Western Railroad Discussion > UP MOW 958300 on tie pick up in Dunsmuir

Hearing a Nathan P3 air horn in Dunsmuir is a rare occurrence. (Brings me back to the SP days)This UP MOW train was on hand this morning in Dunsmuir to pick up old ties the MOW crews have been replacing in the area over the last few months from Dunsmuir and points east as far as Grass Lake to my knowledge. Thinking this train was dispatched to pick up old ties. The locomotives seem to be repurposed F45 cowl units? Anyone have more info on them? The rear unpowered portion of this train was UP 958301 MOW. An impressive maintenance of way piece of equipment. 
Dave

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A still photo of the EMD power 

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Think the locomotives are repurposed SD40-2's.  Thanks for posting.  

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

some maybe sd60s too

Its gets even better.  Double headed SD40's disguised as "Maintenance machines"    Union should get a side letter limiting the weight of what can be considered a "maintenance machine" , or maybe limil the HP. 

It's just amazing the lengths management will go to just to avoid paying a crew to run a work train.
So how much money do they "save" by resorting to this foolishness?

Great video as I'd never understood how the crane worked with these cars.
Also, I see the P3 horn has been caged to protect from theft. Must be someone's collector's piece.
Thanks for posting.
Regards, Jim Evans

PHall Wrote:
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> It's just amazing the lengths management will go
> to just to avoid paying a crew to run a work
> train.
> So how much money do they "save" by resorting to
> this foolishness?

My guess is that its an end run around the T&E  HOS and RON rules in the contract.    DOnt really know, but im guessing Maintenance workers can be on duty over 12 hours, and they can be housed overnight in company bunk cars on site.   Dont have to return to base each night and go to a hotel.

Im also guessing that the company thteatened to  outsource  a large amount of maintenance work to Greenbrier, el, al.,  And this was the compromise to keep the work in house.   At least, I believe that the psuedo SD40's can only be run by maintenance ppl when doing actual maintenance work.   Deaheading the engines and cars station to station I think still has to be done by a T&E crew.
I believe the Loram rail grinder that got away on Donner, and flipped off the track and killed 1 or 2 personel, ended that idea of maintenance crews making road moves with engines and cars dressed up to look like maintenance vehicles.

I also LOVE all the  " THIS IS A MAINTENANCE VEHICLE"  verbiage.   It may look like railroad road engines with a cowl over it, but its not.  Its a maintenance vehicle!           "Pay no attention ro the man behind the curtain"  LOL.

What impresses me about these MOW locomotives is they always look pretty clean.  Do they still have a toilet in them?

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

pdt Wrote:

> I believe the Loram rail grinder that got away on Donner, and flipped off the track and killed 1 or
> 2 personel, ended that idea of maintenance crews making road moves with engines and cars dressed up
> to look like maintenance vehicles.

For what it's worth, it was Harsco, not Loram:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1278535

See also:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1285091

Link to Donner Rail Grinder accident report from the NTSB (Accident date 11-9-2006):

DCA07FR003.aspx (ntsb.gov)