom when it arrived at Morrison-Knudsen in mid-June, 1979 having suffered what could only be classed as severe wreck damage. It would be over two yea rs before the unit was returned to service.

The contrast of Amtrak 274 as received at Boise and as shipped is significant , bottom. A ser ies of delays kept the unit out of service for an extended period of time. Even the major funding cutback in 1981 for Amtrak threatened the completion of the repairs. However, despite all the obstacles and delays the 274 was fina ll y completed by M -K on November 4, 1981.

PACIFIC NEWS 5

Maryland Department of Transportation A PC U 7100, top, is seen ready to leave M-K on April 10, being the last of five F7A's completed in 1981. The general appearance is that of the MOOT F9PH units (PA CIFIC NE WS, Issue 228) , however this unit has red marker lights at both ends in the event it is used at the rear of a train. The locomotive's HEP engine exhaust muffler is in the middle, rather than the rear, as there is no prime mover for propulsion.

St. Maries River Railroad GP9 103, below, was fini shed January 29. Here, complete with ditch lights following track testing on the Union Pacific , the locomotive poses for its portrait prior to delivery. Almost six months later, bottom, SI. Maries River Railroad 501 was ready to head back to work fo llowing its own remanufacture. One of two ex-Milwaukee Road SWI200's, the 501 is now full y equipped for multiple-unit operation with any of the SI. Maries units.

------= Sl MARIES RIVER RAilROAD 501

6 NUMBER 236

a 16-645C engine to achieve the higher ho rsepower ra ting. New six-inch-thick radia to r co res replaced the origina l' fo ur-inch cores to provide increased cooling capac ity while reta in ing the four o rigina l 36-inch cooling fa ns. The integrit y o f the ca rbody fra me structu re was res to red a nd new carbody pa nels a pp lied. I ncluded were new pa nels which de leted the po rth ole wind ows in favo r of additi o na l louve rs with filt ers behind them to p rovide increased ca rbody vent ila tion.

As th e M DOT locomotives were req uired to be ve ry cras hwo rt hy, a number of cha nges we re made to provide better crew pro tection. The fro nt door, as we ll as a ll front entry to the nose, was we lded shu t. Collisio n posts were added behind the doo r and new geep-type headlight a nd class ification lights, with outside access for changing bulbs , we re app lied. Even the number pa nel light bulbs are now changed from outside the nose th rough the hi nged number panel. On the A PCU only, two red ma rker lights were applied a bove the class lights. The traditiona l pil ot was replaced with a reinfo rced na t pilot in cor p ora t ing H E P j u m p er ca bl es a nd receptac les, loco motive push-pull receptacles a nd uncoupli ng levers, The o pera ting cab was equipped with a n AA R control stand, bulletproof glass, s lid ing sas h sid e windows, electric cab hea ters a nd o ther crew comfo rt fea tur es. The e lec tri ca l 'ca bin e t was rema nu fac tured with magneti c sw itchgea r a nd upgraded electri ca l co mpo nents. To go wi th thi s eq ui pment , D77 traction moto rs were insta ll ed in the remanufac tured trucks. T he 350 K W, 480 vo lt, di ese l-powered H EP plant was insta lled in the stea m genera to r compa rt ment a t the rear of the loco mo ti ve, Two s ix-inch rad ia to r co res a nd a 32-inch coo ling fan were insta ll ed in the modi fied dynam ic brake hatch to provide coo ling for the H EP engine. Pipes run ning on the ex te ri o r of the roof con nect these radia to rs with the H E P pla nt. The H E P engine mumer is mo u nted o n top o f the rea r hatch.

Th e APC U is ve ry simila r to the F9PH in most fea tures. The operating cab is bas ica ll y the same so a n engineer o pera ting eithe r uni t sees the sa me arra ngement. There is no p ro pul sion engine, so the H EP plant is loca ted in t he no rma l prime mover loca tion. T he much simp lified electrica l ca binet conta ins a minimum of locomoti ve multiple-unit co ntro ls a nd so me HEP pla nt co ntro ls. There is no locomoti ve radia to r ha tch, ma in or auxilia ry genera to r or tracti on moto rs. The trucks a re modifi ed with fewer springs d ue to the reduced we ight of the unit. T he A PCU is des igned to be used as a H EP source and / o r second locomotive cab in one of two modes. It ca n be used to head co mmuter trains in co nj unctio n with one of the F9 PH units during reverse moves when the locomoti ve must run a round the tra in , o r it may be used to furnish HE P power when used with borrowed locomotives fro m Amtrak or Chess ie,

In last year"s M-K art ic le (PACIFIC NEWS. Issue 228) ment ion was made of the longest ongo ing project invo lving the remanufacture of s ix Amt rak FL9 d ua l-prop ul s ion passenge r locomotives (diesel-elect ric and a lso straight electric) . T he project began in April , 1978 and after a record-sett ing duratio n of three yea rs fina lly came to an end on March 30, 1981 with the comp letion of unit 489. Details of the delays in rema nu fact uring these units a nd the cha nge in specificat ion to insta ll H EP plants in th e las t fou r uni ts were given in previous articles (PA CI FlC NEWS, Issues 210, 222 and 228) that

covered remanufacturing activi ties at M-K. As part of the FL9 program Amtrak sen t unit 484 to Boise, a rriving at the Industri a l Comp lex on May 25, 1978, to be used as a source for any hard-to-rep lace parts special to the FL9 mod el. Ouring the course of the progra m, numerous parts were re moved for other locomotives a nd in 198 1 Amtra k authorized the scrapping of the unit , which was accomplished on February 5 with the truck frames being returned to Amtrak for use as spares.

Anot her 1981 project for Amtrak invo lved co mpletion of wreck repairs to F40PH 274. The locomotive was sent to M-K in 1979, but a se ri es of de lays postponed co mplelion. Eva lua ti on of the damage revealed tha t a co mplete new cab and ca rbody wo uld be required. a nd it was necessary fo r M-K to develop drawings. Even the threatened Amtrak fundin g cutback of 198 1 left co mpleti on of the unit in do ubt. However, despite the delays , the locomotive was fi nall y finished on November 4. 198 1.

One othe r wreck repair was processed through the loco moti ve sho p in 198 1 in the form of Burlingt on Northe rn G P35 2506, which was wrecked while o perating in pool se rvi ce on the Western Pacific. Repairs invo lved applying a new low-sho rt nose, a long with cab, carbody and hand ra i I repa i rs.

In last yea r's M-K a rti cle. the co mpletio n roster listed two leftover Precision National S O 10 units , 1850 a nd 185 1. which were remanufactu red and not leased out. T he article went on to sta te tha t they "were held at M- K pending leas ing but were eventu a ll y shipped back to PNC in primer paint." Tha t statement was made based on what was supposed to happen, but according to Murphy's law as soon as ;t ca me ou! in print the si tua ti on changed. Only the 1850 was returned to PNC. The 185 1. o rigina lly remanufactured from Union Pacific S 024 42 1 a nd dera ted to 1800 ho rse power to become a P NC model SO I 0, was instead so ld to Elk Run Coal Company. The unit was put back into the M-K shop ea rly in 198 1 for additional work as requested by the new ow ner and when co mpleted April 7 it emerged as Elk Run Coal Company 198 1 and was shipped eas t to enter se rvice nea r Sylvester, Wes t Virginia.

A si ngle reducti on in the M-K loco mo ti ve inventory occurred near mid yea r when the Southwestern Portl and Cement Compa ny of Vict o r v ill e, C alifornia pur c ha se d a remanufactured S035. The former Louisv ille and Nashville SOP35. 7044, had been acquired by M-K in 1979. The stea m generator had previously been removed and replaced wi t h a ballast block, so the locomoti ve was esse ntially now a S035 in a SOP35 carbod y. M-K did most of the remanufacturing work as time permitt ed a nd com pleted the unit on ly after it s di spositi on was firm. Ou tshopped as a sta ndard S035 with few excepti ons, the contro l sta nd was mod ified to accept 4 \12" ai r brake gauges and dual-reading traction motor ammeter, and the A.C. cabinet was upgraded to includ e overload fu se protec tion for the coo li ng fan motors. Wh en pu rchased by So uthwes ter n Po rtland Cement , the cab was further modified to inco rpo rate a roof-mounted air conditioner. The locomotive was painted a nd lette red fo r its new owner as number 411 and was completed June II .

The day a ft er the S WPC S035 was completed, an add itiona l reduction in the M-K locomotive inventory occurred to mark finishing of Peabody Coal GP7 4 16, the former M-K GP7 5 10. An interest ing chain o f events

,(, liD' . . ,

The former Union Pacific 5024 number 421, top , is seen at Boise early in April now rated at 1800 horsepower with its engine turbocharger replaced by two root s blowers. As a result of this work, the distinctive bulge in the carbody door behind the cab is gone. Acquired from UP by Precision Na tional , the unit now works as Elk Run Coal Company number 1981.

Formerly Frisco GP7 510 and briefly Morrison-Knudsen 510, Peabody Coal's Lynnville , Indiana mine is now the home of geep 416, above. The locomotive was built by Electro-Motive in February, 1950.

Afte r a three-year duration, bottom, the final chapter was written on the Amtrak FL9 remanufacturing program with completion of the 489 on March 30. Originally New Haven 2021 built in 1957, the 489 has been fully upgraded to Amtrak standards and equipped with a 500 K W HEP plant.

PACIFIC NEWS 7

MORRISON-KNUDSEN 1981 LOCOMOTIVE COMPLETIONS COMPILED BY NORMAN E. ANDERSON

Some serial numbers and dates built furnished courtesy Extra 2200 South

Four months after it arrived at Boise, Burlington Northern GP35 2506 is fresh from the paint shop on January 28,1981 after having its new short n ose and portions of the carbody painted . The unit next went hack int o the locomotive sho p for installation of windows and o ther fini shing touches and was completed January 30.

Completed Owner No. Builder Model Serial Built

01 /09/ 81 St. Maries Ri ver Railroad 101 EMD GP9 25287 04 / 59 Remanufactured 01 / 29/ 81 Maryland Dept. of Transp. 7182 F9PH 15910 01 / 52 Remanufactured 01 / 29/ 81 St. Maries River Ra ilroad 103 GP9 25317 06/ 59 Remanufactured 01 /30/ 81 Burlington Northern 2506 GP35 28439 03/ 64 Wreck Repairs 02/05/ 81 Amtrak 484 FL9 21955 09/ 57 Scrapped 02/ 18/ 81 Maryland Dept. of Transp. 7183 F9PH 12668 01 / 51 Remanufactured 02/27 /81 Santa Fe 5496 SD45 32517 10/66 Install Sulzer engine 03/ 13/81 Maryland Dept. of Transp. 7184 F9PH 5734 12/48 Remanufactured 03/ 24/ 81 Santa Fe 5499 SD45 32527 11 /66 Install Su lzer engine 03/ 25/ 81 Maryland Dept. of T ransp. 7185 F9PH 16642 08/52 Remanufactured 03/ 30/ 81 Amtrak 489 FL9 21967 10/ 57 Remanufactured 04/07/ 81 El k Run Coa l Company 1981 SDlO 25379 09/ 59 Remanufactured 04/ 10/ 81 Maryland Dept. of Transp. 7100 APCU 12655 02/ 51 Remanufactured OS/ 29/ 81 Morrison-Knudsen 5001 M-K TE50-4S 005 07 179 Reconditioned 06/ 11 / 81 Southwestern Portland Cement 411 EMD SD35 29350 09/64 Remanufactured 06/ 12/81 Santa Fe 5498 SD45 32506 10/66 I nsta ll Sulzer engine 06/ 12/81 Peabody Coal Company 416 GP7 9910 02/50 Remanufactured 06/ 16/ 81 St. Maries River Railroad 501 SW1200 20053 12/ 54 Remanufactured 07128 / 81 St. Maries River Railroad 502 18762 01/54 Remanufactured 08/ 14/ 81 Union Pacific 14/ 61 SD45 33423 04/68 Insta ll Sulzer engine

09/ 01 / 81 Boston and Maine 1511 Alco RS3 80750 10/54 Scrapped 09/02/81 Union Pacif ic 15/ 62 EMD SD45 33424 04 /68 Install Sutzer engine 09/ 15/81 Morrison-Knudsen 1066 Alco RSl 73762 07/45 Scrapped 09/21 / 81 Norfolk and Western 335 RSl l 82324 01/ 57 Scrapped 09/ 25/ 81 Boston and Maine 1515 RS3 80754 10/ 54 Scrapped 09/ 29/ 81 Boston and Maine 1514 80753 10/54 Scrapped 10/01 / 81 Boston and Maine 1509 80736 05/54 Scrapped 10/ 09/ 81 Kai ser Steel Company 32-004 EMD SW1500 31752 07/ 66 Reconditioned 10/ 09/ 81 Kaiser Steel Company 32-005 31745 07/ 66 Reconditioned

10/ 09/81 Kaiser Steel Company 32-006 31751 08/ 66 Reconditioned

10/ 09/ 81 Union Pacific 625 GE U25B 34224 08/ 61 Scrapped

10/ 14/ 81 Union Pacifi c 626 34225 08/61 Scrapped 10/ 16/ 81 Union Pacific 13/ 63 EMD SD45 33422 04 /68 Install Sulzer engi ne 10/ 21 / 81 Elg in Joliet & Eastern 805 Alco RS2 77544 10/49 Scrapped

10/28/81 Southern Pac ific 2950 RSD12 83640 02/61 Scrapped

11 / 04/ 81 Amtrak 274 EMD F40PH 776001 -5 12/ 77 Wreck repai rs

11 / 25/ 81 Rock Is land 941 SW1500 31746 07 /66 Recondit ioned

12/ 07/ 81 Union Pacific 8/ 64 SD45 33417 04/68 Install Sulzer engine

8 NUM8ER 236

.... \.

The scrapping of surplus Morrison-Knudsen locomotives is about to begin at Boise, Idaho. The date is August 27, 1981 and the units to be scrapped are black Norfolk and Western Alco RSII 335 and, front to back, Boston and Maine RS3 1515, 1514 and 1509, already detrucked. Behind the RS3 units is a string offormer Rock Island GP40's being stored for U. S. Leasing Company.

preceded thi s unit becoming the property of Peabody. M-K had purchased four Frisco G P7 unit s ea rly in 1980, among which was the 510 which was then used by M-K as a shop switcher in Frisco paint for about six months. The locomotive was then reconditioned in July for lease to the SI. Ma ri es River Railroad while that road's own G P9's were being remanufactured . At that time the locomoti ve was quickly relettered for M-K but remained in Frisco paint as reported in last yea r's article. After serving on the SI. Mar ies River, the unit was returned to Boise in January, 1981 and shortly thereafter moved into the shop for remanufacturing to fill the needs of Peabody Coal Company for a GP7 for the Lynnville, Indiana mine.

The house cleaning that made the major red uction in the locomotives being held pending disposition occurred in September and October when ten units in this category purchased in prior years were cut up for scrap. Included in this group were eight Alco and two General Electric units for which there was no logical disposition by remanufacturing in th e foreseeable future. The Alco units scrapped were M-K RSI 1066; Elgin Joliet and Eastern RS2 805; Boston and Maine RS3's 1509, 1511 , 1514, 1515; Norfo lk and Western RSII 335 and Southern Pacific RSD 122950. General Electric units scra pped were Union Pacific high-hood U25B's 625 and 626. Alco RS I 1066 had been purchased in the late 1960's by M-K for use on a track construction job, after which it was sent to the Boise Industrial Complex in December, 1970. These events preceded the formation of the present M-K Railroad Division and the unit sat in storage at Boise fo r severa l years. The locomotive was scheduled for remanufacturing

ear ly in 1978 and , in fact , the trucks were completed and a unit exchange A lco 539 engine was obtai ned late in 1977. However, the level of business dictated that the unit be once again set aside to concentrate on customer units. When evaluation of repairs req uired by Simpson Timber Alco S4 number 20 indicated a unit exchange engine would be required the prime mover and trucks scheduled for the 1066 were used to complete the Simpson locomotive. M-K 1066 was once again set aside, never to see the inside of the locomotive shop again.

Elgin Joliet and Eastern RS2 805 was one of three such units purchased in 1974 and sister 802 still serves as the comp lex swi tcher as M-K 802; the 803 was made into a TEBU for Allegheny Power Service Corporatio n in 1974. Other than the reuse of some truck parts, the 805 was never worked on. Six B&M RS3's were purchased in 1974 with the intention of rep owe ring them wi th Alco 25 1 engines . Units 151 2 and 15 17 were remanufactured into TE56-4A unit s to become Detroit and Mackinac 974 in 1974 and 975 in 1975, respectively (PA CIFIC NEWS, July, 1975 and March, 1976). The only other customer for this Alco repowering was the Delaware and Hudson in 1975 and 1976, but it had eight of its own RS3 units for this work (PA CIFIC NEWS, March, 1976 and April , 1977), so the other four B&M RS3's gave up major components for use elsewhere. Norfolk and Western RS II 335 was also purchased in 1974. Its engine was so ld to Alco and the trucks sa lvaged for future use.

After a fourteen-year career on the Southern Pacific, RSD 12 2950 was so ld to the Oregon Ca lifornia and Eastern after Weye rhaeuser assumed ownership of this 65-mile Oregon short line on J anuary I, 1975. T he locomotive was

traded to M-K in 1976 on the purchase of five TE53-1-4E locomotives and two S3-3B TEBU's (PACIFIC NEWS, August, 1976). The U25B's scrapped in 198 1 were two of fourteen Union Pacific units purchased in 1974, seven of which were remanufactured for the OC&E as just indicated. One other TE53-1-4E was so ld to Weyerhaeuser, while three o thers were reconfigured as model TE53-4E fo r M-K Railroad Equipment Leas ing Company in 1975 (PACIFIC N EWS, March, 1976). The twelfth of these ex-UP units was remanufactured into a prototype S3-3BDE TEBU for Southern Pacific in 1980, leaving the last two of the origina l UP high-hood U-boats to fall to the scrapper's torches. The completion of this scrapping program brought the total of unit s so ld and scrapped in 1981 to seventeen, leaving only seven M-K owned loco motives held at Boise beside the two swi tch engines, RS2 802 and TE50-4S 500 I. The list of stored units includes Baltimore and Ohio F7B's 5420 a nd 5470, SP GP9 3731 , M-K TE53-4E's 5302 and 5303, Wabash Valley GP7 4103 and M-K GP7 4104.

In the fall of 1981 , M-K and U. S. Leasing Company reached an agreement to store 24 former Rock Island units at Boise that had been returned to the lessee afte r the shutdown of the Rock, with M-K assis ting in locating new owners or lessors without M-K assuming ownership of the units. Included in this group were SW1500's 940-949, built in 1966, and G P40's 382-392, 394-396, built in 1969. By yea r's end , four of the ten SW 1500's had been so ld with the other seven and all fourteen G P40's still in Boise. Three of the SW 1500's were reconditioned, that is put in servicea ble condition, painted and so ld to become Kaiser

PACIFIC NEWS 9

The one-time Rock Island Railroad SW1500 number 946, above, is shown leaving Morrison-Knudsen 's Boise facility on October 9 as Kaiser Steel 32-006. Enroute to a new home at Fontana, California, the EMD switcher was joined by sisters 947 and 940 operating as Kaiser 32-004 and 32-005, respectively . The trio was owned by U. S. Leasing prior to reconditioning by M-K.

Santa Fe Sulzer-powered TE83-6S 5496, below, is shown upon completion at Boise on February 27, 1981. The locomotive was the first of three SD45's repowered for the railroad in 1981 and was the former 5541 built in October of 1966 by Electro-Motive.

Steel 32-004 (RI 947), 32-005 (RI 940) a nd the 32-006 (RI 946) for service a t Fontana, California. The fourth switcher was so ld to Chrome Crankshaft of Silvis , Illino is for resa le to the Fordyce a nd Princeton Railroad in Fordyce, Arkansas.

The last units to report on for 198 1 a reagroup of Sulzer-powered locomotives for three customers. One of these units was M-K's own TE50-4S number 5001 , a 1500-horsepower GP9 powered by a Sulzer 6ASL25R engi ne. The 500 I returned to Boise in May fo llowing two yea rs o f lease and demonstration se rvice, primar ily in the east. The unit was bound for the Briti sh Columbia Railway fo r a lease tha t was ex pected to las t up to a yea r. The locomotive was run through the M-K shop for an engine inspection to eva luate wear after two years of service a nd many electri ca l circuits were upgraded to sta ndards developed from experience on other Sulzer-powered locomotives since the time this one was built in July of 1979 (PA CI FlC NEWS, September, 1979). Considerable reconditioning wo rk was done to bring the unit up to the la test standards o f performance for its tour of duty on the British Co lumbia Railway. It left a t the end o f May a nd entered service in June spending considera ble time on the no rth end of the BCR o pera ting out of Prince George. The lease was cut sho rt after three months, however, when an unexpected lumber strike curtai led business and the ra ilroad was forced to place ha lf of its own locomotives in storage. The 500 I retu rned to Boise in October a nd was placed in switching serv ice at the Industria l Comp lex since a fo llowup lease had not been arranged.

The other seven Sulze r-powered units were SD45'5 repowe red with 3600-horsepower 16ASV25R diesel engines, three of which were Santa Fe a nd the balance Union Pacific. Each of these repowering programs was begun in 1980 and was reported in grea t deta il last year. The three completed for Santa Fe brought to fo ur their total ownership of M-K TE83-6S unit s. These locomotives were rebuilt by the Santa Fe at San Bernard in o in 1980 and operated with EM D 20-cylinder engines for severa l mont hs pri or to going to Boise for insta llation of the Sulzer eng ine and assoc iated changes. The units were renumbered by M-K as they emerged from the pa int shop after receiving partial pai nt jobs of the modified areas only. T he th ree comp let ed in 198 1 were ren umbered 5496 (ex-5541), 5499 (ex-555 1) and 5498 (ex-5530) . They joined the 5497, ex-55 15, in se rvice a t Barstow.

The Un ion Pacific TE83-6S program started la te in 1979 at Boise wi th the prototype installation details worked ou t on S045 number 34. The locomotive was completed at the end of Jul y, 1980 and renumbered 60 when repainted by the UP at North Platte, Nebraska on August I, 1980. The UP had origina ll y intended to repower five add itional S045 uni ts short ly after the number 60 was completed , however it inst ead elected to run the locomotive for some time to eva luate performance to dete rmine if any changes should be made to the remaining five. With this delay introduced, M-K worked the four Santa Fe units through Boise a head of the remaining UP power as origina lly pla nned. When the UP was ready in the summer of 198 1, it elected to do as much of the preparato ry work as possib le at its own Omaha shop where the necessary underframe. ca rbod y and electrica l modifications , a long with fabrication of the new equipment rack, were done prior to sendi ng the locomotives to Boise. An interesting feature of

In 1981 M-K installed seven Sulzer 16ASV25R diesel engines in S045 locomotives, three of which were Santa Fe and the balance for Union Pacific. All retained their 3600-horsepower rating. Added to one each for these railroads delivered in 1980, nine examples of this model are now at work. UP number 13, above, is seen ready to return to work and will soon be in multiple on the Boise Local with a GP38-2. After working east to North Platte, this unit will be repainted and renumbered as the 63.

The last of ten Morrison-Knudsen-owned locomotives to be scrapped in 1981 , Southern Pacific Aleo RSO 122950, sits on the scrap spur early on October 28 hours before the torches will reduce what is left to several truckloads of scrap iron. Built in 1961 as the 7000, and already stripped of its long and short hoods, this is Alco serial number 83640.

this work was that the units were not pa inted p ri or to go ing to Boise and the new carbody door panels and primary air filt er were very noticeable in primer paint.

Fo llowing installation of the Su lzer engine and painting of the engine room inte rior, the UP unit s left M-K with the same ex terior appeara nce as when they arrived. This means that the TE83-6S unit s we re co mpleted by M-K ca rry ing their o ld S045 road numbers and th erefore they have technica lly a lready had two road numbers. The locomotives were placed in service right at Boise, leaving as an opera t ing unit of the UP Boise Local, which normally picks up dead unit s for shi pment back to their owner. The loca l crew wo uld M U the TE83-6S with its usual G P38-2 unit and each repowered unit wou ld then make the 20-m ile run to Nampa, Id a ho where it was cu t into a n eas tbound locomoti ve cons ist to work to North Platte fora comp lete paint job and a new road number. Fo llow ing this, the locomot ives wo rked back west to Salt Lake City, Utah for final preparation for regular se rvice by the forces who wo uld ma intain them. The TE83-6S's were num bered 6 1-64, in sequence, followi ng the class unit , number 60, from numbers 14, 15,13 and 8, respect ive ly. Number 37 was undergoing engine installati on at year's end to become th e 65.

Perusal of the M-K 198 1 locomotive

co mpletion roster shows a total of on ly 27 units remanufactured and reconditioned, a significant drop from the reco rd high of 64 in 1980. This statistic quick ly rai ses the question as to what M-K was doing the res t of the time. Well , as ide from locomoti ves, a lot of ot her rai lroad-re lated activity was going on. M-K manufactu red six a ir-operated side-dump ca rs for East Kentucky Powe r, did wreck repairs on an RTA bi-Ieve l commuter coach , manufactured hundreds of ba llast car controlled-f1ow and genera l service doors and covered hopper out let gates, overha uled diese l engines a nd so ld ma ny locomotive component parts. M-K's Boise Ind ustria l Comp lex a lso does a considerable amount of fabr ication , genera l machining and repa ir wo rk for indust ri al customers as we ll as maintenance and repa ir work on M-K's own la rge f1eet of heavy co nstruction equipme nt. A large , non-locomotive rai lroad project was a lso undertaken by the Boise facility near midyear when Morrison-Knudsen was awarded a contrac t b y th e Ma ssac hu se tt s Ba y Transportation Authority to rema nufacture and conve rt 32 form er Boston a nd Maine Budd-built RDC cars to loco motive-pulled commuter coaches. But, most of thi s work wi ll be performed in 1982 whe n a ll the cars are sched uled for completion. And that is a sto ry for next year. •

PACIFIC NEWS 11

Union PACIFIC GEORGE R. COCKLE

The national economic recession is still the major problem facing the Union Pacific. Car load ings in all categories are severely dep ressed. Using January, 1981 in comparison with 1982, grain loadings were down a full fifty percent, while forest products were down 35%, motor vehicle and parts down 20% and food products down 21 %. Measured in tonnage miles of revenue fre ight over the same period, January, 1982 reached 4.9 billion , which is down 24% over the 6.5 billion in 1981.

In mid-February, there were over 6250 cars in storage. The list is headed by 2 182 covered hoppers, followed by 977 open-top hoppers, 774 " OF" boxcars , 764 plain boxcars, 440 U PFE mechanical refrigerator cars , 337 flat cars and 150 specially-equipped flats.

On March 24, 524 locomotives were stored across the system. In serviceable condition were 415 units; 53 more were stored for class repairs while ano ther 45 are a waiting general repairs a nd eleven are to be retired. T his totals 1,439,593 horsepower not in use, with an average storage time of 238 days. Again, the Centennial locomotives represent a major portion of this summary with an average stay of 576 days in storage and a total of260 ,820 horsepower for these units .

Conservation programs have been implemented within every area of operation. Dramatic results in diesel fuel savings occurred in 1981 with 12,819,360 gallons conserved . The average fuel rate for the year amounted to 1.89 gallons per thousand gross ton miles , a four percent savings over 1980.

The research and development test of SD40-2 3805 and C30-7 2502 coupled with laboratory test car 210 departed for Los Angeles March 19 with a string of TTFX Four Runner flat cars. The locomotives will continue to add base data on fuel consumption under varying conditions and test coupler action on the Four Runners. The locomotive fuel tests have been going on for several yea rs as part of a plan to reduce consumption and pollution while gaining the best operation from the diesel power plant on the locomotive.

The GP38-2 fleet, normally operating in the Pacific Northwest, has been arriving singly at the Omaha Shops for truck change outs. Wheel sets are removed , inspected and replaced while the balance of the truck and the traction motors are inspected and repaired as necessa ry. Also arriving at Omaha was SD40-2 3751 , damaged January 5 in an accident at Colton, California. Also involved were C30-7 2492 and SD40-2's 3436 and 35 12.

The SWIO switcher program has released 1225 on March 19 for service at Los Angeles. Released for testing at Omaha were 1229 and 1230, while TR5A 1875 has been nominated as the future 1235. In various stages of rebuilding at Omaha are 1231 (ex-1817), 1232 (ex-1855) , 1233 (ex-1 824) and 1234 (ex-1872).

While work continues on the ex-Milwaukee Road rotary snowplow at the Omaha Shops, yet another plow will be rebuilt during 1982. The former Rock Island 95580 wedge plow, stored a t Omaha's Grace Street Yard , will be shopped. This is the "haystack" ex-steam locomotive tender conversion which the Rock Island used throughout the midwest.

Leased to Simplot at Don, Idaho since March 13 is SW7 1039. Sold to Naparano Iron and Metal at Newark , New Jersey on February 25 was GP9 257, while shipped from Salt Lake City to Council Bluffs for retirement was GP9 number 334. All of the "fast forties" numbered in the

12 NUMBER 236

8000 class have now been renumbered to their original road number groupings.

More than fifty percent of the primary grading to remove one million cubic yards of ea rth near Crestline, Nevada has been completed (PACIFIC NEWS, Issue 232). This six-mile-long proj ect will el iminate a tight horseshoe curve on this heavily used line. At Ca liente, Nevada the construction of a new main line bridge and siding extension began January 20 at a cost of $1.2 million . A $ 1.04 million yard relocation at Columbus, Nebraska is finishing up movement to the west side of that city. All tracks in the old yard are now being removed to complete the project.

Helper service has been estab li shed between Victorville and San Bernardino, California in a n effort to conserve locomotives and diese l fuel. Previously operating across the railroad's South Central District with motive power cons ists of six units or 18 ,000 horsepower, train requirements have been reduced to four units or 12,000 horsepower. By adding the two additional units, or six thousand horsepower, just for movement over the San Gabriel Mountains, the Union Pacific is experiencing operations at a great fuel savings. 0

BURLinGTOn nORTHERn MARK W. HEINZ

'D t • The May 14, 1981 formation of Burlington Northern

Incorporated, a holding company (PACIFIC NEWS, Issue 230), is again in the news. The Eighth U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis issued an order to the Interstate Commerce Commission in late February calling for examination of the structure of the holding company to ascertain its legality under applicable ICC regulations. The order was the result of petitions filed by several railroad craft unions claiming that BNI desires to develop its natural resource holdings at the expense of the railroad , and that federal law requires ICC approval of ownership of a non-railroad company before it can own two or more railroads . Under federal law, BNI is not a common carrier and the unions contend that the holding company controls more than two railroads as the result of shared ownership of yards and terminals through subsidiary railroad companies. As recent as December 30 of last year a lawsuit challenging the holding company on the basis of having allegedly violated the ICC Act, the ICC's approval terms of the recent BN-Frisco merger a nd the Northern Pacific Land Grant Act of 1864 was dismissed by the courts. The suit was filed by several labor groups and private parties in the U. S. District Court in Seattle, Washington where Burlington Northern Industries is based. A previous union petition to the Interstate Commerce Commission last May for a investigation similar to that recently ordered was denied . The results of the current investigation are not expected until later this spring.

The merger of the Colorado and Southern Railway Company into the Burlington Northern Railroad (PACIFIC NEWS, Issue 231) was finalized December 31 , 1981 as the result of Interstate Commerce Commission approval. As part of the merger , former C&S subsidiary Fort Worth and Denver Railway became a subsidiary of BNRR.

The first months of the new year sa w no improvements in the severe decline in rail traffic, which was down some 21 percent in January as compared to 1981 levels for that same month. Traffic had declined in nearly all

commodities, including grain and coal. As January drew to a close, about 600 locomotives were in storage representing 17 percent of the fleet.

Though traffic dropped sharply as 1981 came to an end, the railroad posted revenues of $4.09 billion and operating income of $358 million, up 26% and 29% respectively compared with 1980. The railroad contributed 75% of the total to Burlington Northern Incorporated's (the parent company) operating income. The holding company reported a consolidated net income of $272.2 million, or $7.02 per share, which is up 22% compared with 1980. The 1981 figures reflect the first full year of operation of the former Frisco .

Burlington Northern set a record on January 30 by loading eleven unit coal trains at the Thunder Basin Coal Company's Black Thunder Mine near Gillette, Wyoming. The eleven trains accounted for 116,718 tons of coal destined for utilities in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Wisconsin. The previous record had been nine trains loaded at Amax's Belle Ayr Mine, also near Gillette, Wyoming.

Despite downturns toward the end of 1981, BN transported 112 million tons of coal last year for a 12% increase over 1980. Revenues of $1.2 billion were up for a 29% increase over 1980. The railroad is predicting an average of thirty unit coal trains per day will originate from mines in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana. Ten additional generating facilities are tentatively expected to go into operation or begin stockpiling coal this year and this should account for at eight million ton increase in coal moved by BN . As to further increases, the railroad is cautiously optimistic noting that weather, utility stockpile quantities and the general state of the economy will have a great influence upon the traffic volume.

Burlington Northern has announced that the consolidation of the Ottumwa and Hannibal divisions of the Chicago Region into a new Galesburg Division has taken place as of late January due to the small size of the two separate divisions of only 654 and 879 miles respectively. Some scheduled and exempt positions will be abolished as the result of the colsolidation, though normal attrition should lessen the impact on employees.

A number of schedule reductions have taken place recently . Symbol DVM Denver-Memphis and its counterpart MDN have had their schedules reduced

A world of at your scanning fingertips.

eleven and five hours, respectively . Train 74 from Pasco, Washington to Kansas City has been cut 8~ hours and the westbound counterpart, train 75, by 8 hours. Portland-Birmingham symbol PBF has been cut from 116 hours to I 02Yz hours as a result of routing through St. Louis rather than Kansas City and the opening of the new Sioux City, Iowa bridge allowed reducing the running time of Kansas City-Minneapolis / St. Paul train 191 from 45 to 29 hours.

Interest in booster units continues on Burlington Northern (PA CIFIC NEWS, Issue 234) with another rebuild joining the roster and fifty-three all-new units to follow. SD40 6302, built by EMD in October, 1971, serial number 5801-3, was rebuilt to a SD40B and renumbered 7600 at the railroad's West Burlington, Iowa shops. It was released in late December.

Burlington Northern now plans delivery from General Electric offifty-three B30-7B units, based on the standard B30-7 production model but without cabs and scheduled for second quarter delivery. Numbered 4000-4052, displacing MPI5's 4000-4004 to numbers 1000-1004, early reports indicate that these new booster units will be utilized to replace the many early second generation locomotives now being retired from general merchandise service on the railroad. 0

WESTERn LocomOTIVE nEWS

KENNETH M. ARDINGER

.-British Columbia Railway Century-425 number 808

has been renumbered as the 800 following overhaul from the effects of its long stay under water (PA CI FIC NEWS, Issues 228 & 229). The locomotive is Aleo serial number 3392-08, built in October of 1964 as Erie-Lackawanna 2458 before coming to British Columbia Railway as the number 808.

Chelate hie Prairie Railroad at Battle Ground , Washington has acquired the wandering Seattle and North Coast Baldwin DS44-660 number 51 after a short stay at Publishers Paper Company in Newberg, Oregon (PA CIFIC NEWS, Issue 227). The locomotive moved to

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PACIFIC NEWS 13

Battle Ground , near Vancouver, in February, 1982. North Central Oklahoma Railroad, at Enid, Oklahoma, has in service a repainted and lettered blue-and-gray Aleo RS36, number 2873. Built in June, 1962 as Nickel Plate 873, later renumbered 2873, the locomotive was acquired by the North Central Oklahoma Railroad via dealer Xtra. The unit is Aleo serial 84104.

Pacific Transportation Services has acquired the former Milwaukee Road SWI number 878 from its switching duties at Weyerhaeuser's Snoqualmie, Washington mill. This early EMC unit is serial 1185 built in October, 1940 as Milwaukee 1632, later number 976, 948 and finally the 878. The Weyerhaeuser switching is now being handled by a track mobile and the locomotive moved in February a short distance away to a point where needed work on the trucks could be done.

White Pass and Yukon number 81 has been traced down and found now working in Guatemala lettered as Bandegua 314 and also numbered 20281. The 76-ton three-foot-gauge General Electric unit was built in June of 1957 as U. S. Army 3000, serial 32933. 0

SAn FRAnCISCO Munl DON JEWElL

A new Boeing Light Rail Vehicle arrived in San Francisco from the factory on Wednesday, January 27. This car, numbered 1252, is the replacement for the wrecked former car of that same number that was retired after the "good" half was combined with wrecked 1222 to make a serviceable 1222 in late 1980. A number of parts were salvaged from the wrecked half-cars, including the step-lowering mechanisms, and were sent to Boeing for use in making the new LR V. The second 1252 was then completed to Muni specifications using a Boston carbody and is reported to be the former Boston MBT A 3565, which was built and never delivered to that city.

After receiving federal funding last November, the Muni has signed a contract with Boeing-Vertol for twenty-two new LR V's to be delivered during the first half of 1983. These cars will also come from the order that the Boston MBT A did not take and they will be fully completed to Muni standards . The only major difference will be in less seating capacity (52 instead of the 68 seats on the LRV's now in service) because the Muni wants more rush hour standing room per car. This seating, coincidentally, is the same 2-1 style that Boston has in their LR V's so Boeing could probably use the surplus Boston seats alrady on hand for the Muni cars. These new LR V's have tentatively been assigned numbers 1300 through 1321. Muni still hopes to receive additional funding to buy most or all of the remaining seventeen LR V's from the cancelled Boston order that Boeing still has available.

Work is currently underway by Muni shop personnel on Wrecker 0131, and the car is slowly being restored to its original passenger car appearance. The work is progressing on a time-available basis , so it will be some time before it is completed , but it will return with its former number as B Type number 130 and supplement Car I in excursion service and also be available for the planned Embarcadero line. The current plan is to paint the car in the 1940 colors of blue and gold.

The long-planned reconstruction of the entire cable car system is scheduled to begin after the summer tourist season this year, and all three cable lines will be shut down and replaced by diesel buses during the 20-month

14 NUMBER 236

construction period. Plans to try and keep one cable line at a time running during the rebuilding have apparently been shelved because of the high additional costs involved. The cable cars could leave the streets as early as the first week of September and will return by June, 1984. By that time all of the trackage will have been rebuilt and new safety devices installed . The cars themselves will also have received some new safety equipment and perhaps new paint on all the Powell Street cars . Several have already received the new white , maroon and grey paint scheme and the old ivory-and-green colors of the last thirty or more years may be gone when these cars return to the streets. 0

CHICAGO ~ I nORTH WESTERn ~

MICHAEl W. BLASZAK

Chicago and North Western is joining the ranks of railroads which have found operation of steam-powered exhibition trains an effective public relations technique. Present plans call for the C&NW to operate a "Prosperity Special" over various Wisconsin Divisipn mainlines between May 15 and May 25 . The special will be powered by former C&NW R-I 4-6-0 number 1385, the property of the Mid-Continent Railway Museum of North Freedom, Wisconsin. Although no definite schedule has been established as of this writing, the C&NW expects to display the train at Green Bay, Fond du Lac, Butler, Manitowoc, National Avenue in Milwaukee, Adams, Janesville and Madison. As things stand now, the train will not carry passengers between display locations.

In order to get the 1385 to the Green Bay roundhouse for necessary mechanical work, the C&NW operated a pair of special trains from North Freedom to Butler and from Butler to Green Bay on April 9 and 10. The North Freedom-to-Butler special ran via Wyeville; from Butler the special used the old Lake Shore route through Sheboygan and Manitowoc. The 1385 led former Rock Island GP7's 4159 and 4156 on the latter trip. The geeps were used solely as protection power; one of them was shut down while the 1385 did the pulling. Also in the consist were ex-Milwaukee Road steam locomotive tender X8190, used as an auxiliary water tender; an outside-braced steel boxcar, C&NW 719076, used as a tool car; and two new-scheme bay window cabooses, 11144 and 11023. Maximum speed was held to 30 mph and the special train stopped about every thirty minutes to allow the 1385's bearings to cool. The 1385's running gear is to be overhauled during the next month to eliminate these overheating problems.

Also expected in May is a repeat of last year's Circus Train special, bringing the circus wagons from the museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin, near North Freedom, to the Memorial Day parade in Chicago. This year's train , which will be pulled by diesels , is scheduled to operate on May 25.

C&NW reported record net income of$54.3 million for 1982, up from income of $39 million in 1980. Fourth quarter income was reported as $13.3 million . Not all of that came from railroad operations, though . About $13 million was gained through sale of tax benefits under the Economic Recovery Tax Act of /981, while $9.2 million was posted through reacquisition of general mortgage bonds. The volume of rail business fell precipitously during the latter months of 1981 and is reportedly

running 34% under last year's levels thus far in 1982. These traffic losses, plus the rough winter C&NW territory experienced, doubtless will adversely effect the financial results for the first quarter of 1982.

The bad winter weather bore C&NW watchers one unexpected dividend - it brought out the stored freight F-units. About nine F's were started up for the first time in a year and were used for three to four weeks, primarily on the Central Division (Randolph, Minnesota-Des Moines-Kansas City and central Iowa bra nches). The F's were returned to storage when the weather improved. They can now be found at the following locations:

Oelwein: 208,213,304,305,313. Eagle Grove: 202, 211, 212, 215, 307, 309. Hull Avenue, Des Moines: 205,210,217,306, 308,315, 317,3 18.

Twin Cities: 20 I. The 200-series units are A-units, the 300-series units are all boosters .

The downturn in business is forcing C&NW to combine several trains on the Iowa and Illinois Division main lines. An example is trains PRCBA j PRBF A (old 255 and 355), which run combined from Proviso Yard to Missouri Valley, Iowa, where 255's Council Bluffs cars are set out and the balance of the train moves westward to Fremont, Chadron and Belle Fourche, South Dakota .

On April I , Oelwein Shops began work on the 26 SD24 units purchased second-hand last year from Precision National Corporation. Twenty-two of these are former Southern Railway, the other four were built for the Union Pacific. After overhaul and repainting to C&NW colors, presumably the new ones, these de-turbocharged 1800-horsepower locomotives will replace thirty unrebuilt l700-series GP9's and four G PTs which are presently in service or stored at various locations on the system. C&NW apparently intends to concentrate all of its nonrebuilt , home-road (not second-hand) geeps on the Central Division once this program is completed. The SD's will be numbered 6624 through 6649.0

DEnuERIRloGRAnoE ~",. R. C. FAREWELL

T he major items of note recently have concerned Rio Grande motive power and operations . In the locomotive end of things, as of mid-March the railroad's twenty-two GP35's , road numbers 3029-3050, were still out of service, stored with stacks capped. Two of the SD45's noted as stored in the last report have been returned to service: they are the 5317 and 5321. S till remaining stored are seventeen other SD45's, road numbers 5315 , 5316, 5318-5320, 5322, 5324 , 5330-5335 and 5337-5340. In addition, SD7 5301 is out of service with mechanical ills. Other related matters note orange extended-vision cabooses 01514-01516 , 01518 and 01520-01524 stored along with black regular-cupola numbers 01416 and 01425. The latter pair received major shopping and the installation of cushion underframe components. All of the above equipment in storage is located at the Rio Grande's Burnham Shops in Denver.

Even with the storage of the Rio Grande's older and less efficient units , Union Pacific SD40's are still present on the railroad. For example, on February 7 train 183, westbound grain from Denver to Grand Junction via the Moffat Tunnel , rated D&RGW GP40-2 3097 and UP SD40's 3385, 350 I and 3055. The UP power was turned at Grand Junction that same day and returned eastbound,

this time over Tennessee Pass to Pueblo without any Rio Grande units on the train . On the following day they went westbound again back over Tennessee Pass on train 171 with Rio Grande SD40T-2 5387 as the trailing unit. That evening, a westbound Denver-Salt Lake hotshot drew UP 3457, 3302, 3682, D&RGW GP9 5921 a nd SD40T-2 5358. The use of the geep was a transfer. Two of the Union Pacific units, 3302 and 3682, worked an empty coal consist to Carbondale from Grand Junction the next day without any Rio Grande units in the consist.

The snowplows have been active this winter plowing Glenwood Canyon, La Veta Pass and both a pproaches to Moffat Tunnel during late February. One other movement of note was a tour of the Denver-to-Pueblo "Joint Line" by the company business car , Wilson McCarthy, on February 9. This movement was officially registered as train 165, usually southbound coal and mixed merchandise but on this particular day consisting only of SD45 5325 and the business car.

The Ski Train has been operating as per its seasonal January-March norm, with the Saturday movement including all eight of the remaining one-time Northern Pacific coaches. The Sunday schedule has included from five to eight of this circa 1908 equipment. Interestingly enough, one of the eight cars, Rio Grande 1013, still has a hardwood parlor section intact , although the exterior window spacing gives no hint as to the arrangement inside the car. 0

MISSOURI PACIFIC ~i> 1. HARLEN WILSON

The Missouri Pacific instituted several belt-tightening measures in mid-January, after carloading reports indicated a much sharper downturn in business. More employees were laid off and most capital improvement projects were put on "hold," including the new diesel shop at North Little Rock (PA CfFfC NEWS, Issue 234). More motive power has also been put in storage, with all 117 GPI8's on the roster in storage at Fort Worth (PACIFIC NEWS, Issue 234). Some SD40's and U30C units were stored for a short while. All of the unmodified G P35's remain in storage, 35 of which are serviceable and twelve unserviceable. Total units stored as of March I including approximately twenty switchers, totaled 184 locomotives, or twelve percent of the fleet.

New motive power continues to arrive. All but three of the General Electric B30-7 A's, through number 4851, were delivered by mid-March. Twenty MPI5DC's, numbered 1356-1375, were delivered in February. Half of these were assigned to Fort Worth, Texas and half to North Little Rock, Arkansas. Delivery of fifty G P 15-1 Units, numbered 1665-1714, is scheduled to be completed by early April with twenty-five each being assigned to Kansas City and Houston. Thirty of these locomotives were on the roster by mid-March . 0

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PACIFIC NEWS 15

Blase Shays N ever Existed

With her tiny brass whistle, classic bell, straight stack and little 8xl2-inch cylinders, this diminutive and aged Lima Shay is nearing the end of a busy forty-year career. She may seem just one of a long line of sisters from the builder's plant, that seemingly all vanished into the anonymity of industrial railroading, but she is not just another blase little steam pot. Here parked on a siding near Klamath Falls at Modoc Point, Oregon for the Lamm Lumber Company in July of 1938, the spot plate, running board over the cylinders, headlight, and any trace of numbering or lettering all vanished, is a machine still of vital importance to its owner. Even the cylinder-head covers have long since been dispatched to the scrap pile, and today somebody would write "wash me" on the side of the cab.

But, a slender pipe leading up from the ground beside the front truck of the locomotive connects the S hay's boiler with the sawmill itself to keep things warm. The wheels are shiny and the grease on the gears is fresh . Lamm Lumber Company number one is still earning her keep.

The Lima Locomotive and Machine Company built this little two-truck thirty-two tonner back in April of

. 1903 for Clark Creek Logging Company near Kelso, Washington. S he was their number 2 and her arrival signaled a change in gauge of the railroad from 42-inch to standard gauge. Clark Creek was in the big time now; their brand-new Shay could haul 78 tons on a six percent grade, had a boiler pressure of 160 pounds per square inch and carried I Y2 cords of wood fuel. Actually, that's small even by 1903 standards.

Clark Creek Logging moved their equipment nearby to a new operation on the Cowlitz River for the start of logging in 1906 and added two more S hays of a slightly larger size. In 1913 they suffered a serious fire and shut down, selling this S hay the next year to the Lamm Lumber Company, which was beginning its existence and building a sawmill on Klamath Lake to tap recently-acquired timberlands. This new operation would only live for less than seven years, however, when the last of the available timber owned by the company was logged and everything closed down only to reincorporate itself in April of 1923. Still near Klamath Lake, the company now had new and extensive timberlands to harvest.

Lamm Lumber Company Shay One was the first locomotive on the logging railroad; but by the late twenties expansion of the company, and new timber purchases further from the mill at Modoc Point, finally resulted in construction of a new rail line from

16 NUMBER 236

;an interchange with Southern Pacific at Chinchalo out across the Klamath Marsh on a fill built during the winter of 1929-1930 when the ground was frozen. A brand-new Baldwin 2-8-2 was added to the roster for the main line haul, and the Long-Bell Lumber Company at Klamath Falls shared use of the railroad. Shay One was kept at work switching log cars.

When the railroad was finally abandoned, the 2-8-2 was so ld to the California Western Railroad at Fort Bragg, California. Operating as Cal-Western 44, the piston-valved 44-inch-drivered Mike was not cut up for scrap until 1952.

Lima construction number 798 , Lamm's two-truck S hay One, led a long, busy, perhaps confused life in logging service. Working for only two owners, she nevertheless worked on several railroad lines. I n this 1938 photograph, the years of labor have taken their visible toll. A credit to her builder's expertise, and the quality of the product throughout the full range of Shay sizes, Lima number 798's circular cast builder's plate bolted onto the side of the smokebox just ahead of the exhaust line from the cylinders

- the well-known "diamond" plate was still in the future when this S hay was built in 1903 - still lets any interested passerby know that this machine is a Lima!

True, Lima did not slide an overgrown oil tank in behind the locomotive's cab and hold it in place with steel rods and lengths of rail leaving unneeded wood racks still in place, and yes, Lima would not approve of removing the headlight or even of taking off the number plate. Lima would never allow a S hay out the door without the running board. These are all homemade touches , accumulated in the rigors of the west's rugged logging service.

But, just pause for a moment and delight at what we have here with three little cylinders all lined up so visibly, dramatically slanted outward to meet the crankshaft. Look at the size of those tiny valve chests, hiding valves that govern cylinders that are but eight inches in diameter with only a twelve-inch piston stroke. Study the complexity of the casting for the exhaust lines from these same cylinders that merges the expended steam into the single exhaust pipe for

Guy L. Dunsco mb photo. D. S. Richter co llection

the trip alongside the boiler to the smokebox to push its way to the atmosphere.

If the trucks broke they could probably be fixed at the local blacksmith shop outfitted with nothing more than a coal-fired forge. The gear covers have all vanished, the engineer's front window won't close and the side window is broken. The bell needs polish, the little one-note whistle must have shrieked . Those sanders are still lever operated in spite of the existence of a trainline air hose next to the coupler indicating that Lamm Shay One probably has both an air compressor hung on the fireman's side and an obsolete automatic airbrake valve in the cab, but there is no visible hose to direct the sand down close to the rails ahead of the drivers so there's probably no sand in the dome, either. The front buffer beam seems heavy enough to withstand a head-on collision, at least with another diminutive steamer for this entire package only weighs about 32 tons , total.

Sadly, in 1943, Lima 798 was cut up for scrap and contri buted toward the defeat of the Imperial Navy in the War of the Pacific. - Karl R. Koenig

PACIFIC NEWS 17

Virgil C. Staff

At Aztec, Arizona on a June day in 1967, 5000-horsepower General Electric U50 number 9551 here sports its second road number for owner Southern Pacific . One of but three to ever work for the SP system, the huge twin-engined unit was delivered three years earlier in May ofl964.ln eleven years, a nd with yet another new number, the big G E's services would no longer be required and the locomotive will be stricken from the roster and sold for scrap.

THE FIRST AND THE LAST

T HE RISE AND THE FALL

OF SOUTHERN PACIFIC'S GENERAL ELECTRIC U50 's

KEITH B. OGLE

T he yea r is 1964. As the horsepower race between the three domestic diesel locomotive manufacturers becomes hot in response to the Union Pacific's gas turbines and Southern Pacific's imported German diesel hydraulics, Electro-M otive, Aleo and General Electric each responded by producing twin-engined hood unit s. EMO, the heavyweight , brought out its big cabless 0035B. Aleo ca me in with its Century-855 a nd Genera l Electric brought out the U50 a t the inst igation of power concious Un ion Pacific, whose primary co ncern was unit reduction on fas t freights.

A lways willing to try something new, Southern Pacific dec ided to sa mple three of the Electro-M oti ve 0035B's and three Genera l

18 NUMBER 236

Electric U50's for compari son with the hydraul ic locomotives imported from Krauss Maffei in Germany. In late May a nd ea rly June of 1964, U50's 8500-8502 were delivered to Southern Pacific and ass igned to Los Angeles for maintenance since the Taylor Ya rd shop forces were to have the responsibility for maintaining all of the Genera l Electric units on the roster.

By length and weigh t compa ri so n, the new U50 weighed, at 278 tons, fifteen tons mo re than the 263-ton 0035B, whereas the EMO was 88 feet in length compared to the 83-foot U50. Only the Union Pacific Centennia l locomotives were longer than either of these.

Next to the three U50's bought by the Espee, twenty-three sister ships were delivered to the Uni on Pacific beginning with three in 1963, twelve in 1964 and eigh t in 1965. The UP trad ed in turbine locomoti ve running gear from its re tired 4500-horsepower Big Blows. Espee held back on any possible reorders a nd no other

ra il road but UP and SP acq uired any of these big twin-engined monsters a lthough this wri ter a t o ne time in his life envisioned them in Pennsy or Burlingto n R oad colors, which was never to be. M any ra ilroads, whose sho ps had la tera l track layou ts a nd overhead cranes with less than 250 tons capaci ty, were unable to hand le any unit s of this size a nd length.

Beginnin g in June of 1964 , the S P's U 50's were placed in se rvice a nd ass igned to the eas tward poo l out o f Los Angeles a nd genera ll y they worked as far as EI Paso, San Antonio or Hous to n. To the de light of many Cott on Belt fans, they wou ld occas io na lly turn up in Tyler, T exas or Pine Blu ff, Arkansas. Engine crews on bo th the Espee a nd the Cotto n Belt would swear tha t the locomotives were the wildest riding diese l locomotive th is side of stea m power. To ot hers, the U50's became known as the cab forward diese l beca use of the ca b location being mu ch like tha t of the SP's AC cab-in- fronters of st ea m days.

Nu mber 8500 and 8501 were the fir st to co me from the builder, with the8502 foll ow ing shortly th ereafter. T hey were classified as OF 70 1 when first deli ve red, but when Southern Pacific bega n it s genera l ren umbering program in 1965 the trio became 9550-9552 class ified as G F850-1 , which mea nt Genera l Electric freight , eight ax le, five th ousa nd horsepowe r and the o rd er of purchase. In 1970 they were aga in renumbered , this time into 9950-9952 while the arch ri va l 0035B's were to occupy numbers 9900-9902 to make room for the experimental 4200- horsepower EMO S045X unit s.

As the years went by the U 50's proved themselves in their ass igned runs eas t out of Los Angeles, but when business was slack they were often found in temp ora ry storage a long with the three 0035B's. The big GE's were no t all that easy to maintain because of double comp lex it y. Engine and turbocharge r fai lures were comm on and the complica ted subassembl ies were notorious for ground re lay problems. By 1977 Un ion Pacific had reti red a ll of it s twenty-three units but the Southern Pacific tri o continued to work in shuttle transfer se rvice between Taylor Yard and W es t Co lto n and even so metimes a U50 could be found venturing up part of the Coas t R oute to de live r empty auto rack cars to the G eneral M otors au tomobile plan t in Van Nuys, then a li ttl e further to the wye a t Chatsworth befo re the trip back toTaylorY ard and more W est Colt o n drag duty.

By F ebruary of 1978 it was a ll over. The three unit s were placed in storage never to run aga in. Number 9950, the former 8500, was the first to go when on M ay 18, 1978 she was so ld to dea ler Chrome C ra nkshaft who sa lvaged the tru cks, engi nes, genera tors a nd smaller co mponents. What was o nce a massive tw in-e ngined diesel loco motive taking shape on the erecting fl oor at Erie, Pennsy lvan ia in February, 1964 was now nothing more than a meta l skeleton ly ing on her s id e at Pacific T erminals in Long Beac h, Ca lifornia where cutting to rches a nd mobi le cranes fini shed her off.

With the 9950 no longer among the living, the 9951 and 9952 rema ined intact and in sto rage ou t of serv ice at Los Angeles, but soon their lurn ca me up. Both were stripped of usable parts a nd then they, too, we re moved to Pacific Terminals on T ermina l Isla nd in Long Beach to be cut up thus ending the U50 era which had lasted for fo urteen yea rs. From E rie, P ennsylva nia to Lo ng Beach, Cali fornia, fourteen yea rs of Espee's biggest had come a nd gone . •

On an April day in 1979 the Denve r and Rio Grande Western Railroad's Rio Grande Zephyr curves through Price Canyon, Utah stretched out behind a ll three of th e survi ving F-units and one of two Alco booster-unit s-turned-steam-generator . There are eight cars, four of them domes, in today's runnin g of the Zephyr, here photographed in scenery very much unlike that found in th e Colorado Rockies for which the railroad has become famed . The classic st reamliner has become the only non-Amtrak conventional equipm ent full streaml iner consist in th e western United States as A-unit 5771 leads the way for a st rin g of silver passenger ca rs capped by a true rounded-end observation that comprises the fin al historic lin k with ra ilroading's glamorous passenger era and the California Zephy r itself.

Boh Gotl icr

The Camera

Car Photo

Section

PACI FI C NEWS 19

20 NUMBER 236

The Camera Car Photo Section

Jack Fuller

Over a dozen years ago the Western Pacific still rostered an impressive stable of Electro-Motive cab units and at least six of the fleet are here plunging out of the tunnel at Keddie led by the 921-0. This oft-repeated scene - careful looking will note the fabled Keddie Bridge to the right of the F7 A 's pilot - with the classic Feather River Route emblem on the covered wagon's nose door has vanished from railroading today, but happily the 921-0 lives on. Built by EMO in the opening months of 1950 the suffix "0 " was dropped in July, 1975 and now wearing green paint with orange trim as simply the 921 she continues in service out of Stockton with sister 917 .

Evan T. Humphre ys

Two streetcar operations, many miles and generations apart both serve to remind of the past and to preserve for the future. Yakima Valley Transportation Company 1976, left, still operates today on the YVT's trackage at Yakima, Washington where the Brill-built car works with a sister each summer for a busy session of tourist passenger duty. Here, westbound, the car passes Congdon's Castle as it approaches Wide Hollow Junction on trackage the cars share with electric freight service on this Union Pacific subsidiary.

In the fall of 1937, below, Fresno Traction double-truck Birney 92 has just ducked under the Santa Fe while operating on the Wishon Line, the major car route for this California city. Twelve of these cars were built for Fresno by SI. Louis in 1924 and all lasted until the end of service in 1939 after which three, 81-83, were sold to the Pacific Electric and the balance 84 to 92 went to the Central California Traction Company and later Sacramento City Lines. Only one, the 83, survives today, preserved in the collection of the Orange Empire Railway Museum at Perris, California.

Will Whillakcr

PACIFIC NEWS 21

22 NUMBER 236

The Camera Car Photo Section

Illinois Central Gulf 8053, 6061, Southern Pacific 8544 and Gulf Mobile and Ohio 914 team up to drag the ICG's yard in Council Bluffs, Iowa in March, 1979 before leaving to deliver an empty coal train across town to the Union Pacific. At that time the Southern Pacific power was making frequent appearances on the ICG 's Iowa Division and here in this view the Paducah GPI0 on the point was a local addition just to pilot the "coalie" over to UP. After delivery of the train , all of the motive power will return to the Illinois Central Gulf yards.

The climb is nearly over for Amtrak's Southwest Limited as it slowly twists its way onr the stiff grades of scenic Raton Pass. Here, in July of 1978, the passenger train's sixteen-car consist is in possession of SDP40F's 516,505 and 538 on Santa Fe rail rounding a sharp curve near the historic Uncle Dick Wooton Ranch. This is the domain of FP40's and Superliners today, although the Southwest Limited was the last of Amtrak's transcontinentals to be converted .

..

Boh Plough

PACIFIC NEWS 23

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KATY GETS SERIOUS ON MAINLINE ELECTRIFICATION The Misso uri-Ka nsas-Texas Railroad has

entered into a contract wi th a n enginee ring firm fo r the ini tia l design wo rk on a 323-mile electri fica tion of a segme nt of the rai lroad's mainline trackage. The Mary la nd engineering firm wi ll ma nage the entire project fo r the ra il road , which is the first se rio usly pla nned maj o r ra il road electr ifica t ion in near ly a half centu ry in the United Sta tes.

T he track route selected fo r this project is the 323-mile segment betwee n Fort Worth a nd Ho uston, T exas via Waco, Temple a nd Smithville. A new signa l sys tem, track upgrading a nd ove rhead constructio n a re pa rt of the responsibilities ta ken over by the enginee ring fi rm in the cont ract with the Katy, which it is planned will lead to actua l const ruction of the electrifica tion system. No target da te, however, has been a nnounced for eithe r the first stage o f actua l construction wo rk on the proj ect or the p la nned in itia l o pera tio ns of electric-powered train se rvice . •

BRITISH COLUMBIA RAILWAY BEGINS TUNNEL WORK During late Fe brua ry, the British Co lumbia

Railway moved two huge "jumbo" d rill ing machines in to positi on fo r construction work on the ra ilro

NORTH CENTRAl TEXAS RAILROAD IS STATE'S NEWEST JAMES T. BRADLEY

The North Centra l T exas R a ilroad has leased six Missouri-Ka nsas-Texas Railroad GP7 units, but the y a re not being repainted (PA C! FlC NEWS, Issue 234) a nd remain in Katy ye llow and green. The railroad also has one locomotive of its own, GP7 number6 l2 (PA CfFl C NEWS, Issue 234) , leased fr om Xtra and pa inted in the NCTR's own red , white and blue pa int scheme. This locomotive is based at Fort Worth.

The North Centra l Texas Railroad opera tes not only between C hico a nd Fort W orth , but a lso between Fort Worth a nd Dallas on the jo int former Reck Island-Fort Worth and Denver t rackage. The NCTR uses the ex-Rock Island Mockingbird Yard in D a llas as its ba se of o perations there .

All of this former Rock Island trackage is st ill d ispatched from El Reno , Oklahoma as this was a nd still is CTC territory. A lso on lease to the new ra ilroad are a few Rock Island cabooses that are still lettered fo r the Rock and are in the red pa int scheme. These cabooses ha d been stenc iled fo r the Oklahoma Kansas and T exas Railroad but were returned to Rock Island reporting marks and origina l numbers when tha t road fa iled in it s effort s at operating former Rock Island trackage north from Fort Worth into Ok la ho ma a nd Kansas .•

TENTATIVE PLANS FOR UP 4-6-64 3985 RUNS IN JUNE Union Pacific's restored 4-6-6-4 C ha llenger

number 3985 , wh ich visited Ca lifornia in May, 198 1 for Railfair a t Sacramento, is tentatively now sched uled to