Western Railroad Discussion > SWPC/Cemex today (att-exhaustED)

Already near Victorville, today was a really ordinary morning on the BNSF, making the decision to head over to the Southwest Portland Cement an easy one. With my last couple of tries being unsuccessful, I set up early, around 10AM, for the loads returning from the mine at a spot where I could see the tracks for several miles, and just waited.

1) Running on its normal schedule today, by 10:40AM the train was in view, you have to look closely to see it. Even from that distance I could see it had TO member exhaustED's favorite locomotive, 415 which was built from a former SP tunnel motor.

2) Not too much in the way of scenery, I drove back to the small cut about two miles from the plant in Victorville. First is a telephoto attempt, the time was now 10:57AM.

3) Then a more standard angle. As many here have noted, the hot desert sun has really helped to fade 415's once bright blue paint. The train had 19 loaded hoppers.

Not much new info here but at least the morning schedule is still the same.

Thanks for looking,

OYW

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A great start to my day to see the old girl still doing her thing!
Great shots, the long distance one is a nice touch, love those big vistas…
No 415 has been in Victorville over 30 years now…. I wonder how long she can keep going.
If I was super wealthy I’d pay for a repaint!

Posted from iPhone

Neat! At least something different than Orange and Yellow GEVO's.

Real nice.
JB

At first I thought this engine might have been ex-NREX 9402, but it's not. Interesting to know there was more than one tunnel motor conversion like this. 

https://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=41667

exhaustED Wrote:
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> A great start to my day to see the old girl still
> doing her thing!
> Great shots, the long distance one is a nice
> touch, love those big vistas…
> No 415 has been in Victorville over 30 years
> now…. I wonder how long she can keep going.
> If I was super wealthy I’d pay for a repaint!
>
> Posted from iPhone

It doesn't need a repaint. A good buffing with rubbing compound would probably bring that paint back fairly nicely. The lettering would need a redo though.

Nice images. Good to see a graffiti-less train in action.
GK

Beautiful shots, excellent subject!

Out

oyw Wrote:
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> With my last couple of tries being unsuccessful,
> I set up early, around 10AM, for the loads returning
> from the mine at a spot where I could see the tracks
> for several miles, and just waited.

That's what your friend Mike calls "revenge railfanning." Great job with the catch and the photos!
 

TheNavigator Wrote:
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> Nice images. Good to see a graffiti-less train in
> action.
> GK

Those hoppers are only 2-3 years old, one or two have been tagged but most are holding up. The Cemex facility is not too easy to get acess to.

Whatever happened to that SCL SDP35?

badman Wrote:
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> Whatever happened to that SCL SDP35?

Donated to a museum i heard....