Western Railroad Discussion > Cemix

I always wondered while heading back home on I-15 to Las Vegas Metro area, I cross under what after many years I learned that the track-age belonged to Cemix. Once family members moved to Apple Valley occasionally I go in search for this train consisting of 2-12 or more hoppers, chasing the train till it crossed over I-15 or passing the mine guard shack, never getting a shot. Today I turned on to Quarry road on my way to a Thanksgiving feast and ahead I spotted the consist. The power running long hood forward had almost receached the mine guard shack when I got ahead and took this photo with my IPhone camera. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from my temporary home in Apple Valley.

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Nice shot! Is that a really sad paint job or camouflage?

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

Great catch, sir! And with a smart phone, too! It is
absolutely amazing what smart phones can do, and if you
had not said it was taken with a phone, I would have
have thought it was taken with a good SLR.

That locomotive looks like an SD40-2 -- she has 6 axles
and the same first- and second-generation shape of her
dynamic brake grid flare. She is not on the Cemex roster
on rrpicturearchives.net, and I was not able to find out
any details on her anywhere on the web (when she was made,
or exactly what model she is now, or when Cemex got her).
Glad another old warrior is still working and has not been
<shudder!> scrapped. I rather like the shade of blue she
is wearing, but not the graffiti ("C?EMEEZ"?).

In any case, great catch and photo.

And Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Nice shot. This is Southwestern Portland Cement #415. The SWPC was formerly the Mojave Northern running from Victorville to Bell Mountain quarry. It is now owned by Cemex. Believe it or not this until is an ex-SP tunnel motor. Built as SP 8507 and rebuilt as an HLMX unit with a SD40-2 long hood. There are some great photos here in the archives on TO of this unit. It has weathered quite a bit from it’s fresh blue paint on the SWPC.

Best,
Jonathan

Posted from iPhone

californiarails Wrote:
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> ... Believe it or not this until is an ex-SP tunnel motor. Built as SP 8507
> and rebuilt as an HLMX unit with a SD40-2 long hood. ...


Wow, talk about serious kit-bashing - I never would have believed that was a Tunnel motor.

Railbaron Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> californiarails Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ... Believe it or not this until is an ex-SP
> tunnel motor. Built as SP 8507
> > and rebuilt as an HLMX unit with a SD40-2 long
> hood. ...
>
>
> Wow, talk about serious kit-bashing - I never
> would have believed that was a Tunnel motor.

californiarails --
THANK you VERY much for the fascinating history of this
unique locomotive! Another old SP warrior soldiers on.
I, too, would never have guessed in a million years that
she began her life as an SP SD40T-2!

How did you know all that?

Now that I know her actual number and RR, I went to my
usual reference site, rrpicturearchives and found this:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locopicture.aspx?id=81516

and found that she was built in Nov. of 1978, and, as you
said, as the SP 8507, a tunnel motor. (I knew she was an
SD because she has 6 axles, and was a second-generation loco
because of the SP-type flare. More than that, I did not know.
Was right about being an SD40-2-type, though. (Not bad at
all for someone who cannot easily identify locomotives by
anything other than a few major spotting features, such as
the number of axles. When I used to go out railfanning in
the late 70s and in the 80s, I'd just note the locomotive
numbers of the SP locos, and look them up in Strapac's
excellent "Motive Power Annual" books.

Fascinating.....

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/17 00:03 by Margaret_SP_fan.

It says SWPC on the side. Since the plant, mine, and railroad used to be owned by Southwest Portland Cement, it is probably applied by the previous owner.

Thanks for the kinds comments and additionally what exactly I was shooting, thought it might be a Sd40 but just wasn’t sure so.

Posted from iPhone

Nice grab shot. The paint on that unit is showing its exposure to the desert sun. I shot it near where you found it, back in 2005, when the paint was bright and shiny.
I suspect I may have been a bit more bright and shiny as well that long ago.
As I recall, they tend to run from the mine down to the cement plant in the late morning, and then trundle back up the hill in the early afternoon. I've also heard they make two runs a day, though I have not been able to confirm that.
Happy Turkey Day!
- Kit

Kit Courter
Menefee, CA
LunarLight Photography

Here it is ex-works on August 3, 1994

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Nice set of pictures, thanks for sharing all of them.

The last looks almost like a model railroad

That would be "Cemex" aka ":Cementos Mexicanos", great shots, over the years has been a very interesting
operation.

Out

Cemex brought a number of the local concrete companies in Socal.

I caught the train when coming in to Apple Valley and previously saw the train but could catch, so two pm arriving and 530 leaving sound about right.

Posted from iPhone

PHall Wrote:
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> Cemex brought a number of the local concrete
> companies in Socal.


also bought several players in Florida.

And interestingly they bought a number of small regional ready mix operations. In Amazon terms this would be that
they manufacture, sell and deliver their products.

Out

Do they still have SDP35 411 as well, or did it get cut up?

callum_out Wrote:
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> And interestingly they bought a number of small
> regional ready mix operations. In Amazon terms
> this would be that
> they manufacture, sell and deliver their
> products.
>
> Out

Yes.

Cemex and Titan (a Greek owned firm) are huge players in the South Florida market, and massive sand shippers on Florida East Coast Rail