Nostalgia & History > Signal Sunday: Departing Council Bluffs

Back in that long past simpler world when you could roam a RR yard shooting pictures without undue attention Jim Watson shot this nice little slice of UP history. According to Don Strack’s UtahRails website UP 470 in this shot is the class GP20, renumbered from 700 in 1962-63 to make room for the newly arriving GP30s. Following the 470 is an SD24B & a GP9B(?), both road numbers unknown. This is your everyday, run of the mill freight manifest departing Council Bluffs.

But things are just a bit different today. This whole consist has disappeared off the UP roster. And the subject of today’s Signal Sunday has been replaced, or at the very least completely rebuilt with all sorts of new signal hardware. It’s only been 43½ years…

1. UP 470 leads a westbound manifest departing Council Bluffs, IA on September 23, 1975.
(Original Kodachrome slide by James W. Watson)

Thanks for looking back!
Lance Garrels (santafe199)
Jim Watson (UP6900)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/22 20:56 by santafe199.

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Another memory of UP's 'Whitman Sampler' power on a train! Thanks to you and Jim!!!

Classic "old UP". Love it. Thanks Jim and Lance!

MC
Musekgon, Michigan