UP 7729 West meets UP 7676 East:

And does so in the 95-degree heat just below the very small town of Gold Run.


Once again I inadvertently manage to capture a very rare train meet on video.



Created on August 7, 2012 using FlipShare, this was an incredibly hot day west of Gold Run. UP 7729 West was a stack train running downhill on the #1 track, stopping for a signal indication at MP152. The signal went green and 7729 continued its way downhill. UP 7729 is a GE C44ACCTE with 4,400 hp, following by four EMD SD70M locomotives: 4771, 5064, 4492 and 4536, all possessing 4,000 hp. The train is assisted by UP 8684 in DPU status at the end, an EMD SD70ACe.

After 7729 releases its brakes, you can hear another train approaching at another crossing further west of Gold Run. UP 7676 is caught running uphill, east on the #2 track.

I get the camera a little closer than normal on this video, scorching my arms on the hot ballast.

Check out the entire YouTube video here and enlarge it for your screen. Wear headphones and enjoy! [There is scanner traffic in the background as well.]

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A very rare California Zephyr train meet at Switch 9:

It was a beautiful day in the Sierra Nevadas, and I was again train-chasing with scanner, camera and video.

I first caught the eastbound #6 California Zephyr near Secret Town, running up the hill at full passenger train track speed of 30 mph. I immediately noticed there were three units pulling; normally Amtrak only places two locomotives on each Zephyr.

Those familiar with the California Zephyr know that the route runs between Chicago, Illinois in the east, to Emeryville in California. The westbound Zephyr is the #5, and the eastbound Zephyr is the #6.

Those familiar with train-chasing also know that catching a train meet photographically or on video is extremely rare; it is even more rare to catch a meet of the two California Zephyr trains, as they run only once per day, each direction.

With that in mind, please see my video below. Click here to visit the YouTube link itself, where you can enlarge the video completely on your screen.



You can see that I catch the eastbound Zephyr, first, near Secret Town and approaching Gold Run. The eastbound #6 Zephyr features GE P42B #203 on point, with #201 in second spot and #189 in third position. I found this unusual, because Amtrak customarily runs only two engines on the Zephyr. I soon discovered #189 was dead and likely being transported for repairs or service. All three of these engines were manufactured by GE in 2001 and feature 4,200-hp engines with DC-driven traction motors.

The westbound #5 Zephyr, at Switch 9, has GE unit #192 on point, with #161 trailing. Both of these engines come from the same pedigree as the #6 Zephyr locomotives.

My apologies: as the eastbound #6 enters the Switch 9 tunnel, I fell from the rock where I stood whilst attempting to pan.

That said, as I hiked down to the tracks from the top of the Emigrant Gap area, I felt a certain "something" -- a bit like my Spidey Sense was tingling. Like this:

Mountain lions in the western United States have been re-populating exponentially. A recent mountain lion attack in my general area put an older hiker in the hospital with very serious head, neck and shoulder wounds, when a big cat ventured into a camper's tent at night.

Up in the high Sierra Nevada elevations where I live and customarily shoot video and digital photographs, mountain lions and black bears range. They are the pinnacle predators. Plus, the deer populations have rapidly expanded as well, creating a wonderful food source for said apex predators.

Two things I fear, because I primarily hike alone: a lone mountain lion -- old and addled or young and stupid -- or the cubs of a black bear. Because that means Mom is nearby and mostly unhappy.

I've seen much bear scat with berries and large animal prints over the years -- in the dust, the mud and the snow.

That day, the hair on the back of my neck raised and my radar lit up from behind. Mountain lions will take you from behind and you mostly won't see or hear them.

I started making noises, talking, and snapping my fingers. For those of you so interested, I am also customarily armed with a handgun whose caliber never falls below the first digit of 4. And a number of speedloaders. Mostly, I carry a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in .454 Casull.

I grabbed my video and hiked back uphill. I felt I was being watched. It felt like a large, bloody X was painted on my back.

Ever have that feeling when you're hiking?

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Tunnel 18 In Newcastle

Union Pacific finished their tunnel enlargement program in November of 2009 (above) -- in order to accommodate double-stack or container traffic (as shown below) over Donner Pass. I summarized UP's new container traffic capabilities over the Roseville Subdivision here.


I created this post to illustrate one way that UP had altered tunnels so that the extended heights of double-stack well cars could be accommodated. Those photos in that post included:





Those photographs were, oddly enough, of the western portal to Tunnel 18 (excellent historical reference to Tunnel 18 here, from CPRR.org). Tunnel 18, finished in 1909 -- the year of its construction is engraved in granite atop each portal entrance -- is at UP's milepost 119 and is 991 feet long, double-tracked. Its west and east portals and "wing-walls" are constructed from granite blocks hewn out of the rock through which the Central Pacific had to blast in the 1860s, high in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Tunnel 18 was holed in 1909 as part of Southern Pacific's double-tracking program at the time. The original line -- built by the primarily Chinese workforce of the Central Pacific Railroad -- contained only one roadbed. The second line was laid in order to lessen the severity of grade for newer (also heavier and longer) trains and engines, but it necessitated the creation of more tunnels (as well as more cuts and fills) to enable that purpose -- hence, Tunnel 18. Probably the finest overall reference material for Donner Pass is John Signor's book "Donner Pass: Southern Pacific's Sierra Crossing," published by Golden West Books.

Below, you can see my video reference for Tunnel 18:



This video is a "first" for many reasons. It represents my first attempt at video editing, as limited as it may be by the software. It represents my having to become much more familiar with YouTube and how it is handled and massaged. And it represents an attempt to make this blog a bit more professional.

Since the assembly of the video, I've shot a number of additional videos for editing, awaiting insertion into my YouTube channel.

My sincerest apologies for not having created a post here for two months but work is, after all, work, and frequently gets in the way of what I'd certainly prefer to be doing.

Take care and be safe. More videos coming.

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P.S.
If you have any comments or reactions to the video, please respond.

Inside an Amtrak GE P42DC Locomotive

Amtrak #6, the California Zephyr, with #100 on point, on a different day from these cab shots -- taken past the detector at MP148. The train is about to pass under Interstate 80.

Because these photos take me so long to upload, I need to set aside, literally, hours to create a blogpost such as this -- that is to say, a post that is festooned with more than three or four smaller sized photographs. I finally had that time.

For our viewing pleasure today, I present my sojourn into the cab of one of Amtrak's P42DC General Electric Genesis locomotives, #100. This engine is one of a hundred purchased by Amtrak and built in 1997, featuring 4,250 hp and weighing 268,000 pounds (134 tons). This locomotive has a four-stroke diesel prime mover and DC traction motors on B trucks.

The story is this: Amtrak's #5 California Zephyr is traveling westbound (downhill) over the Roseville Subdivision having already passed Truckee, Donner Lake and Towle. It came to a stop when there were serious track problems ahead. Again, as indicated, I will not be giving details as to time, date, specific situation or even the year involved, in order to keep every cab crew safe and anonymous. This is one primary reason I still am invited into cabs after 16 years of track coverage.

That said, because I was taking photographs around the stopped train, the engineer asked if I'd care to climb up into the cab for a tour, anticipating their being in place for at least an hour or two.

We spoke at length about our respective jobs, and pointed out a few things about the GE P42DC. First, he said he somewhat enjoyed the ride as compared to freight locomotives, and enjoyed the fact that passenger trains take priority over freight on UP's Roseville Sub.

He also said, however, that he didn't much care for the limited view from the cab, or the fact that there wasn't much of a "crash cushion" in the nose; that is to say, freight locomotives have longer noses and collision posts ahead of the cab, enabling in his mind the ability to more readily survive a head-on impact with another locomotive or the end of another train.

He also indicated that the Genesis P42 was "top heavy," because the fuel tanks were designed higher into the carbody than freight locomotives, for a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. This translated to, he said, occasional uneasiness for engineers at higher speeds in curves.

Continuing, he said, GE four-stroke engines don't load quite as quickly as EMD two-stroke engines, but that is common. Finally, because of the distance from the seat to the window, he misses being able to rest his arm and elbow on the open window sill.

We continued speaking about the working conditions, unions and pay scales (Amtrak pay in 2007 was $28/hour; engineer pay in general, as of 2011, ranges between $50,000 to $110,000 per year depending on a large number of factors) of our various jobs and I made a note that I hadn't considered: there are two engineers in the cab. The person sitting in what would normally be the conductor's left seat is called the "co-engineer," because, of course, there are actual conductors on board the trailing cars of the train. Both persons are qualified engineers and spell each other when necessary.

Finally, UP's Dispatcher 74 cleared the Zephyr to continue, and the train departed. I had made another friend. Capturing the interior of an Amtrak train is a rarity indeed, because seldom do Amtrak trains stop -- and only briefly -- at their appointed stations.

The right (engineer's) side of Amtrak #100. As opposed to freight locomotives, this series of GE engines feature suspended seats with cloth instead of heavy-duty vinyl coverings. You can see that, if spun forward, the seat would be a number of inches away from the engineer's window. Resting your elbow on the window sill? Not happening.

The co-engineer's seat, left side of the locomotive. Many of the screens and controls are duplicated on this side, as opposed to a freight locomotive -- which provides little (if any) input or monitoring for the freight conductor. Just behind the co-engineer's seat (lower left) is the cab refrigerator.

Looking out the left side door, forward. Rearview mirror provided for the co-engineer. As opposed to a freight locomotive, there are bi-lateral doors on a GE Genesis engine because there is no nose door.

HEP (head end power) control panel on the co-engineer's side, along with the large red emergency brake button on left, and red HEP cutoff button on right.

Overhead view of engineer's seat, with yours truly in the right-side rearview. Right side engineer position has two CRT screens, in order to switch from various necessary command views and monitor two screens simultaneously.

GE display, indicating that HEP is on, HEP is running at 427 amps, train is stopped, 93 pounds in the brake pipe.

Sitting in the co-engineer's seat, looking toward engineer. Seat facing forward, left armrest up.

Chatting with the engineer, whose right elbow I actually expose here. Nice bag of chips. Cab crews get hungry like anyone else. And, unless stopped, cab crews can't be reached or fed by passenger cars due to the configuration of the locomotives. They are isolated.

Co-engineer's side, sun shade pulled down, CRT screen in middle.

Here, you can see all three seats available in a GE Genesis locomotive. On right, engineer's seat. Upper left, co-engineer's seat. Engineer leans on middle seat, for one extra cab occupant. You can see that not only is the floor rubberized for noise isolation, but there are floor equipment access panels as well. Middle bin contains reading material and digital programmable radio.

Left graphic display on engineer's side.

Close-up of engineer's desktop control panel. From left to right: Reverser (handle removed and with engineer per rules), throttle & dynamic brake then, on the right cluster, the automatic brake (for train) and independent brake (for the locomotive). Forward to apply braking, back to release. Alerter switch reset at the lower right.

All three seats captured vertically. Co-engineer left, engineer right.

Desktop controls, both screens, light and control detail panel on right.

Middle of cab-wide desktop panel, engineer position and controls on right.

Close-up of HEP control panel. Cup holders across the desktop.

Vertical shot of engineer's position, taken from engineer's seat itself. Here is what the engineer actually sees down the road, dead ahead.

Close-up of co-engineer's desktop portion. Phone handle is for locomotive radio.

Overall vertical view of co-engineer's (left) side, to include middle seat. Shot from engineer's seat.

Close-up view of engineer's desktop position. Click to expand for control detail. See sanding and bell controls on left side vertical strip. Buttons are blue in color.

Back (aft) bulkhead control panel. This is to the right of the engine room access door, right side of cab. Trash bag below. Isolation panel just above bag. Numerous circuit breakers and panels above.

View of engineer's desktop controls and panel, taken from center seat.

Same, with clipboard and engineer's paper towel "reminder," given to him from Dispatcher 74.

Overall view of co-engineer position, from engineer's seat.

Looking directly out the front of GE Genesis P42DC Amtrak locomotive #100, from the engineer's seat. This is what the engineer sees, fifteen feet above the track ahead.

Please enjoy, read the captions, and click on each photograph to enlarge for detail.

MP154

Amtrak: A Rainy Day For California Zephyr's #6

There hasn't been a terrific amount of snow where I live this year, and the rainfall has also been lacking of sorts.

That said, I went out trainchasing in the rain recently, and captured an Amtrak and then a UP freight in a number of locations.

Above, you can see Amtrak's California Zephyr, the #6 eastbound, passing Carpenter Road (east of Colfax) on its way towards the Long Ravine bridge (spanning Interstate 80) and thence to "round Cape Horn."

On point is #9, a GE Genesis DC-driven P42B passenger locomotive manufactured in 1996, brimming with 4,200 horsepower. If you stop the video at 0:54 seconds, you can clearly see that prior damage to the front cowl of this locomotive has been repaired and, then, quite poorly repainted with a lighter blue color, over the right side sand fill door.

In number two position is Amtrak #84, another DC-driven GE P42B locomotive with 4,200 hp and manufactured in 1997.

Directly behind is the baggage car with, for whatever reason, its starboard door wide open. I didn't see any Amtrak personnel gazing out; I can only hope that whatever bags and materiel went in didn't somehow magically evacuate in a left curve during the trek.

As I took more videos, the rain quickened and deepened.

Coming up:

You can find some videos and photographs around the internet of various freight locomotive cab interiors. I've already published a few interiors here of UP freight cabs. More to come, by the way.

How frequently, however, do you find photos or videos of the cabs of Amtrak trains? Go ahead and Google (or via your favorite search engine) AMTRAK CAB. You don't find much. Or try GE GENESIS CAB INTERIOR and see what you get. [Oddly enough, you get a few of my somewhat unrelated photographs from prior posts!]

As I write this, I am also uploading high-resolution photographs to my next post detailing my invitation into a GE Genesis locomotive cab as it waited for track clearance near Secret Town. If you want to see detailed photographs -- available nowhere else -- of a GE P42 interior, please stay tuned.

MP154

P.S.
Go here for some nice GE P42 sounds.

UP 7732 East, & Another Train Meet

In a still from the video, UP 5646, a Distributed Power Unit (DPU or "dupe") pushes in Run 8, sanding like crazy (watch the video as this unit passes) as UP 3798 West rounds the curve from the left, in time for a perfect locomotive-to-locomotive train meet.

I'd like to write that capturing this train meet involved nothing but skill, but that would be quite inaccurate. It was predominantly luck and timing:



Again, this HD Flip Slide video is best enjoyed fully expanded in YouTube, and with headphones.

A bit more information for you:

I followed UP 7732 East up from Colfax, and decided I'd try to capture it from a long, distant curve to a straight at an open crossing.

I had yet to purchase my Flip HD with image stabilization, and instead shot this on a Flip Slide HD cam, which has a small tele option. I'd not used it before, and decided to "zoom" slightly to capture the initial approach. As you can see, this was a pretty bad idea, as the Flip Slide doesn't provide an actual optical telephoto option (small as it is), but instead uses the cheaper route: it merely enlarges the pixels and blurs the image. My bad.

On point is UP 7732, a 2007 GE C45ACCTE with 4,000 hp. In second position is UP 2492**, a 2009 SD59MX with 3,000 hp (more on this unit later). Third in line is UP 9445, the elder statesman of the group, a 1991 GE C41-8W with 4,135 hp. The train itself is a mixed manifest. Pushing at the rear is UP 5646, a 2004 C44ACCTE with 4,390 hp. As this unit passes, note the brown swirl as the sanders work heavily. Clearly, the train has slowed down and all locomotives are maxed in Run 8.

At the 5:00 mark in the video, directly after I had panned left to capture the passing DPU, UP 3798 West comes into view, the engineer hitting its K5LLA dual-chime air horns for the unprotected crossing where I'm standing.

Heading downhill on the #1 track, UP 3798 West is, these days, a very unique locomotive consist, as it's comprised of all-EMD SD70M DC (direct current) power.

On point, UP 3798 is a 2004 SD70M, one of 94 such DC-traction motor-powered units purchased by UP, with 4,000 hp. Second is UP 4079, one of 141 such SD70M DC units purchased by UP in 2000 with 4,000 hp. Third in line is UP 4340, one of 420 such SD70M DC units purchased in 2001 with 4,000 hp. This is a double-stack train with no rear units.

**Finally, a note about UP 2492, one unit in a very limited and unique rebuild program supported by Union Pacific.

UP 2492 is a former EMD SD60M C-truck DC 3,800 hp unit (introduced in 1984), which was upgraded in 2009. These units were resurrected for continued (and slightly cheaper) power with more eco-friendly diesel prime movers, slightly degraded in overall horsepower but compensated via more efficient software and an upgraded/appropriate diesel motor with the fewest modifications required to achieve that emissions goal.

Union Pacific calls this unit a SD59MX, and EMD calls it the SD59M-2. Part of the UP SD-32ECO program, these are upgraded units with 12-cylinder diesel engines in compliance with Tier 2 environmental/air mandates. Their horsepower, however, has been downgraded to 3,000 hp. The bottom line rules: this is an attempt to see if upgrading older units with newer prime movers and electronics/software, on an older chassis, will yield greater efficiencies as contrasted to brand new units. From TrainsMag.com in 2010:

LONDON, Ont. — Electro-Motive Diesel has received 10 out-of-service Union Pacific SD60Ms for its 710ECO repowering program. Industry sources indicate they are to be designated SD59M-2s, and are being fitted with a 12N-710G3B-T2 engine.

The locomotive will be rated at 3,000 traction horsepower, meaning they'll generate enough horsepower to apply 3,000 hp to actual pulling. Upgrades will include the EM2000 microprocessor and crashworthy fuel tanks.

The units, sent to London at the end of 2009, are expected to be delivered to Union Pacific's Proviso Yard in Chicago this summer. Their road numbers have yet to be determined.

One captured, by my video, in service.

MP154

In The Cab: Moving Along With UP 9533

UP 9533 is a General Electric (GE) C41-8W. This particular unit was manufactured by GE in 1993, with 4,135 hp, featuring a wide cab, C-trucks, and desktop controls and analog gauges.


Here, there are lower gauges, which control light and cab HVAC systems. The round, red metal piece is activation for the horn via the foot. Engineer's seat is thick, adjustable black vinyl.

Here I am in this GE cab, after having transited quite a number of miles, under direct supervision, on the Roseville Subdivision. Conveniently, I cannot recall the time, the date, the season or the specific details. Suffice to say: it was quite enjoyable. Some scenes have been changed to protect the innocent.


Detail of this early GE desktop unit. After engineers had gotten used to numerous pedestal cab controls on the left, desktops confused them. Before the digital era burgeoned, the analog era beckoned. Reverser handle removed. It was in my pocket when I took the photograph.


Back panel of this early GE desktop unit, to include start/stop switches and breakers. Precursor to desktop displays situated here. This panel sits directly behind the engineer, right side of the cab.


Conductors desk, left side of the cab. Pretty spartan and ridiculously filthy, having seen almost 20 years of continuous use. Emergency brake application, radio microphone, refrigerator down on very lower right adjacent steps to nose of cab. Clear absence of speedometer.


Brake pipe analog gauges. Explanations below. CFM indicator on far right. Sanding switches in blue.


Overall and above view of engineer's seat, right side of GE cab. Fire extinguisher back of seat. Engineers complained, initially, of having to lean over desktop in order to make input to controls. This is before the cabs got really complicated with digital input and readouts.

Whilst I monitor the comings and goings in the area of the Sierra Nevada mountains where I live, I happen -- now and then -- to come upon various trains that have stopped for various and sundry reasons.

Because I tend to be ubiquitous at medium-to-high elevations, I make contact with any number of cab personnel who, mostly, don't wish to be identified. At all.

With that in mind, here I sit in an older UP unit, a GE C41-8W, with 4,135 hp and manufactured between 1990 and 1993. A bit of irony: I'm wearing an EMD hat.

From a stop, after much conversation and commonalities, I was allowed to drive this unit from roughly Emigrant Gap to Sparks. I did so safely and with input and monitoring. This happened sometime between 1998 and 2011. Oddly enough, I forget precisely when the event occurred.

This was an elder but current unit still assigned to the Roseville Subdivision. It is commonly utilized in adjunct but not point power these days, because I've seen it time and again.

Whilst I line up posts for new GE and EMD cab shots, I hope this one will do, with some detail that may satiate my readers for a time.

Thanks to the cab personnel who made contact with me. Some are past and current friends. And thanks to their anonymity. I am not a terrorist. I am just a railfan who happens to have some items in common with the bulk of cab personnel, whether they be UTU or BLET members.

MP154