Western Railroad Discussion > Pristine Warbonnet on the Needles Sub

On a recent trip to California for a non-railroad photo shoot, we had some time to kill, so we drove west via Cima Hill, and the Needles Sub. Only saw one train on Cima Hill, the LADVZ, but the light was totally wrong for a shot.
Lo and behold, while sitting at the big cut between Ash Hill, and Siberia, here comes this old B40-8 on the point of the Cadiz Local. I have not seen such a clean Warbonnet paint job in a long time. This unit must be someones pet in the mechanical department.
There were five units in the consist; four B40-8's, and a GP-60. You should have heard the dynamic brake howling on that Geep-60 on the descending grade!

Shots 1 and 2: Coming and going at the cut between Ash Hill and Siberia. Please excuse the composition. The train totally snuck up on me.

Shot 3: Taken at Siberia. Light was going fast.

Thank you for looking, and as always, comments welcome.

Brian Black
Retired SP/UP Conductor
Castle Rock, CO.

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Brian... Sometimes a grab shot is better than no shot!

No excuses required; pictures of such a clean Warbonnet are always appreciated!

On the Transcon, where it belongs!

Thanks for the photo. Close examination of the pilot area suggests a wreck repair, so we're probably lucky it's still warbonnet at all. Note that the front stepwell is gray primer, not silver (compare to the back stepwell), and the gray wraps around onto the side a bit, which was not the case when the locomotive first got that paint job. Note also the new-looking black-painted plow pilot, the gray handrails on the front stepwell, the patch of gray on the fireman's side of the nose below the noseband, and the orange BNSF nose door probably stolen from a 4720-series Dash-9. This view shows the other side of the 558 last year:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2584088

Nice catch Brian. Helps alot that the train is based out of Barstow where there is actually a working locomotive wash facility.
JB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/12 18:44 by 3rdswitch.

Looks like the Cadiz Local...nice catch!