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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill Unfortunately, the terminology has become blurred by the practice of railroads of running what is actually a helper but calling it Distributed Power, and vice versa. This is unfortunate not because it confuses us poor observers at trackside (like we matter!), but because it dilutes the clarity of the specific advantages and disadvantages of Distributed Power and helpers within railroads themselves. By confusing the terms, it deludes some of those inside the railroad hierarchy to start thinking that the only purpose of those extra units is to overcome some grades en route, not to improve train handling. It deludes others into thinking that the only reason they're there is to improve train handling, not to overcome grades. This matters because in some cases it might actually be cheaper to establish a traditional manned helper operation and abolish DP, and in other cases to abolish a manned helper operation and establish DP. [/quote] That's interesting - so on UP's "Overland Route" over Donner Pass these units that are positioned at Sparks, NV for helping trains over the "Hill" are really remote helpers, master - slave, like the SP8300s used on the Modoc and not a DPU operation like one would see in the flatlands? These units ping pong between Sparks and Roseville, very much like the SP 8300s went back and forth between Klamath Falls, OR and Wendel, CA Jim - Lawton, NV 235.5
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