Western Railroad Discussion > Today's UP 4141 pic...

Just like a junky, I needed another fix of the UP 4141. It's kind of a risky proposition on the entrance into Houston from Spring Junction, because the crews love to park in the shade of the numerous underpasses. Just out of habit, what with tinted windows and cab air conditioning.

Today I got lucky as the 4141 had to wait for a dimensional load at Belt Junction (see below thread)and the hogger stopped about 15 feet short of the shade...

The third unit is the UP 3779. What's up with it and the 4141. They're virtually inseparable.
The few times the 4141 has run without the 3779, the next time you see the 4141, there's the 3779 again! It's been that way for 3-4 months now...

Is there some bulletin out to the power planners to keep the 3779 with the 4141?

---

Currently, the 4141 and 3779 are a "designated power set" by the power desk.

The 1982 and 1988 MKT unit were a designated power set for the ZYCHO and ZHOYC intermodal trains, and instructions were out to keep the two in this service, with simultaneous instructions to keep the 4141 in Texas. Unfortunately, last week, the MKT 1988 had to be removed from the designated power set due to a smoking #4 traction motor, and the unit was sent to the Jenks Shops in North Little Rock for repairs. But the computer still has it as a designated unit for the ZYCHO/ZHOYC operation. So that's probably where it'll end up when it is released from the shop...and while it's there, it's supposed to get the latest EMD SD70ACe computer software upgrade. These computer software upgrades are relatively common with new locomotive models during their first year or so of operation.

I wouldn't think the UP/MKT 1988 will be out of service long for a routine traction motor problem.

Red Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wouldn't think the UP/MKT 1988 will be out of
> service long for a routine traction motor problem.

Any chance it will run on the point more often once the bug is fixed? She almost always seems to trail behind the MoPac or behind an armour yellow unit.

fwwr5007 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Red Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I wouldn't think the UP/MKT 1988 will be out of
> > service long for a routine traction motor
> problem.
>
> Any chance it will run on the point more often
> once the bug is fixed? She almost always seems to
> trail behind the MoPac or behind an armour yellow
> unit.

I'd say the chances are excellent now that it has been seperated from the UP/MKT 1982 for the KATY unit to run in the lead part of the time. While it's nice to see one train with 2 or 3 of these specially painted units, if they are seperated, this sort of "maximizes their exposure".

TexBob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> The third unit is the UP 3779. What's up with it
> and the 4141. They're virtually inseparable.
> The few times the 4141 has run without the 3779,
> the next time you see the 4141, there's the 3779
> again! It's been that way for 3-4 months now...
>
> Is there some bulletin out to the power planners
> to keep the 3779 with the 4141?


Hmmm, well since the locomotive numbered lower, the UP 3778, is the "patched" ex-UP 4141 or the original SD70M UP 4141, I guess someone in local management thought it would be cute to assign and run the original lowest numbered SD70M, UP 3779, with this heritage/Bush lash-up. Just a dumb theory...