Originally posted by gabe Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub Reply richardy Member sinceDecember 2001 From: NE Oklahoma 287 posts Posted by richardy on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 8:42 AM Gabe: Sounds like a General Electric U50C, I saw one in the lead on a train through Claremore, OK in the early 90's. I thought they were mothballed but UP may be using anything that runs these days. Richard Reply gabe Member sinceMarch 2004 From: Indianapolis, Indiana 2,434 posts Posted by gabe on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 8:47 AM The Centenial wasn't high nosed was it? Were GE U50C's high nosed? Gabe Reply mudchicken Member sinceDecember 2001 From: Denver / La Junta 10,790 posts Posted by mudchicken on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 9:01 AM QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe The Centenial wasn't high nosed was it? Were GE U50C's high nosed? Gabe The U50's did not really have a "nose"...The cab was all the way forward and rounded. Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west Reply richardy Member sinceDecember 2001 From: NE Oklahoma 287 posts Posted by richardy on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 9:03 AM QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe The Centenial wasn't high nosed was it? Were GE U50C's high nosed? Gabe Gabe: The GE U50C were semi-high nose with the rounded front. Go to railpictures.net, narrow the search to U50C under locomotives and UP under railroads and you will get several pictures of the U50C. Richard Reply dharmon Member sinceAugust 2003 From: Bottom Left Corner, USA 3,420 posts Posted by dharmon on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 10:19 AM Gabe, UP doesn't show any SD7 / 9s on the active roster: http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/locorost.shtml But here's some other links ..... U50, but I think they're all scrapped: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=70849&PHPSESSID=e5cd838720b383568098bad357628b7f And a DD40X: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=97381 If he did see the DD40X it could have been in transit somewhere and being used as power of opportunity. Other than that...I can't think of many high hood (well these aren't really high hoods) locos that would dwarf the others. Was he sure it was UP? Dan Reply gabe Member sinceMarch 2004 From: Indianapolis, Indiana 2,434 posts Posted by gabe on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 11:12 AM Dan, I am pretty sure that my Dad would know a UP when he sees it. Come to think about it, I would be willing to bet he would recognize a DD40X when he sees it. Perhaps it was rented motor power still in UP colors? I think an SD-9 is the most likely explanation. But there are still some things that don't line up. In any event, he was sure it was a six-axle engine. Gabe Reply ajmiller Member sinceOctober 2003 From: State College PA 344 posts Posted by ajmiller on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 11:14 AM Darned ugly monster that U50C. Looks like it has 2 prime movers like the Centenniels. And no front porch either. I wonder if they were popular with train crews? Reply dharmon Member sinceAugust 2003 From: Bottom Left Corner, USA 3,420 posts Posted by dharmon on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 11:34 AM QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe Dan, I am pretty sure that my Dad would know a UP when he sees it. Come to think about it, I would be willing to bet he would recognize a DD40X when he sees it. Perhaps it was rented motor power still in UP colors? I think an SD-9 is the most likely explanation. But there are still some things that don't line up. In any event, he was sure it was a six-axle engine. Gabe Not trying to discredit your dad. It very well may have been a lease unit still in UP colors. Hmmmm Reply dehusman Member sinceSeptember 2003 From: Omaha, NE 10,617 posts Posted by dehusman on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 11:49 AM There have not been any high nose units in UP paint for decades. The U50's are looooonnnngggg gone. I think your dad may not have had a clear view of whatever he saw and mistook it for something else. Dave H. Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com Reply gabe Member sinceMarch 2004 From: Indianapolis, Indiana 2,434 posts Posted by gabe on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 12:01 PM QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe Dan, I am pretty sure that my Dad would know a UP when he sees it. Come to think about it, I would be willing to bet he would recognize a DD40X when he sees it. Perhaps it was rented motor power still in UP colors? I think an SD-9 is the most likely explanation. But there are still some things that don't line up. In any event, he was sure it was a six-axle engine. Gabe Not trying to discredit your dad. It very well may have been a lease unit still in UP colors. Hmmmm Dan, Sorry if it sounded like I was accusing you of discrediting my Dad. I wasn't. I was just trying to give the background of the person making the observation. I am familiar with most everything that everyone has told me on here thus far and I am pretty willing to bet my Dad's description is accurate. Hense, my befutalment. Gabe Reply CopCarSS Member sinceAugust 2002 From: Turner Junction 3,076 posts Posted by CopCarSS on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 2:24 PM QUOTE: Originally posted by richardy Gabe: Sounds like a General Electric U50C, I saw one in the lead on a train through Claremore, OK in the early 90's. I thought they were mothballed but UP may be using anything that runs these days. Richard There were U50's operating in the 90's? Dagnabit...there's another one of those cool things that I missed. Up there with steam at Northwestern Steel and Wire (OK...so I was 1 year old when they quit running them, but a steam engine is a pretty awesome thing...maybe I could have had salvagable memories[:D]). So do the U50's exist in mothball status somewhere? I kind of thought they had gone the way of the dodo. If they're out and about, I'm fully prepared to take a long road trip with my D60 for that! Even a Centennial in regular service would warrant a long trip. Chris Denver, CO -ChrisWest Chicago, ILChristopher May Fine Art Photography"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." ~Ansel Adams Reply dknelson Member sinceMarch 2002 From: Milwaukee WI (Fox Point) 11,431 posts Posted by dknelson on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 2:36 PM Well we are all speculating. Maybe a move of museum equipment - an E unit or even an old gas turbine> could it have been a GE B unit with no cab at all? Dave Nelson Reply gabe Member sinceMarch 2004 From: Indianapolis, Indiana 2,434 posts Posted by gabe on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 3:08 PM I gauarantee my Dad would recognize an E unit. He thinks railroading died in the late 60s and early 70s when the E units were retired. 94% of all his train stories involve an E or an F unit. Also, the unit's position of second of 3 makes me think it is not a museum move. Furthermore, he said it was "a real smoker" which implies it was running. I thought SD-9 was my best bet, but those who say no, sound pretty convincing. Gabe P.S. I am glad to see others besides myself are really scratching their head over this one. Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 3:44 PM QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe Also, the unit's position of second of 3 makes me think it is not a museum move. Furthermore, he said it was "a real smoker" which implies it was running. I thought SD-9 was my best bet, but those who say no, sound pretty convincing. GE's are notorious for smoking. It could have been a wide nose GE your father saw. Maybe he mistook 'wide nose' for 'high nose'? Reply Edit dharmon Member sinceAugust 2003 From: Bottom Left Corner, USA 3,420 posts Posted by dharmon on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 3:51 PM The GE idea could be something. The older ones (six axle U boats and C series) are more rounded on the front and rear and pretty big. Plus an older GE would be smoking like a monster. Reply richardy Member sinceDecember 2001 From: NE Oklahoma 287 posts Posted by richardy on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 3:57 PM QUOTE: Originally posted by CopCarSS QUOTE: Originally posted by richardy Gabe: Sounds like a General Electric U50C, I saw one in the lead on a train through Claremore, OK in the early 90's. I thought they were mothballed but UP may be using anything that runs these days. Richard There were U50's operating in the 90's? Dagnabit...there's another one of those cool things that I missed. Up there with steam at Northwestern Steel and Wire (OK...so I was 1 year old when they quit running them, but a steam engine is a pretty awesome thing...maybe I could have had salvagable memories[:D]). So do the U50's exist in mothball status somewhere? I kind of thought they had gone the way of the dodo. If they're out and about, I'm fully prepared to take a long road trip with my D60 for that! Even a Centennial in regular service would warrant a long trip. Chris Denver, CO Chris: Well I thought it was early 90's but as I think more about it it could have been late 80's. I know it had to be 1986 or later because of the job I was assigned to. I thought it was a U50C, I was stopped at a grade crossing (former MOP territory) in Claremore as it passed, it looked exactly like the U50C pictures on Railpictures.net. Because of my job at the time I could not give chase since it was heading for Little Rock and I was heading north. I see that all were sold and scapped in 1978 so I guess it is impossible I could have seen one in 1986 or later. [%-)] I've slept a few times since then. Richard Reply railroad65 Member sinceMarch 2001 From: SOUTHERN WASH-ATL MAIN 187 posts Posted by railroad65 on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 4:45 PM Could it be a new SD70M-2. These have a taller hood on the safety cab (for extra clerance for the doorway) than earlier models. And they do look alot longer than some other locomotives. Tony Reply espeefoamer Member sinceNovember 2003 From: West Coast 4,122 posts Posted by espeefoamer on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 6:22 PM Since your dad said it dwarfed the other two units,I'm betting it was a Centennial. The UP still has the 6936 in its historical fleet,but they still use it when they're short on motive power. Ride Amtrak. Cats Rule, Dogs Drool. Reply ericsp Member sinceMay 2015 5,134 posts Posted by ericsp on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 6:25 PM People, it is high nose, not wide nose. I remember seeing pictures of a shortline that had a paint scheme similar to UP, but instead of gray it was black. Perhaps it was a locomotive owned by them. Sorry, I do not remember the name of the shortline. "No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld) Reply dehusman Member sinceSeptember 2003 From: Omaha, NE 10,617 posts Posted by dehusman on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 8:21 PM Whatever it was, if it had a high short nose it wasn't any unit that belongs to the UP. Dave H. Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 8:56 PM Maybe its a ghost locomotive, only making few apperences... [:D][:p] Reply Edit dharmon Member sinceAugust 2003 From: Bottom Left Corner, USA 3,420 posts Posted by dharmon on Friday, March 25, 2005 12:33 AM Gabe, I looked at every resource I could think of and can't come up with anything high nose in UP paint. As far as I can tell, UP has nothing high nose left in active inventory. The only thing I can think of is a lease or short line unit still in UP paint or maybe a musuem unit in transit somewhere or something going to be scrapped and they fired it up for transit for some reason. Clueless in California Reply edblysard Member sinceMarch 2002 9,265 posts Posted by edblysard on Friday, March 25, 2005 5:37 AM Gabe, I would guess he saw either one of the DDX units, or maybe one of the E9s...remember, the E9s have SD40-2 innards, and UP will use them to move freight..they are big, long, and tall. They would be noticably bigger than a GP38....the nose is high and rounded, and the body is round at the upper edges, no sharp edges. Just a guess, but I have seen both of the E9s in revenue service instead of excersion use. Ed 23 17 46 11 Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 25, 2005 6:03 AM Just some more possibilities. Since he was traveling in the opposite direction and maybe a bad angle/view, It could have been, say, an older GE C-C unit running backward. Or maybe an old SOU or NW high nosed SD painted for a lease company. If I remember correctly, one of the rail grinding firms bought some used NS high nose SD45's to power their trains, and painted them yellow that could be mistaken for UP at a distance. If they contracted NS for mantainince at Decatur, I could see where they could borrow or break it in on a local between smaller units. Even though it might have been an old NW unit that likely ran there in it's heyday, it might not have been qualified or set up to lead. Just a thought. Jimmy Reply Edit gabe Member sinceMarch 2004 From: Indianapolis, Indiana 2,434 posts Posted by gabe on Monday, March 28, 2005 9:14 AM I am glad to see that I am not the only one left baffaled by all of this. I think a leased SD that has similar colors to UP is the most likely of all the suggestions I have heard thus far, but who knows? Thanks for sharing in my befudalment. Gabe Reply spbed Member sinceDecember 2001 From: Austin TX 4,941 posts Posted by spbed on Monday, March 28, 2005 9:24 AM I always have a camera in my car for cases like this. As they say a pix is worth many words. [:)] Originally posted by gabe Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub Reply Randy Stahl Member sinceJune 2004 From: roundhouse 2,747 posts Posted by Randy Stahl on Monday, March 28, 2005 10:43 AM QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe I am glad to see that I am not the only one left baffaled by all of this. I think a leased SD that has similar colors to UP is the most likely of all the suggestions I have heard thus far, but who knows? Thanks for sharing in my befudalment. Gabe I think the biggest thing running around nowadays is the SD-90MAC. I'll bet that it is one of these monsters that he saw. Randy Reply Mookie Member sinceJune 2001 From: US 13,488 posts Posted by Mookie on Monday, March 28, 2005 10:47 AM Gabe - if you think this is bad, tell them he saw a yellow thingie hanging on the side of said engine and ask what it was! That went around for a long time before we got it figured out! (A FRED bracket!) Mook! She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw Reply 12 Join our Community! Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account. Login » Register » Search the Community Newsletter Sign-Up By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy More great sites from Kalmbach Media Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy
Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub
QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe The Centenial wasn't high nosed was it? Were GE U50C's high nosed? Gabe
QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe Dan, I am pretty sure that my Dad would know a UP when he sees it. Come to think about it, I would be willing to bet he would recognize a DD40X when he sees it. Perhaps it was rented motor power still in UP colors? I think an SD-9 is the most likely explanation. But there are still some things that don't line up. In any event, he was sure it was a six-axle engine. Gabe
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe Dan, I am pretty sure that my Dad would know a UP when he sees it. Come to think about it, I would be willing to bet he would recognize a DD40X when he sees it. Perhaps it was rented motor power still in UP colors? I think an SD-9 is the most likely explanation. But there are still some things that don't line up. In any event, he was sure it was a six-axle engine. Gabe Not trying to discredit your dad. It very well may have been a lease unit still in UP colors. Hmmmm
QUOTE: Originally posted by richardy Gabe: Sounds like a General Electric U50C, I saw one in the lead on a train through Claremore, OK in the early 90's. I thought they were mothballed but UP may be using anything that runs these days. Richard
-ChrisWest Chicago, ILChristopher May Fine Art Photography"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." ~Ansel Adams
QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe Also, the unit's position of second of 3 makes me think it is not a museum move. Furthermore, he said it was "a real smoker" which implies it was running. I thought SD-9 was my best bet, but those who say no, sound pretty convincing.
QUOTE: Originally posted by CopCarSS QUOTE: Originally posted by richardy Gabe: Sounds like a General Electric U50C, I saw one in the lead on a train through Claremore, OK in the early 90's. I thought they were mothballed but UP may be using anything that runs these days. Richard There were U50's operating in the 90's? Dagnabit...there's another one of those cool things that I missed. Up there with steam at Northwestern Steel and Wire (OK...so I was 1 year old when they quit running them, but a steam engine is a pretty awesome thing...maybe I could have had salvagable memories[:D]). So do the U50's exist in mothball status somewhere? I kind of thought they had gone the way of the dodo. If they're out and about, I'm fully prepared to take a long road trip with my D60 for that! Even a Centennial in regular service would warrant a long trip. Chris Denver, CO
"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)
23 17 46 11
Originally posted by gabe Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub Reply Randy Stahl Member sinceJune 2004 From: roundhouse 2,747 posts Posted by Randy Stahl on Monday, March 28, 2005 10:43 AM QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe I am glad to see that I am not the only one left baffaled by all of this. I think a leased SD that has similar colors to UP is the most likely of all the suggestions I have heard thus far, but who knows? Thanks for sharing in my befudalment. Gabe I think the biggest thing running around nowadays is the SD-90MAC. I'll bet that it is one of these monsters that he saw. Randy Reply Mookie Member sinceJune 2001 From: US 13,488 posts Posted by Mookie on Monday, March 28, 2005 10:47 AM Gabe - if you think this is bad, tell them he saw a yellow thingie hanging on the side of said engine and ask what it was! That went around for a long time before we got it figured out! (A FRED bracket!) Mook! She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw Reply 12 Join our Community! Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account. Login » Register » Search the Community Newsletter Sign-Up By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy More great sites from Kalmbach Media Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy
QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe I am glad to see that I am not the only one left baffaled by all of this. I think a leased SD that has similar colors to UP is the most likely of all the suggestions I have heard thus far, but who knows? Thanks for sharing in my befudalment. Gabe
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.