Nostalgia & History > SSW/SP Road-Railer test train in 1986

I'm going to do a Tuesday night fade-away with six pictures of a long-distance St. Louis Southwestern Railway/Southern Pacific Road-Railer test train that made a run during the summer of 1986.

Pictured is a westbound test train making a combination crew change and service stop in Herington, KS, on the ex-Rock Island Golden State Route.

After a new crew is on board and they get the high-ball order, the train leaves the fuel rack, proceeds toward a Missouri Pacific/SSW diamond and then rounds a curve as it exits town near the SSW depot, heading toward Hutchinson, Pratt and Liberal, KS, before traveling on to Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico and points beyond.

Please note an SP coach of some type immediately behind the lone engine, SP 7242.

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Last three pics...

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Nice photos. Do you have any closer photos of the actual roadrailers on this train? That passenger car behind the engine is the SP 252 Dynamometer/Instrument Car, which was converted from an ex California Zephyr sleeper "Silver Canyon" (WP 862).

Cheers,
Harry

Interesting, as I don't remember reading about that test run back then. Were there any others made or was that the only one? I know the SP/SSW ran some "Sprint" trains on that route later in the 1980s, but they weren't of the Road-Railer variety. Thanks for the posting.

It seems there was one or two runs with the road railers and an SD45 and if I remember correctly, it had silver trucks and I was told they had swapped the trucks out for higher gearing on the run ( maybe quicker than changing parts ). I saw it in the Liberal, Ks area on the westbound trip maybe and heard it was running something over 80 mph ???

Never knew SP ran a test train in the 80s! They actually did great running the Swift Roadrailer Train for a few years until UP screwed it up!