Nostalgia & History > UP U50 in '75

UP U50C 5006 has just coupled to the power on a westbound train off the CNW for cab signal purposes at Freemont, NE, in Sept '75.
JB

---

Interesting shot, Joe. I hadn't realized those beasts were still around by 1975, but guess they made it a few more years before being scrapped. Would have been interesting to take a ride in one of those big brutes to see if they were roughriders.

Does any body remember how they were to ride in ? Good or bad ?

That's one helluva "taxi" unit from Council Bluffs, but then it really didn't matter. Just needed something with cab signals and the rest of CCS equipment to get the train to North Platte.

Kevin

The comment about "one helluva taxi" to provide cab signals is why the dual-cab signal program was initiated in the early-1980s. CNW asked UP for surplus CCS cab signal equipment (from retired units) and applied the CCS to even-numbered GP50s (initially) and then SD40-2s, so that those CNW units could lead UP-CNW run-thru trains between North Platte and Chicago without stopping at Fremont or Council Bluffs to add/drop the UP CCS "taxi units". In fact, the CCS units UP had been using were semiofficially referred to as the "taxis" by rails.

My boyhood hero, UP engineer Gene Schlegel, used to run these on the Beatrice Branch from Omaha to Marysville a lot in the early 70's. I remember him making a couple statements about both the U50's and U50C's. He called them "suicide cabs" because of the fear that one would hit a large truck at speed with no nose for protection. He also commented that they would rock badly from side-to-side on jointed rail due to their height. My first cab ride on the UP was with Mr. Schlegel about 1971 in a U50C and I distinctly remember seeing the DD35A behind us rock to one side while we rocked to the other. He did not like the units and preferred the smaller stuff like SD40's. Disclaimer: Mr. Schlegel has long since retired so I'm not getting anyone in trouble by sharing this.

The last time I saw a U50C operating on a freight train was the summer of 1976 near Princeton, NE on the Beatrice branch. If I remember correctly, the few that lasted that long were trailing unit only status as was the one I saw. By mid-1977 I started seeing them headed for scrapping in Kansas City dead-in-consist, usually in groups of three. One of those "I can't believe I didn't have a camera" moments involved a southbound passing the Beatrice depot in perfect evening light with three Rock Island units on the point with three U50C's following behind DIC. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Great picture of a great era on the UP. Thanks for sharing it.

KWO, thanks for the most informative update. Guess all those big super units were lousy to ride in as I've never heard much good about the ride of the Centennial 6900 series units either.