Nostalgia & History > Centennial on the WP

The 6917 rolls westbound into Portola, Ca. back in 1984.

Adam

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Lovely! Just a couple of nights ago, a friend and I were discussing interesting times in the 1980s, among them, the final operations of the Centennials.

And about that time at Winterail where nearly every favorite slide looked just like that!! Great
picture though.

Out

Just how did the WP's 115 and 119 pound rail handle those eight wheeled trucks? Always wondered since WP never even went for C-C power.

Lee Hower - Sacramento

Must have been ok since UP moved all of the WP power out and ran almost exclusively SD40's on the line (except for the odd DDA40X every once in a while).

And the MOP C36-7s which showed up.

Out

mcfflyer Wrote:
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> Just how did the WP's 115 and 119 pound rail
> handle those eight wheeled trucks? Always
> wondered since WP never even went for C-C power.
>
> Lee Hower - Sacramento

They handled those very heavy U30B's all right. With a 1% ruling grade they didn't need six axle power.

Probably someone has all the data on those heavy U-Boats and the UP 6900's but my thought is that the axle loadings on the 6900's were lighter than the Boats.

Thanks for everyone's opinions! I neglected to say what a great photo it was! I was out of California in Colorado during that period.

Lee Hower - Sacramento

mcfflyer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just how did the WP's 115 and 119 pound rail
> handle those eight wheeled trucks? Always
> wondered since WP never even went for C-C power.
>
> Lee Hower - Sacramento


UP did enough track upgrades on the ex-WP during 1983 to handle heavier loads, including the Centennials. In FRC UP did what WP couldn't afford to do...larger (and more) ties on curves, larger (and more) spikes per tie plate, more ballast, ect. Heavier welded rail was added in the needed locations. I remember being up there in 1983 and the FRC was shut down for long periods during the day due to MOW work. Freight traffic was sparse...


Allen



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/17 19:29 by bradleymckay.

Actually the ROW upgrades started in late 1980. But by that date we know how was pulling the strings behind the scenes and probably helped with the financing. I remember them talking in the Oroville yard office about taller intermodal trains and clearance issues in the tunnels that were going to have to be addressed. It was some were about that time I saw the test train with the "new concept"....roadrailers. I had not ever heard anyone say why or the term double stacks, so I couldn't comprehend at the time why they were going to have clearance issues.My how things changed so quickly.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/17 23:39 by TomG.

I thought one of the biggest problems with operating
Centennials in the Feather River Canyon was their
very long 65-foot wheelbase. I was told back then
that one pass through one curve by one of those beasts
would "straighten out" a curve enough that a track
geometry car could easily tell that a Centennial had
gone through that curve.

I had previously thought that the WP did not want
locomotives with more than 4 axles to go through the
FRC just because of the curves in the track.

If any of this is wrong/incorrect, please correct me.
I'm just posting what I was told -- back in the mid-1980s.

TIA for any replies!