today at lafox rd crossing of the up geneva sub i got stoped by the gates. west bound was a misc train tanks box cars auto racks etc etc BUT UP FRONT WAS 7 HIGH HP UNITS. the first 3 were under power but the 4 trailing were not. 2 sp and 2 up. the guy was up on the throtle this was a very long train and it sounded like the 3 front units were getting the job done. could the 4 units be units in storage in chicago?????? i don't recall seeing any sp units for a while. thanks for any info
conrad
The four "quiet" units you saw may have been part of a power transfer. Perhaps these engines were going someplace towards the east end of the U.P. system to protect a special movement.
Possibly what you saw was a normal locomotive-rebalancing move. Throughout a typical week there may be times when westbound power requirements exceed eastbound and vice-versa. When that happens certain trains may have extra units attached in order to move locomotives to where a forecasted need will be 24-to-96 hours ahead in the future.
Another possibility is this. They may be enroute to the C.& E.I. side of the railroad for movement southwards to the Jenks Shop in North Little Rock, Ark. Jenks is a very major, light-repair to heavy-overhaul facility. There they may be inspected and prepped for a return to service.
Recently the Union Pacific announced that they were rotating units into and out of storage. By doing this they want to make sure that the stored power is available quickly for a return to full-time service whenever business improves.
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