Tunnel Snoots?

[CopCarSS]

OK All,

Was out railfanning a little this weekend (when I have a little more time, I'll post a couple other pics), and encountered this at the Leyden siding of UP's Moffat sub.

The unit looks like both a tunnel motor, and a "snoot" nose unit, but I was never aware of both those features making it on the same locomotive. Were these production EMD's, or has this bugger been modded somewhere? If the latter is true, what are the details of its existence?

Thanks in advance, and please excuse the picture. It's probably the most awful shot I've taken in quite awhile. It's hard for me to even post it, but I'm kind of curious.

[ericsp]

SP and SSW ordered 84 long nose SD40T-2s. Actually, the first SD40T-2s had long noses.

Here are the series:
SP 8300-8306 built 1974
SP 8307-8321 built 1978
SSW 8322-8326 built 1978
SP 8327-8341 built 1979
SP 8350-8356 built 1974
SP 8357-8371 built 1978
SSW 8372-8376 built 1978
SP 8377-8391 built 1979

They had long noses to house remote control equipment, I think it was Locotrol. The locomotives in the 8300-8341 series were the masters and the 8350-8391 were the remotes. I am guessing that there must have been some difference in the equipment between the masters and the remotes.

Here are links to web pages about SP and SSW SD40T-2s.

[Anonymous]

To add to what ericsp has written, the groups SP 8300-8306 built 1974, SP 8307-8321 built 1978, SSW 8322-8326 built 1978, SP 8327-8341 built 1979 were masters. The groups SP 8350-8356 built 1974, SP 8357-8371 built 1978, SSW 8372-8376 built 1978, SP 8377-8391 built 1979 were slaves. In helper service on the Espee's Modoc line at Klamath Falls a Master was placed on the point of the south bound train (railroad westbound) and a slave was placed with the helper consist. This powered train then would run to Wendel, California, where the Master, and slave with other helppers were taken off the consist and readied for the next north bound train (railroad east). No crew on the helper consist was needed. The system was called Locotrol II (2) and was an improvement to the original Locotrol system. The master slaves didn't communicate back and forth, communication was only from the master (transmitter only) to the slave (receiver only) unit.

Picture of the 8303 at Sparks, NV:



And cop car ss, you have to make no apologies about your photos, we no that your a good photog!

Jim - Lawton, NV MP 236 - UP's "Overland Route"