Western Railroad Discussion > UTAH 6060 in Orange - Third One, and a Warning

Here in fresh paint parked next to the MPI shop at Martin, UT on 3/12/10 is the third UTAH Railway locomotive repainted in the G&W orange-and-black scheme, ex-Hammersley Iron(Australia) UTAH No. 6060. There are just enough differences on these made-for-Australia units to make them interesting, such as side-mounted air horns and walkway lights, double side handrails, reinforced second cab roof, unmatched rear radiator screens, and trucks mold-marked for Hammersely Iron.

AND A WARNING - Shop force at Martin informed me that the Australian SD-50's are performing better than the MK50-3's 5001 to 5006 (Also re-engined-from-Caterpillar-prime-movers with EMD SD-50 guts, though the 50-series in its entirety was regarded as less-than-successful). I asked them directly how they can keep running such oddballs in the face of all the other more standard power that is stored now on big roads. With a wink he said the lease on the MK's is expired next year, and no more will be repainted as 5005 has. He thinks they will be replaced then, so the warning is if you want to get photos of the only 6 hybrid MK50-3's in service anywhere in the world, better do it pretty soon before these unique and rather unloved beasts are sidelined next year. Until then, it's a good show (as here also on 3/12) in heavy-haul service on coal up and down the Price River Canyon and over Soldier Summit! Happy railfanning! --- --- - --- JLH



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/10 09:35 by highgreengraphics.

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Nice images once again.

Great to see the 6060 has reappeared. It arrived at Martin in new paint just before Christmas Eve and seemed to vanish from the property after that. Thanks for the information, JLH regarding the MK's.

JSB

Not all that many SD50's are scrapped. The UP's were hit pretty hard but most others are still in service/found new homes. In fact, during that last leasing boom, they were preferred over SD40-2's

How about a view of the 6060 in final stage of construction at the Clyde-GM plant in Rosewater,
South Australia? What a journey to make it to central Utah. Thanks to Ausi' Ray Graf. I have been
to the land of OZ, but not to the Clyde plant. Date is April 13,1982.

Keith A

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Great images here and in the next thread you posted, and looking forward to more. I'm inspired to visit Helper and Soldier Summit now, thanks to your warning. I've watched the area from the window of late running Amtrak #6 and like the fact that AC6000's are known to loiter in the area occasionally, too.

NYSWSD70M Wrote:
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> Not all that many SD50's are scrapped. The UP's
> were hit pretty hard but most others are still in
> service/found new homes. In fact, during that
> last leasing boom, they were preferred over
> SD40-2's

CSXT has built SD50-2s and, more recently, SD50-3s, and NS is building SD40-Es from SD50s. Gerry

Those poles were so annoying up there it was not even funny------ ------ ---- -------JSh

FT Wrote:
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> How about a view of the 6060 in final stage of
> construction at the Clyde-GM plant in Rosewater,
> South Australia? What a journey to make it to
> central Utah.

How about in lease service to Norfolk Southern circa 1999-2000 on its way to Utah? Seen here at Lafayette, IN. Indiana Rail Road tested a pair of these units as well before they were sold to Utah.

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Thanks for the heads up, they are 15 years old already, which is already kind of old even for a mainstream GE. The MK5000s are low-mileage, though. I'll need to chase them over the summit next time I'm in Utah, been putting it off far too long (last time I did it was in 2001).

Fabulous pics. Esp. the nose-to-nose and water tower. Martin is quite the place for mixing and matching backgrounds, angles, equipment, etc.
Ted in OR