Focalplane Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Now I am retired I have some time on my hands (well, not really!) and have decided to upload a few of my train photos taken while living and working in Texas. I developed a love for what became the most run down railroad in North America, the once proud Southern Pacific Lines. When it was finally taken over by Union Pacific there were many who rued the day Philip Anschutz first bought Rio Grande and then Southern Pacific and ran them both into the ground. Union Pacific did a stupid deal to buy out SP and then discovered what a mess it was in. I forget many of the details now, but there were the usual egos in the board room, etc. Well, I'll kick off with a few photos and then add more from time to time. Some are simply of trains, others of the infrastructure which may be of interest to British modelers of the North American scene. I hope you enjoy them. For a while some very enthusiastic members of the Houston Gulf Coast Chapter used to organize Union Pacific charters and my wife and I went on several. These were taken at a photo run by at a location north of Houston on a return day trip from College Station. Steve Lee was running the UP steam program back then and knew how to "put on a show": This one was taken at an earlier run by: I am told that they don't "spike the chimney" with fuel oil any more as it has met with complaints from some quarters. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-59 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 The UP-SP merge was really something. I live in Chicago suburban along the CNW which the UP had brought the year before. After they brought the SP there would be trains sitting in my town for days waiting for track space further along the line. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 Off to Colorado for this one! I suppose the Durango and Silverton is a must do for any visitor to Southwest Colorado, though there are plenty of other things to do. The entire history of mining in Colorado is fascinating, particularly if you get off road and explore the mining roads, some of which go up to 13,000 ft above sea level. But after a night in a classic 19th Century B&B in Silverton we took a bus to Durango so that we could return on the morning train. Although I took quite a few slides I have only scanned a few so far: The first two were taken at Silverton on successive days, the third en route. I know I took photos while climbing the side of the Animas Gorge, they will have to come later. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Given the choice, I would prefer UP's steam locomotives over their heritage diesel electrics (E8s) but the opportunity to be on the last passenger train to run on the "Katy" from Houston to Smithville and back was very special. Not that at the time we would know it would be the last, there was still hope that the part of the Katy that ran from Houston to Katy could be become a light rail corridor. The concrete purveyors won that battle. As a member of the Gulf Coast Chapter I was able to buy tickets for seats in the end dome car, City of San Francisco. The first run by stop out of Houston was made at Cat Spring, a small community. The usual run by line up was achieved with the help of the organizers. I decided to step back a few yards and show just how close we were to the tracks. The E8 lash up consisted of three prime movers and the long train (I don't remember how many cars, but at least 15) backed up and then powered past us. At Smithville, a railway town, the MKT formed a three way junction with the Austin-Dallas line, so the train was able to turn around for the return journey. As with all these excursions the local community turned out in force, providing lunch at the VFW hall in La Grange and inviting us to visit the small railroad museums along the way. More on other E8 excursions in the future, I now need to find some SP photos! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 The SP in West Texas One of our favorite trips away from Houston was to drive to Big Bend National Park. The road from San Antonio west to the two gateway towns to Big Bend (Marathon and Alpine) is Highway 90 and for much of the way it runs parallel to the Southern Pacific "Sunset Route" to Los Angeles. So there were always opportunities to see freight trains as well as the three times a week each way Amtrak "Sunset Limited". When Southern Pacific still existed the freight trains were always hauled by the distinctive grey and red locomotives, many of them with three locos hauling double stack container trains. Being single track there were plenty of passing loops. Out in the middle of nowhere I came across this eastbound freight, patiently waiting for the road ahead to be clear: Once in Marathon, we would plan to arrive around 4 p.m., having left Houston at 6 a.m. The road journey is just over 500 miles, easy to do in Texas with stops along the way. With our cold beers on the terrace of the Gage Hotel we would wait for the approach of a train, then, as the crossings began to close, hurry across the street to the tracks where the SP had once built a station and icing plant (too keep California produce fresh on its way east). Here's another eastbound double stack, coming and going: Trains would pass by all through the night. It didn't bother us too much, we then lived by the old Rock Island Line in northwest Houston. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 That's a nice mixed set of locos on the stack train - GP60, SD40T-2, B39-8. The other one has a pair of C44-9Ws. Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Three locos were on the low side before the advent of the C44-9Ws. On my way to visiting Big Bend in 1996, the double stacks were often hauled by four or five locos - quite a few carrying the SSW/Cotton Belt insignia. Unfortunately a flat tyre (tire?) put paid to my one attempt to photograph the "Sunset Limited" at Marathon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Thanks for the loco identifications - I have never gotten into diesel electric types! The trains themselves in their natural setting was enough for me. By the way, I have previously linked to my* series of high resolution scanned maps of the SP network - the link is here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/94270-southern-pacific-maps/ * Taken from Dunscombe's out of print book, see the link Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 A quick set of spotting factors (although I checked the numbers against the roster here: http://www.utahrails.net/up-diesel-roster/up-x-sp-index.php ) The first loco is a 4-axle loco with a dynamic brake blister - this makes it an EMD GP model. The more rectangular look to the blister (compare to the second loco) and the standard cab makes it a GP59 or GP60. Only NS has GP59s, so it is a GP60. The second loco has a low-mounted radiator intake and is a six-axle unit, making it an SD40T-2 or an SD45T-2 tunnel motor. At the angle of the shot it is hard to tell the difference, so the number tells us it is a SD40T-2. The third loco has the distinctive thin wing radiators of a GE Dash-8 unit. It is a 4-axle unit with a standard cab, making it a B32-8, B39-8, or B40-8. The hump-backed look (dynamic brake box higher than the cab roof) makes it a B39-8. While you can't see the full number, 035 means it is 8035, which confirms the identity. There is only 10,700HP (3800+3000+3900) on the front of that train. The first car on that train is a Gunderson Maxi-III 5-unit well car (5x 48' wells). The other train has wide cab units that have the mid-thickness radiator wings of the GE Dash-9 series, and the short raised section behind the cab on the walkway of the trailing unit identifies it as a C44-9W rather than an AC4400CW (which has a longer raised section). 8800HP (2x4400) on the front of that train. Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 The gradients between El Paso and San Antonio for east bound trains are mostly down hill. Of course what goes up has to come down, so the weak link in this leg of the Sunset Route is west bound between Alpine and Marfa, the Paisano Pass. I certainly remember seeing lash ups greater than 3 locomotives in both directions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Surprised by the positive response, let's go with some prototype modeling photos. At the upper, western end of the Paisano Pass there is a junction where the South Orient line turns south toward the Mexican border. This short line from Austin was touted as a new way to move goods between Mexico and the US following the signing of the NAFTA Agreement. From what I remember the slow moving freight trains certainly lit up the area - with trackside fires! These two photos are for modelers of the desert environment: The view is toward the junction with the main SP line between Marfa and Alpine. A close up of the track bed. Not exactly pristine! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsp3970 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 May not look pristine but for the good old Maumee and Western RR in Ohio it would be in top condition! I used to drive alongside that line on a regular basis and thought it was abandoned, the tracks were that bad, then one day I saw a train going down it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 A single photo, this Saturday morning. Southern Pacific 2-10-2 No. 982 was one of the many SP steam locos donated to cities around the system. Generally, the larger the city the larger the engine! No. 982 was stuffed and mounted in Hermann Park, next to the boating lake, and this is where the photo was taken. When the Houston Astros moved to their new baseball field near downtown, the locomotive was moved there and additional paint was added to stop the rust and asbestos from peeling off. Why was it moved? Well, one reason given was that it really didn't suit the new plans for upgrading the park. But the baseball stadium was also built on the site of Union Station, so it was thought appropriate to have the locomotive there. In all probability 982 never visited Union Station in its working life! There was once a move to restore No. 982 to working condition, but it was the asbestos problem that killed the idea . In reality, a locomotive suited to dragging long freights around Texas and Louisiana would never have been a sensible proposition as a heritage main line steam locomotive. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Amtrak Motive Power. For much of the time I was in Houston there were only six trains a week running through Houston, the Sunset Limited, three times a week each way from New Orleans to Los Angeles and vv. For a while a short train ran up to Dallas to connect with the Texas Eagle, but this was replaced with a bus. The original Amtrak motive power was the FP40 but these were being phased out and quite why so many ended up at Houston's Hardy Street depot we may never know. Their replacements were the Genesis semi-streamlined units. Here we see the eastbound Sunset Limited accelerating away from Houston at Liberty Road and Oates: And another Genesis at the head of another eastbound Sunset Limited at Houston's single platform Amtrak Station. This is all that is left of the SP's Grand Central Station, a fine structure that was demolished to make way for I-45. Elsewhere on the Amtrak system we see a nice combination at the head of an east bound California Zephyr while stopped at Colorado Glenwood Springs. A Genesis and a "Pepsi Can" GE Dash 8. The Pepsi Can nickname is easy to recognize! The last two photos were taken on one of our Amtrak trips, from Salt Lake to Denver. The schedule was depart SL at 4:30 am, arrive Denver at 7:00 pm. The train was on schedule until we went through the Moffat Tunnel, after which a signal failure caused a slow descent into Denver, stopping at each signal to get clearance for the section ahead. As a result our $120 first class tickets paid for the journey, a two berth cabin and three meals in the dining car. Possibly the best value ever on a train journey. The scenery was fantastic (I am a geologist so this was even more so for me) and the fellow travelers were great company. When we arrived in Denver about two hours late we stayed the night in possibly the best hotel experience in North America - the Brown Palace. Altogether a very memorable day! Edited 01/26/2015 because Colorado Springs should be Glenwood Springs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 More from the Durango and Silverton. Backing up at Durango: The spectacular Animas Gorge: Crossing the Animas River near to Silverton At Silverton: Some tips for future travelers. Sit on the right side going up from Durango to Silverton. If you are in Silverton, look into the option of taking the morning bus to Durango - all trains start in Durango so there is or was no early morning departure from Silverton. Silverton gets busy at lunch time, consider grabbing lunch before everyone else! And if you have a 4x4, consider driving over the mine roads to Lake City and back (Engineer Pass one way, Cinnamon Pass the other. Here is a view from the top of Engineer Pass: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 It's time for some infrastructure photos. It's hard to understand why, but the water tower at Alpine, Texas was still in place only a few years ago. The cylindrical container sits on a concrete base which is not visible here: But 30 miles east, at Marathon, the concrete base remains intact: Many of the smaller stations along the Sunset Route have disappeared. Between San Antonio and El Paso only one remains in service, at Alpine: Others have been converted into museums, such as at Hondo: Its opening hours were so brief that I was never able to visit. The SP station at Marathon has been moved, and again the plan was to convert the building into a museum. The last I heard the museum was unlikely to move ahead. Here is the building, several blocks from its original location: Finally, a grade crossing on the main line between Houston and Corpus Christi, with UP's City of San Francisco rolling through on a photo run by: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted January 26, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 26, 2015 Keep on posting those photos. They are great. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Keep on posting those photos. They are great. Ian Thanks, Ian, I will. I get so much out of other people's photos when doing research on my layouts that it only seems right and proper to share some of mine, particularly those that help others to get their scenery, etc. looking just right! I don't have the space for my dream SP layout unfortunately. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted January 26, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 26, 2015 There's one photo a few posts back you mention Colorado Springs. As Amtrak haven't stopped there for decades I was just wondering if that is actually some where unless it was on diversion? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 There's one photo a few posts back you mention Colorado Springs. As Amtrak haven't stopped there for decades I was just wondering if that is actually some where unless it was on diversion? Oops! It should be Glenwood Springs. I am sorry about that, I am going to edit out the error. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted January 26, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 26, 2015 Oops! It should be Glenwood Springs. I am sorry about that, I am going to edit out the error. Paul I nearly said Glenwood Springs but didn't recognise it from that angle but makes sense!! Think that there's a new bridge where you took that shot now. Thanks Ian PS love the Pepsi can livery. Remember sitting in a bar at Santa Barbara one evening watching them go by. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 How about some SP in East Houston. During the Anschutz era the state of the average locomotive could be best described as dire. The Hardy Street MPD was a sad place to visit, while Englewood Yard always had some rusty switchers. By contrast UP at Settegast (which was, I think, once MoPac) always had their shiny yellow perils showing off! So, what do we have? Three from Englewood: Englewood is a huge yard, stretching almost from Downtown to the East Loop. And views from across the tracks of the line up at Hardy Street. Those sand towers are something! Sorry about the quality of some of these photos, they were scanned from 6" x 4" prints. But there's no going back, the entire Hardy Street MPD has been bulldozed. Many of the SP's TNORR steam locos were built, serviced and rebuilt here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Photo 1: 2669 is an SW1500 (used the roster for that, I can't tell switchers apart ) Photo 2/3: 2744 is an MP15AC, the next unit looks like it might be a GP40-2 The two SP units on the right might be -7 GE units (B23-7/B30-7/B36-7). The Conrail one looks like it might be an SD40. Photo 4: 2271 is probably an SW1200, 1606 is a slug (basically weight and traction motors, powered by the 'mother' unit attached to it) Photo 5: see above and below Photo 6: 8910 is an SD45, spotting feature is the flared radiators. 2551 and 2630 are SW1500s Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focalplane Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Mother and Slug = Cow and Calf! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
40019 Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Photo 1: 2669 is an SW1500 (used the roster for that, I can't tell switchers apart ) Photo 2/3: 2744 is an MP15AC, the next unit looks like it might be a GP40-2 The two SP units on the right might be -7 GE units (B23-7/B30-7/B36-7). The Conrail one looks like it might be an SD40. Photo 4: 2271 is probably an SW1200, 1606 is a slug (basically weight and traction motors, powered by the 'mother' unit attached to it) Photo 5: see above and below Photo 6: 8910 is an SD45, spotting feature is the flared radiators. 2551 and 2630 are SW1500s Adrian How come 8910 doesn't have a red nose ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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