Steam & Excursion > UP 844 + 6936 WB, 6-30-1990 Reverse Grade, Idaho, 6936 Smokes!

One of my favorite memories! 6936 is called to service while climbing Reverse grade, just west of Hammett, or Glenns Ferry, Idaho. She has probably been in Idle mode for at least a few days until now, and gets a chance to blow out some built up carbon from all her cylinders! A truly rare sound of of 844 plus 6936 both running full throttle to make time up the grade! Please excuse any of my exuberance and or crazy momentary panning to ground footage! I was not only just starting to learn how to keep camera steady, but also at same time was getting attacked by these Big Flying Red Ants that live here in this barren area! Some might be seen fluttering across the camera view. Totally UN-Expected nuisance! But I do Love the Smoke! Especially from 6936! Video #2 simply completes the scene of climb and sound of 844 + 6936 working together up the hill. Plus I finally learned how to properly crop and mask that pesky video noise, that is inherent to the bottom and edges of VHS to Digital conversion video, Hope my videos are more enjoyable now, might go back and fix some earlier ones I shared previously? Have more to share from this trip earlier, and later on EB trip, But this particular segment is the one I really needed to share!..Please Note:I kept the terrible footage last few seconds,to preserve the sound of 6936+8444!

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/17 15:07 by Boomer92.

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That's a spectacular place and you did it very well. Thanks for posting.

I wonder, in the 2nd video what kind of view is there from the ridge on the other side of the tracks--can the lower tracks, and the switchback be seen from that ridge?

Great video

Looks like UP 1243 on a flatcar behind the 6936 and 844. Wonder where she was on display before this? UP brought her to Sacramento in the same way for the 1991 Railfair.

dougd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's a spectacular place and you did it very
> well. Thanks for posting.
>
> I wonder, in the 2nd video what kind of view is
> there from the ridge on the other side of the
> tracks--can the lower tracks, and the switchback
> be seen from that ridge?
>
> Great video

Thanks dougd! I have a few yet to be processed videos from several other times, of freights, shot from that other ridge. It's right above the cut, you can see directly down onto the tracks/big curve, but I think the hill I was on in this video, obscures the lower (east view) track view, and you can see up (westward) a ways, but mostly the straight tangent. The good news is that from this spot your talking about, yyou have time to film, then ddrive along highway westward, to catch the same train again near the middle of the grade,then again at the summit. I Actually posted a map here recently on TO during the recent 844 Boise Turn westbound.

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA

nycman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looks like UP 1243 on a flatcar behind the 6936
> and 844. Wonder where she was on display before
> this? UP brought her to Sacramento in the same
> way for the 1991 Railfair.

Yes is 1243, this trip was for Boise or Idaho Centennial or bi-Centennial (thus the use of the 6936 Centennial unit?) You will get a good look when I post video of chase from Minnedoka to Shoshone, Idaho on the previous day!

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA

OOPS! Just Realized I put one too many 4's on 844's number!..was thinking of previous year 1989, which I also filmed, same general locations, but have yet to process!

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA

nycman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looks like UP 1243 on a flatcar behind the 6936
> and 844. Wonder where she was on display before
> this?

She wasn't.

I see some of the CNW passenger fleet in this consist as well.

Posted from Android

Before we placed the 1243 on the flatcar it sat inside the Cheyenne roundhouse since its retirement. The 1243 and the 1242 in Lion's Park Cheyenne were both assigned to the S&EV (Saratoga and Encampment Valley Railroad) which the UP took over long ago. We made the 1243 mobile to be able to display the difference in size of the earlier steam vs the more modern steam at the end of the era. 1243 not sits on display in the Durham Western Museum in the old Omaha Union Station. 1242 is still on display in Lion's Park here in Cheyenne albeit somewhat hidden away in the trees that now surround it.
I was asked about us using the 6936 climbing out of the Snake River valley at Glen's Ferry. Remember this was a whirlwind tour for the state centennials and pulling the longer train like this up the 2% grade had us use the DD40 for added horsepower to maintain the schedule we had to keep. Didn't want the gov to be late for his speeches. (This was a campaign year for Gov. Andrus or at least it appeared to be)

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY