Western Railroad Discussion > Return of UP's MRVSJ/MSJRV Trains

Union Pacific has apparently raised the white flag in its attempt to serve San Jose's Newhall Yard and Newark with a Stockton based turn job(the LRS-91) and has gone back and reinstated the MRVSJ/MSJRV manifests out of Roseville via the Cal-P. Trains were repeatedly having to be patched en route so any labor savings were negated. The Warms Springs Turn(LRS-90) and the East Oakland Turn(LRS-92) still seem to be running out of Stockton via Altamont Pass, at least for now.

Today's MRVSJ-12 with UP3558-UP3489-UP2541 for power is seen back on old turf near m.p. 24 approaching Alvarado on the Mulford line in the photo below. 72 cars long with a setout for Newark.

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Thursday night's version of the MSJRV was one of the longest I've ever seen, two full tracks of cars from the yard, pulled by what looked like 4 SD40-2s. They didn't get out of San Jose until after 7:00 PM.

30 minutes later the MRVSJ has taken the siding at Newark(on the right) while its counterpart, the MSJRV-12 with UP3731-UP7914-UP2580, accelerates past on the main. Due to its length, 104 cars at 5800', the train highballed its Newark pickup and headed straight for the Mulford line.

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Thursday night's MSJRV had 132 cars, and 3 SD40-2s and a GP. Through Davis at 12:30AM Friday.

Others have been much shorter, I think it was only about 50 cars on today's WB (12:10PM through Davis) and about the same on last night's MSJRV.

Nice photo, as always, Shed!

Sure is nice having the Zephyr and San Jose trains back on the Cal P--ws getting mighty dull there for a while.

Also of interest in these parts these days is patched SP TM 8805 on the Roseville-Napa train. Was on the point this morning WB, should be on the point tonight EB, trailing both ways tomorrow, on the point both ways Monday, etc.

Ted in Davis

...check out the million dollar houses creeping towards the Ridge above Milpitas.

shed47 Wrote:
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> The Warms Springs Turn(LRS-90) and the
> East Oakland Turn(LRS-92) still seem to be running
> out of Stockton via Altamont Pass, at least for
> now.

Some time last week, they started using two crews instead of a turn-around crew out of Stockton.

There's been some trouble finding rested and/or qualified crews in Oakland to take the 92 back to Stockton, however.

What's the abandoned right-of-way to the right?

TCnR Wrote:
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> ...check out the million dollar houses creeping
> towards the Ridge above Milpitas.


Yeah, one of my college dorm floormate's parents had a new million dollar house up there on the hill in upscale Fremont. Large push button street gates, extravagant architecture and landscaping, 4-6 car garages!. Consider them direct by-products of the dot.com's anf tech industry...

topper Wrote:
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>
> Some time last week, they started using two crews
> instead of a turn-around crew out of Stockton.
>
> There's been some trouble finding rested and/or
> qualified crews in Oakland to take the 92 back to
> Stockton, however.


Yup, waited three hours today at East Oakland yard for the LRS91 job power (a UP T-2, patched ex-SP SD40M-2 and two SD70M's) to change crews, turn around and tie onto its train. In those three hours all they managed to do was run around the 70M widecabs from the westside to the eastside to have those lead back to Stockton rather than have that nice Yellow ex-SP T-2 lead. The bastards...

bobs Wrote:
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> Thursday night's version of the MSJRV was one of
> the longest I've ever seen, two full tracks of
> cars from the yard, pulled by what looked like 4
> SD40-2s. They didn't get out of San Jose until
> after 7:00 PM.


Yup, saw the train holding the main at East Oakland/5th Avenue Thursday night about 9:30P on my way home cruising the 880 north. Thought it was actually a southbound with the power holding at 29th street (first Fruitvale Xing) but the train was actually a two mile northbound (the MSJRV) holding at the 5th Ave signals! First time I've seen the entire 880 stretch at East Oakland be blocked with a two mile wall of a train...

Here is a photo of the same train as the one taken by the poster. This was taken at Emeryville during the Emeryville Calrailfans meet.

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cool shot Alex - looks like you remaining guys got some good stuff (finally) there at EMY this afternoon! BTW, was the one northbound train you reported the one powered by the two ex-SP UP B39-8E's we saw there earlier at West Oakland diesel?!? Would have been UP18XX leading with UP1839 second unit out...

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> What's the abandoned right-of-way to the right?

Not a right-of-way. It's the berm for the drainage canal.

espeeboy Wrote:
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> BTW, was the one northbound train you
> reported the one powered by the two ex-SP UP
> B39-8E's we saw there earlier at West Oakland
> diesel?!? Would have been UP18XX leading with
> UP1839 second unit out...

1869 was the lead unit.

It and the 1839 took the MOARV out sometime after 8 PM. A good portion of the train was stuff that had accumulated at East Oakland during the week and would've gone to Stockton on the 92, had there been enough crews.

At least one MRVOA train has run this weekend, setting out at Richmond early Saturday morning. Last week the Richmond traffic was brought up from West Oakland by the Emeryville Switcher, although at least one MRVOA set out during the week as well. Anyone know if these are an anomoly, or is the MRVOA being reinstated as well?

SW1200

This came through at about 12:30, standard time for a MRVSJ. I think it was 9806 or 9608 on the point, didn't get a good look at is as it was coming. I don't think there were any concrete hoppers or coal gons, but that doesn't necessarily mean it *wasn't* a San Jose train. Did have one very nice CNW pregnant hopper, little graffitti, paint dated back to 70s at least...

Ted in Davis

Oops, forgot to attach the image.

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