Western Railroad Discussion > Hoarding the EMDs

On most occasions up in my neck of the woods the Westbound Guadalupe Hauler normally runs heavier with tonnage on Mon/Thu than the Tue/Fri Eastbound trip. I realize the Hauler does big setouts and pickups at Oxnard requiring the big lashups for the climb over Santa Susana Pass. Today's Eastbound GUAD(3 of the 6 units online) is seen cresting Shuman hill with 8 cars in tow. On a totally different horsepower per ton ratio was Santa Maria Valley's leaser BUGX 1322 with 45 cars from the Mondays inbound GUAD babystepping their way back to town on the sticktrack.

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Nice! From what I can tell they only got the 3 head units online.

Dear UPRR.....yes, see, u can haul 2000 tons with a single old geep.   Its flat, i admit, but the UP power desk seems to be out to lunch. I dont think the guad hauler has ever been ovr 5000 tons, and it never needs more than 3 units.  But 4 units is the usual and sometimes 5, not including deadheading geeps for locals.  Nice that they had the sense to only have 3 units on line, not that it even needed that.  Personally, I think part of the problem is that the UP is so power fat right now....and crews just use extra power cause it is there. Or maybe the power desk has an ulterior motive to assigning extra units to a train..like they have no confidence in their maintenance. haha   The oil cans have been running with 3 units for at least 15 years now.  It goes south with 10,500 tons, and north with about 3500 tons.

That Santa Susanna situation may explain why in the last year I saw 6 engines running light southbound at SLO. Probably ran to Guadalupe with what was left of the hauler, then came to SLO to swap out a couple helpers for rotation back to LA or where ever they're serviced. Or maybe the crew just wanted lunch at Del Monte Cafe.

A pure SD-70M consist--very nice!

coach Wrote:
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> A pure SD-70M consist--very nice!

All early version SD70M's at that without the tilted radiators.