Nostalgia & History > Inaugurating a

I was lucky enough to find four new SD40T-2’s between Hinda and El Casco, an evil 1980 overcast not withstanding.

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I was also lucky the wife driving didn’t want to collect on my life insurance.

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if I view the photo correctly and that is indeed the brand new SP8234 on point there, then this has to be a 1980 shot (in March?) or maybe even 1981 if it is indded February. All of the last SD40T-2 order (8230-8299) was created and delivered by EMD in 1980 starting with the SP8230 in March '80 and the last SP T-2 ever delivered with the SP8299 in July '80. If that is indeed the 8234's maiden run west in 1980 and your date notes are correct, EMD could have snuck it out of La Grange in late February...

No date notes here, just some frames that mark it near there in time for clues and so I took a shot. Considering how my train shots got set aside while the normal client flow moved around them in the lab back then, I'm lucky to remember which wife was behind the wheel that day. Thanks for the catch on that however.

The 8200 series SD-40T2 came on the scene in the spring of 1980. Many were put into storage in Eugene as carloadings fell in the summer of 1980. They were taken out of storage when business picked up in 1981.

WAF, that is true. I have a bunch of photos of a lot of the 8200's here in Eugene, wrapped in black plastic. Even some older power such as the TE70-4S's, SD9's and GP9's stored in white plastic wrap. Ther engine numbers spray painted on the fuel tanks for identification. Also almost all of the 4700 series cabeese were stored here. Although I guess the SP didn't care too much about them as I never saw them wrapped in plastic of either color. One of these days I will post a shot of the garden tracks next to the Eugene roundhouse filled with the backsides of the 8200's...... C.C.Chas.

IIRC, Model Railroader magazine even ran a article on how to model the cocooned locomotives, a sign of the times.