Nostalgia & History > PRR - UP Combo Horseshoe 1967

PRR SD35 #6018 is on the point of a westbound climbing Horseshoe Curve August 23, 1967 with UP #754 trailing on a pig train.

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Cool…
Foreign power in 1967

Cabin

How in the heck did a UP unit get on PRR rails, especially since they never connected with each other? The only think I can think of is either it got onto the PRR at Chicago via one of the Iowa roads (CB&Q, CNW, MILW, RI, IC) or at St. Louis via the MP.

What is really cool,is the Seaboard Air Line trailers!

Uncle Joe

UP was also seen in Buffalo about that time.

Uncle Joe

S-W-E-E-T, More please...

How in the heck did a UP unit get on PRR rails, especially since they never connected with each other?

Most likely via the CB&Q runthroughs. I'd seen pics of PRR power on UP trains out in Wyoming around that same time, always together with Q power, so they probably came through on one of their runthrough trains. As of 1967, CB&Q-UP were operating 2 runthrough trains daily in each direction via Grand Island (according to UP's 1967 Manifest Train Schedules). Assuming the PRR units were out west via a runthrough agreement, as opposed to a lease, etc, you would expect to see UP power on PRR at some point to allow HPH/Ms to be equalized. From what I can gather, PRR didn't participate in that for more than a year or so (only a matter of months?) as all evidence I can find of PRR power out west is from 1967. If anyone can provide more specific info, I'd like to know more about that arrangement.

Generally speaking, "three RR" runthrough power deals aren't at all common, as others pointed out. It's hard enough keeping track of your power when it's on an adjoining "foreign" RR, much more so when it's 2 RRs away. Off the top of my head, here are a few other examples "three RR" runthrough power agreements in the west around that time;

- SCL-SLSF-UP runthroughs via Birmingham and K. City in the early 1970s.
- SOU-MP-UP runthroughs via Memphis & K. City in the 1970s.
- B&O-CNW-UP runthroughs via Chicago and Fremont/C. Bluffs in the mid/late 70s.
- CNW & UP power ran onto CR on coal and mfst trains via Chicago and Fremont / C. Bluffs in the 1970s/80s; CR supplied "free running" units to CNW/UP as payback (i.e. not normally used on those trains...).
- DRGW & UP power ran on ATSF on their jointly operated Kaiser unit coal trains (via Provo and Barstow), not sure how ATSF paid back the hours/miles to DRGW & UP in that case.

Any additional info / comments welcome.

Take care,

Mark

I'm with you, Uncle Joe. Love the 2 Seaboard Air Line "Razorback" trailers.

SAL certainly didn't have the volume or engineering of the PRR, but it could sure run trains to compete with the straighter, flatter ACL.