Western Railroad Discussion > Snow Bus in Wyoming

Hey! The Union Pacific has a snow bus in Wyoming too. Here is UP 25872 sandwiched between a GE and an ACe.  Seen at Green River, WY on Nov. 8, 2019.
 
Dick Ebright
Roosevelt, Utah.
 

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Every time I see a caboose between too very heavy locomotives I think about the WP derailment in Hayward California back in 1982 when a GP40 was shoving on a caboose when the headend went into emergency and helper engines pushed the caboose off an overpass in landed on top of it killing two crewmen.

Posted from iPhone

You'd think they could really push the budget and get a rider coach or something...

The-late-EMD Wrote:
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> Every time I see a caboose between too very heavy
> locomotives I think about the WP derailment in
> Hayward California back in 1982 when a GP40 was
> shoving on a caboose when the headend went into
> emergency and helper engines pushed the caboose
> off an overpass in landed on top of it killing two
> crewmen.
>
> Posted from iPhone

There are MU connections that pass through the caboose. It's not just one unit pushing or pulling through the caboose.

pdt Wrote:
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> You'd think they could really push the budget and
> get a rider coach or something...

If the current car fills the need why spend money you don't have to?

Here's another view from 4/12/16

John

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Looks like a CA-11 caboose that they filled in the "porches" on to get some more room.

Any interior views?

Maybe they just dont like windows...
Personally, I think a coach with tables and chairs and baggage area would be nicer.   And if u wanna get serious....
If you;ve been on duty for 12 hours, then tying down a train in the blowing snow, then hauling bags thru bad weather to get to the rescue train...
You get on to the recuse train..covered with snow, wet, lots of clothing, and sweating underneath it all...  A place to change would be nice...and maybe even shower....like the UP couldnt afford it.     Im just guessing..thats only for guys in suits.....   :)
A caboose with 1 crew, in bad weather, is enough of a mess.    IMHO

PHall Wrote:
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> pdt Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You'd think they could really push the budget
> and
> > get a rider coach or something...
>
> If the current car fills the need why spend money
> you don't have to?

pdt Wrote:
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> Maybe they just dont like windows...
> Personally, I think a coach with tables and chairs
> and baggage area would be nicer.  

UP has several blizzard bus trains that are a refurbished commuter coach paired with a refurbished reefer hauling a generator. Surprised Wyoming hasn't been upgraded to one yet.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4389881,4389881#msg-4389881

Would love to see interior photos.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/19 17:26 by Nomad.

The-late-EMD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Every time I see a caboose between too very heavy
> locomotives I think about the WP derailment in
> Hayward California back in 1982 when a GP40 was
> shoving on a caboose when the headend went into
> emergency and helper engines pushed the caboose
> off an overpass in landed on top of it killing two
> crewmen.
>
> Posted from iPhone
That wreck was actually in 1980. I just missed being in it--I had worked with the conductor who was killed the night before, but being on the extra board I ended up somewhere else the next day. The power that was pushing was a 3-unit GP40/GP35 consist, pulling an 8-car train. It was added to the lead train (a Sea-Land container train pulled by 3 UP SD40-2s) which had had all but one unit die due to lack of fuel. The leading train did not go into emergency, but merely had a service application as they were approaching a point where track speed lowered from 60 to 30. This caused the three pushing units to run in on the caboose (a Delaware & Hudson bay-window car) as they went through an s-curve, lifting the caboose's wheels off the rails. Despite conjecture to the contrary, the brake pipe was cut in between the two trains.

That's an entirely different matter than this.  This set-up is not shoving a train. 

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The-late-EMD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Every time I see a caboose between too very heavy
> locomotives I think about the WP derailment in
> Hayward California back in 1982 when a GP40 was
> shoving on a caboose when the headend went into
> emergency and helper engines pushed the caboose
> off an overpass in landed on top of it killing two
> crewmen.
>
> Posted from iPhone

That’s why I won’t ride the snow bus if it’s between two engines. I know other rails that wont either, if you hit something or derail the waycar will be FUBAR.Put it behind the power.

Posted from iPhone