Passenger Trains > UP Passenger Special and 5 cars left at Cheyenne

An eastbound UP POACY (Oakland-Cheyenne) passenger Special deadhead arrived at Cheyenne, WY very early on August 7 to set out 5 passenger cars onto the scale track. It departed as a shorter UP PCYCB (Cheyenne-Council Bluffs). Here are views of the train, drawn by UP 8697, coming and going as well as the 5 cars set out at Cheyenne and coupled to the "snow bus" caboose.

Photo 1: It's 6:10 AM and more dark than light as the full-length Special rolls through Granite, WY. Above the locomotive can be seen the octagon wood roof of the largely-underground steam-era water tank.
Photo 2 - Much later and the truncated Special is climbing Archer Hill out of Cheyenne.
Photo 3 - UPP 150 Sunset set out.
There's moooore...

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Photo 4 - UPP North Platte set out
Photo 5 - UPP Shoshone set out
Photo 6 - UPP Missouri River Eagle set out

One moooore...

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Photo 7 - Texas Eagle set out

Interesting that the UPP 210 Mobile Laboratory/dynamometer car led the consist behind the locomotive. I do not know if these 5 cars set out at Cheyenne are all on the list for donation to Silvis.

Happy railfanning! === === = === JLH

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highgreengraphics Wrote:
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> Photo 7 - Texas Eagle set out
>
> Interesting that the UPP 210 Mobile
> Laboratory/dynamometer car led the consist behind
> the locomotive. I do not know if these 5 cars set
> out at Cheyenne are all on the list for donation
> to Silvis.
>
> Happy railfanning! === === = === JLH

Just double-checked the RRHMA website, and I don't see any of the cars here listed. Ironically, you got the only one out of five coaches that UP ISN'T donating.

Yeah, that's why I did not opine on here, just reported what was set out. Guess we will know what happens when it happens, eh? === === = === JLH

highgreengraphics Wrote:
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> Yeah, that's why I did not opine on here, just
> reported what was set out. Guess we will know what
> happens when it happens, eh? === === = === JLH

No worries.

For the record, here are the passenger cars that will be donated per the RRHMA website:
Four coaches: UPP 5478 "Katy Flyer"; UPP 5473 "Portland Rose"; UPP 5480 "Sunshine Special"; UPP 5486 "City of Salina" (Note: This will leave "Texas Eagle" as the only traditional coach left on the UP's roster.)
One diner lounge car: TBA
Two business cars: UPP 140 "Stanford" (ex-SP "Sunset"), UPP 115 "Selma" (ex-WP "Feather River") - both of these will be returned to their respective historic liveries.
One baggage car: TBA
One caboose: TBA

I think UP is actually planning to publicize the movement much like they did when the Big Boy moved from California to Cheyenne. Should be quite the cavalcade!

I haven't seen the North Platte in years. Didn't know it was still rolling.

Hard to believe, well it would have been hard to believe 10 years ago, the UP is getting rid of those business cars…

Regards

Posted from iPhone

Thank you JLH for posting the images ... appreciate
your sharing UP's potential passenger car donations.
Certainly will be a unique consist headed for Silvis
in the "near future" ... and quite the photo op!

Odyssey
Evergreen, CO

What's the purpose of the first car behind the engine?
 

I remember one of our E9 trips to California we had the North Platte for our living quarters.
Its interior had just been replaced, new beds, new carpet (that they fionished the day we arrived in Council Bluffs to depart) 
And new draperies.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

I can't believe the change to the landscape in the background at Archer Hill.   All those windmills and new buildings!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/22 11:34 by cjvrr.

A happy but sad day that the legacy of the remaining SP business cars will no longer be running on the mainline. On the other hand these cars will be preserved in a static display.

Posted from Android

cjvrr Wrote:
<<I can't believe the change to the landscape in the background at Archer Hill.   All those windmills and new buildings!>>

Hey! There's still the traditional snow fences!
Dave in MT

jeff56 Wrote:
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> What's the purpose of the first car behind the
> engine?
>  

It's the Mobile Laboratory, formerly a Dynometer Car back in the 60's. It's current use seems to be PTC testing. What it's used for all depends on what kind of equipment is inside.
Like a cat it seems to have nine lives.

PHall Wrote:
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> jeff56 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What's the purpose of the first car behind the
> > engine?
> >  
>
> It's the Mobile Laboratory, formerly a Dynometer
> Car back in the 60's. It's current use seems to be
> PTC testing. What it's used for all depends on
> what kind of equipment is inside.
> Like a cat it seems to have nine lives.

I thought it was a power car for the train?

Nice shots!  Thanks for posting.

RC Lundgren
Elgin, TX

the sunset and stanford may have been the only cars with power generators here

tuxedorailfan Wrote:
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> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > jeff56 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > What's the purpose of the first car behind
> the
> > > engine?
> > >  
> >
> > It's the Mobile Laboratory, formerly a
> Dynometer
> > Car back in the 60's. It's current use seems to
> be
> > PTC testing. What it's used for all depends on
> > what kind of equipment is inside.
> > Like a cat it seems to have nine lives.
>
> I thought it was a power car for the train?

Nope, it's not a power car. It does have a genset but it's only big enough for the car's needs.

Thank you as always for the great photos.  Definitely some nice cars there.  

Jim Barton