Western Railroad Discussion > PV Dome Action on UP's Warm Springs Sub

Union Pacific's LRM50 autorack train makes a turn from Warm Springs, CA to Oakland and back in the morning hours and today's southbound return had a surprise with private varnish domes "Plaza Santa Fe" and "Sierra Hotel" near the end of the short 15 car train. Power was UP3566-UP3598 and the train is seen at the north yard limits of Warm Springs at 09:20 this morning. The "mixed train" look was compromised a little with a single autorack behind the domes--any reason they couldn't have brought up the rear?

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The "Sierra Hotel" enjoys its 10 m.p.h. rare mileage sprint down the Warm Springs Sub. We're at the Auto Mall Parkway(Durham Rd.) overpass.

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what is the track to the right?

tanks....

I believe it is the Ex Western Pacific line to San Jose

"Sierra Hotel" catch on your part Shed!

> any reason they
> couldn't have brought up the rear?

Most likely it is to allow the crew to mount a FRED. The buffer plate on a passenger car interferes with mounting FRED in his normal position, which is in the coupler itself. When I move passenger cars, I use a special bracket that I designed just for that purpose. BNSF's passenger car fleet actually has small brackets on the side of the buffer plate to mount FRED. But I'd be willing to bet that's why they ended up buried one deep.

Jody

potb101 Wrote:
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> > any reason they
> > couldn't have brought up the rear?
>
All the better to keep out the riff-raff while enroute.

The Sierra Hotel was one of two PV's on Amtrak #6 in early December. A friend and I caught it in Denver, CO. It was the last car in the train and it had a FRED on it. I don't know if a special bracket was used or not so the FRED mounting idea is the best answer.

Rio Grande Fan
Denver, CO

potb101 Wrote:
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> Most likely it is to allow the crew to mount a
> FRED.

Actually, most PV's in regular service (like these) have a provision for a FRED. It's most likely protection from / anticipation of coupling to a car with a shelf coupler which will damage the end buffer.

RailNet802, out

I was the engineer on this train and the reason that the domes that were supposed to be rear riders had one auto was that Oakland couldn't hang the Fred on them.