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Wow! Mexican GE TFM 2619 leads the logs (SBOWD) as they blast off from San Luis Obispo. Seen here across from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at the old siding location of Hathaway, TFM C44-9W 2619 leads C40-8 9047, B40-8 5665, and C44-9W 6847 plus three SD40-2 helpers hooked up on the tail end of the train. |
Date:
2003-03-07
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
UP 2167-2761-2651 pull the back part of a MWCPD out of SLO and up to the headend that is just above the station. |
Date:
2004-04-30
Added:
2007-08-11 |
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Brand new SD70M 3886 spends a few days in April 2003 in helper duty at San Luis Obispo. It wasn't long before someone figured out that a two million dollar engine wasn't making much money for the UP and it got replaced by something a lot older. |
Date:
2003-04-25
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
Away from their usual grain or coal train assignment, UP AC4400CW 6453 and 6454 and SD9043MAC 8179 pull into San Luis Obispo on February 25, 2005. The Coast Line was still recovering fron the bad winter storms and power assignments were sometimes unusual. |
Date:
2005-02-25
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
Progress Rail has been buying and leasing back a number of UP SD40-2's. When the transaction occurs, the units are renumbered into the 7800's and 7900's. Here 7899 leads former SP SD40-2M's 2761 and 2651 as the Cuesta Helper pulls out of the helper spur at San Luis Obispo on April 9, 2004. |
Date:
2004-04-09
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
UP SD40T-2 4474 waits for its next helper assignment at San Luis Obispo with SP 8560 and UP 3765. |
Date:
2001-01-19
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
UP 2806 is a rebuilt SD45 that has gone through two heart transplants. Starting as UP 3615, later renumbered UP 15, its 20-645E3 was replaced in the early 1980's by a Sulzer power plant and renumbered UP 62. Retired by December 1983, and held by the UP for four years before being sold to Precision National, where it spent the next twelve years rusting away until being rebuilt in 1999 with a 16-645 and Dash-2 electricals. I remember UP's own SD45's, but few of them were this clean. San Luis Obispo, May 17, 2002. |
Date:
2002-05-17
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
Brand new UP SD70M 5093 sits dead on the main line at San Luis Obispo on New Year's Day 2003. The UP basically shuts down for most major holidays. |
Date:
2003-01-01
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
UP SD60 2201 and two other motors back out of the helper spur at San Luis Obispo and prepare to run up the Cuesta Grade to help another QRVML down the hill. |
Date:
2003-07-03
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
Rebuilt UP SD45T-2 2853 waits at San Luis Obispo on February 13, 2004. |
Date:
2004-02-13
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
A comparison of faces at San Luis Obispo. On Monday morning, September 27, 2004, AC44CTE 5781 waits on the #1 siding with the MWCPD while SD70M 5068 sits on the northbound main with the ILCOA. Both trains are waiting on crew availability to continue north from here. |
Date:
2004-09-27
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
Prototype GE GEVO AC45CW 5695 waits with SD70M 4615 at San Luis Obispo for its next assignment as the Cuesta Grade Helper. After a couple of days, 5695 found its way back into mainline service, but on July 25, 2004, it sits quietly in front of the SLO depot. |
Date:
2004-07-25
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
With the MWCPD in the siding and the ILCOA on the northbound main, the empty oil cans, ODOWP, comes up the wrong way on the southbound main. Without any crews available, it looks like a dispatcher nightmare, with all routes through SLO blocked. Oil can power is 7535-7553-7501, MWCPD power is 5781-5818 and the ILCOA has 5068-9541. |
Date:
2004-09-27
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
Renumbered UP GP40-2 1527 sits on the northbound mainline at San Luis Obispo with a cut of cars dropped off by the Guadalupe Switcher. A couple of former Trona rebuilt SD45-2's wait for their next call as the Cuesta Helper. Flag Day, June 14, 2004. |
Date:
2004-06-14
Added:
2007-08-11 |
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HLCX (former Trona) 6243 at San Luis Obispo, May 31, 2004. |
Date:
2004-05-31
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
UP 2849 shares the sun with two other helpers at San Luis Obispo on May 17, 2002. UP 2849 was originally built as SSW SD45T-2 9161, was transfered to the UP upon the merger of the two railroads, but unlike most of its brothers, this is one of 40 rebuilt as SD40's and given a new lease on life with the UP. The three radiator fan doors are the tell-tale sign of this units origins as a SD45T-2. |
Date:
2002-05-17
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
Trona 3001 at San Luis Obispo, May 7th, 2004. Externally still a SD45-2, this engine was rebuilt to SD40-2 standards when sent to the Trona from the Santa Fe. |
Date:
2004-05-07
Added:
2007-08-11 |
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The Cuesta Helper on May 7th, 2004 consists of Trona SD45-2 3001 and 3006 and UP SD60 2167. |
Date:
2004-05-07
Added:
2007-08-11 |
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Shot from the iron bridge at San Luis Obispo, Trona 3001 waits for a turn as the Cuesta Helper on May 7th, 2004. |
Date:
2004-05-07
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
UP Extra 6453 South departs from the San Luis Obispo train station on February 25th, 2005 after changing crews and allowing the tail end helper to cut off and pull back up-town. Power is 6453-6454-8179. |
Date:
2005-02-25
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
A more conventional looking helper set at San Luis Obispo was to be found on May 21, 2004 with SD60M's 2281-2381-2167. |
Date:
2004-05-21
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
Late afternoon sunshine lights up a southbound train at San Luis Obispo as it comes in for a crew change on October 20, 2000. UP 6300-6180-9031 lead this train with three helpers buried mid-train, while a northbound is ready to leave off the #1 yard track with 4 SD40-2's. |
Date:
2000-10-20
Added:
2007-08-11 |
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The Cuesta Helpers, UP2671, HLCX6244, and HLCX6243 wait on a sunny May 31st, 2004 for their next helper assignment at San Luis Obispo. |
Date:
2004-05-31
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
A northbound wails past the Grover Beach Amtrak station with 9532-2237-3078 in charge of 80 cars. In a few minutes, the train will be in San Luis Obispo for a crew change. |
Date:
2001-03-16
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
Rolling through the S-curves north of Casmalia, CA, this UP westbound is heading up the coast on October 15, 2001. Power is again all GE, 9404-9301-9323. |
Date:
2001-10-15
Added:
2007-08-11 |
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The MWCPD on June 6th, 2003 is running heavy. 94 cars are led by 5 SD70M's, 5008-4193-4609-4473-4222. Seen here north of Devon, CA. |
Date:
2003-06-06
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
The MWCPD on June 6th, 2003 is running heavy. 94 cars are led by 5 SD70M's, 5008-4193-4609-4473-4222. Seen here north of Devon, CA. |
Date:
2003-06-06
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
September 16, 2005 finds a MWCPD roaring towards Gaviota, CA. Power is 4503-5696-5729 and they are in charge of 97 cars. |
Date:
2005-09-16
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
UP9376 leads DM&E (former CP) 6086 and SP9819 across the Gaviota bridge. The 6086 actually has no DM&E markings on it; just the "Rail" in "CPRail" remains on the long hood. |
Date:
2000-02-14
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
At sunset on February 4, 2005, a ballast train is just getting tied down at Capitan with SD70M's 5080, 4895, and 4465 and about 60 cars. This train had been dumping ballast north of Gaviota all day. |
Date:
2005-02-04
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
UP C40-8W's 9404-9382-9354 are in charge of a MWCPD on January 14, 2002. Seen here at the east switch of Seacliff, this train is just leaving CTC territory and entering the Seacliff DTC block. Later in 2002, the CTC will be extended west of Santa Barbara and DTC will fall in favor of track warrants. |
Date:
2002-01-14
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
The Leesdale Local wth 3194-8624-3699 gets ready to pull out a 40 car transfer from the Ventura Country Railway yard at Oxnard on September 2, 2003. |
Date:
2003-09-02
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
February 5th, 2001 finds UP SD40-2 9941 sitting in the dead line at Oxnard. Having been renumbered from the 4000 series in late November, 9941 probably didn't put too many miles on with its last number. |
Date:
2001-02-05
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
UP GP38-2's 625 and 742 working as the Oxnard Switcher wait for Amtrak to pass just east of Oxnard. |
Date:
2001-12-03
Added:
2007-08-11 |
 |
UP GP38-2's 625 and 742 working as the Oxnard Switcher wait for Amtrak to pass just east of Oxnard. |
Date:
2001-12-03
Added:
2007-08-11 |
