Western Railroad Discussion > How many power cars in U.P. passenger fleet?

How many power generator cars exist in the Union Pacific Railroad's passenger car fleet? 

I photographed this power car (#2066) on an 18-car special at Paola, Kan., last Tuesday, March 21, 2017. Is it the newest one? Does any one have specs on the engine-generator unit inside?  What would be the maximum number of cars it could service? 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/17 06:04 by JoCoLB.

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I think there are 4 power cars.

http://utahrails.net/pass/heritage-fleet-upp-numbers.php

BNModeler Wrote:
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> I think there are 4 power cars.

Four is correct.  Don's page doesn't mention it, but UPP 205 was scrapped at Cheyenne 8-10 years ago.

2066 is the newest and most powerful.  It's not really set up to be used mid-train like 207 and 208 due to the corridor layout.  In addition to the diesel generators, 207, 208, and 2066 also have walk-in refrigerators and freezers plus bunk space for the mechanical rider.

Nathan Beauheim
Cheyenne, WY

Nate is exactly correct and among the crews I worked with, UPP2066 was nicknamed "Orca" due to the hump back.
If my friend "Empire Builder" sees this he could probably give you the data on the power plants that were installed.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/17 06:38 by Bob3985.

Are there two diesel engine-generator units inside #2066 or just one? 

Now if they could be made in plastic that would be a dream come true.  Found brass ones way out of my price range but soo nice.

If someone knows, I would like to know what the engine make/ model and generators are.




 

And it should be noted that 209 "Howard Fogg" is assigned to the Steam Shop and doesn't venture out on business trains.
I believe it still has a steam generator as well as some 480V capacity.  Maybe Bob3985 can elaborate on this one.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/17 08:26 by The_Chief_Way.

I'm sure Dave will know the paticulars of the Power cars. I didn't know the 209 was considered a Power car. Also doesn't the 963 also have head end power generators but is never used.
Steve

Bob3985 Wrote:
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> Nate is exactly correct and among the crews I
> worked with, UPP2066 was nicknamed "Orca" due to
> the hump back.
> If my friend "Empire Builder" sees this he could
> probably give you the data on the power plants
> that were installed.

Union Station Products makes the car sides.
Kit numbers 310, 311, 312
                 

Still say some creative painting could make the hump on 2066 look more like a dome and have it blend into the train better.

Is the  maintenance man that rides herd over these generators blessed with
having a sound proofed bunk room with "facilities" like a full bath with a shower
or am I being foolish in asking that question?

wpjones Wrote:
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> I'm sure Dave will know the paticulars of the
> Power cars. I didn't know the 209 was considered a
> Power car. Also doesn't the 963 also have head end
> power generators but is never used.
> Steve

It does and it does. I was the conductor on an Operation Lifesaver special where we had 3 cars and a locomotive on each end along with the 963B tucked behind one of the locomotives and it was providing HEP for the train. Here is a link to the thread with pictures of the train that day. 

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1903933,1903933#msg-1903933

Some, but probably not all answers to questions pertaining to the UP business car fleet can be found by exploring the link I'll include here.   https://www.up.com/aboutup/special_trains/historical_equipment/index.htm

Desmond Praetzel, "4451 Puff"

WrongWayMurphy Wrote:
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> If someone knows, I would like to know what the
> engine make/ model and generators are.
>Configuration: UPP 207, UPP 208 and UPP 2066 are Power Cars with two Deutz dieselsin one end and a control room.

2066 probably is equiped with the same type of genset that RJ Colman uses in its genset locomotives. 

The_Chief_Way Wrote:
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> And it should be noted that 209 "Howard Fogg" is
> assigned to the Steam Shop and doesn't venture out
> on business trains.
> I believe it still has a steam generator as well
> as some 480V capacity.  Maybe Bob3985 can
> elaborate on this one.
As I recall, and it has been a while, We had a fairly large Cat prime mover to run the HEP power generator in the 209 along with a Clarkson-Vapor Steam generator. Yes, there was a head end power plant in the 963B as well.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/17 20:56 by Bob3985.

nathan314 Wrote:
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> Four is correct.  Don's page doesn't mention it,
> but UPP 205 was scrapped at Cheyenne 8-10 years
> ago.

I'll be glad to update the page if someone has a solid date that UPP 205 was retired. 

There is a photo on RRPictureArchives dated 6/6/2009. Search for id=1636707.

Don Strack



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/17 14:55 by donstrack.

Looks like I'm late to this party.
208 / 209
I don't have the specs in front of me, but they use a pair of 250kw air cooled Deutz Diesel generators.    The cars operate very well and are extremely reliable.    The downside was to accommodate the aisle in the car, there wasn't much room around them.    Wall panels and roof sections are removeable to allow better access.    Normal maintenance was done on top of them.    We operated them alone or in pairs as needed and transferred from one to the other while operating to equalize the hours and to allow regular checks ( oil level & such ).   It's room was fairly well insulated for sound and heat and it did a reasonable job.

Next to the engine compartment is a control room that houses all of the control and electrical gear.  It also has a small workbench area and storage cabinets for all of the little things we needed to do our jobs.   There is even a window so we can look in on the units without opening any doors.    This room is about 9 or so feet long.

There is a reasonable sized suite for the on-board mechanic with all of the amenities ( shower, etc ).    It was enough to be comfortable.   The toilet & shower were between the room and the control room allowing for more separation from the gen sets.    It wasn't silent, but it was within reason.   You got used to it quickly.

2066
I have no idea what they finally put in it for units as I jumped ship to the steam shop just after we received the empty car-body from Mid America Car.   It was being set up to go with 2 liquid cooled gen sets with the hump housing the radiators and fans.   It was a boondoggle from the word go.   It was designed by a former manager who was going to show everyone how it should be done.    We could have built 3 more 207 / 208s for what this albatross cost.

209
This is the steam shop's "boiler dorm", that is also a fully capable HEP power car. The car retains it's Vapor Clarkson steam generator from the conversion done in the '60s.   Steve & Crew used this or the one in the shop to gently warm up the steam locomotives before actually lighting a fire.   A single 250 kw Cat gen-set was added to provide HEP to whatever consist was out with the steam engines.    It also carries a small pony generator if the consist is small enough.     Hey Smith - wasn't that a little 30kw John Deere or something ?

205 / 206
These old veterans were part of the American Freedom Train and were acquired to start the HEP program.  They served the U.P. well with the 206 being retired in 1999 ( now in Portland with the PRPA ) and the 205 being scrapped after several years of storage in Cheyenne.  These were as built by the Freedom Train with a pair of 250 kw Detroit Diesel generator units.  12V71s I believe.

When we operate multiple power cars, each has an on-board mechanic in charge and the cars are electrically split with each power car providing electricity to it's own "set" of equipment.   We do not attempt to sync power cars with each other.   

Another tidbit is that even though we operate a 480v train-line, the UP upgraded cars operate on 240v.   This decision was made when the HEP program was started because we could get 240v replacement parts anywhere at anytime.  Today is obviously different when it comes to 480 parts, but it's tough to go in & refit 40 cars that are running just fine.   In the last 20 years or so, outside upgraded cars have been added to the fleet that are 480v.   They have not been changed.   When I left, the Domes were receiving new A/C units from Northwest Rail Electric and I'm sure some new electrical panels have followed since.

I'm sure in the years since I left Heritage Fleet in Omaha, a lot of things may have changed.   This is what was going on during my tenure there.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/17 09:21 by EmpireBuilder.

YES1 lol