Nostalgia & History > Seaboard Coast Line U36B and MATE

SCL 1846,Tampa,Fl.11-18-81 photo by R.M.Stone,collection Uncle Joe Oates.

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Thanks for posting that! I wish we saw more stuff like that on this board. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

Nice pic! Got any more of these SCL U36B MATE/slug sets? I recall one MATE set that wandered out to California at the SP's request to test the slug concept on SP wayyyy back when. Those were the first (and last) SCL units I ever saw..

Cheers,
Harry

BN 6805 Radio Control Master and SCL 1851 mother/mate set meet at Oban, CA way back when.

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tracktime Wrote:
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> I recall one MATE set that
> wandered out to California at the SP's request to
> test the slug concept on SP wayyyy back when.

1980, I think.

The GE's were the 1851 and 1855. Don't remember the number of the slug.

Spent an interesting 12 hours tripling Creston Hill with them on their way back from the NWP.

topper Wrote:
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> tracktime Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > I recall one MATE set that
> > wandered out to California at the SP's request
> to
> > test the slug concept on SP wayyyy back when.
>
> 1980, I think.
>
> The GE's were the 1851 and 1855. Don't remember
> the number of the slug.
>
> Spent an interesting 12 hours tripling Creston
> Hill with them on their way back from the NWP.

I can just see Topper now as he makes a run from the Brazos Bridge and around the wye, trying to get enough speed to reach the summit. - Tony J.

TonyJ Wrote:
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> I can just see Topper now as he makes a run from
> the Brazos Bridge and around the wye, trying to
> get enough speed to reach the summit. - Tony J.

You're not far off.

We picked up the train at Schellville. Prior to leaving there, there was a group discussion about how to tell if the slug was actually loading. An Assistant RFE actually rode on it for a while, trying to determine if it was.

After making a pickup at Lombard and not being able to start the 100 or so car train, we backed as far as the Brazos bridge, then blasted off. We flew by the Lombard depot at what Doug Hurley would call "at a high rate of fuel consumption," only to make it about half way around the Big Balloon at Napa Junction before stalling. The decision was made to back down to Lombard and triple Creston Hill to Suisun. There's a photo of us in Pacific News arriving at Suisun on our first trip.

After getting the three pieces of the train back together at Suisun, we shoved it out the branch, then were relieved on our Hours of Service.

Another crew was called to take the train to Roseville, and I was told later that they ended behind patched at West Sac, so it ended up taking three crews to get the train from Schellville to Roseville.

The slug had a fuel tank and was able to transfer fuel to its mother units via flexible hoses. I heard that for some reason the consist was cut apart at the Roseville Diesel Ramp, and someone didn't know about the fuel lines. You can guess what happened.