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Don't know if anyone's interested but two rebuilt SD40-2's are working Delores Yard (ICTF) the last two days, 1571 & 1578 I believe. A sure sight for bored eyes!
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Thanks for the heads-up Sean! Dolores has been nothing but 70-series, GEVO, and Genset units for the past few years (and maybe an occasional SD60M), so having a pair of SD40-2s down there is great news. Not as nice as it was back in the "good 'ol days" of Espee SD40T-2s, SD45Rs, SD40Rs, SD45T-2s, and SD39s, but I'll take what I can get.:)
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Geez...just realized I got excited over the thought of seeing SD40-2s, something that was so ubiquitous, and now rare (at least in SoCal). Man, I'm officially old!
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I can remember being a teenage railfan around LA and watching SP GP38-2's in full headlights glamour pre-mergers, SDP45's, SD9's, and SW1500's running up and down Alameda pre-ACTA, don't forget the failed SFSP merger colors floating about as well. Had I only taken more pictures.
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A'yup...
All those "boring" green & black and yeller & gray SD40-2s
everywhere.
Funny thing is, with the variety of rebuild/renumbered UP
SD40-2s out there, I have yet to see any up here in Minnesota.
Appears they are being held west of SLC for the most part.
We still get to see several of the "older" ones up here at least. :~)
Dan Schmidt
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In the 1970s and '80s, UP's SD40-2s were absolutely E V E R Y W H E R E! Got kinda tired of seeing 'em really, so when the SD60s began arriving, it was a nice change. But to be honest, over the past 15 or so years I've grown rather fond of the once ubiquitous SD40-2s. Pretty cool when I get to see one now days. Haven't had any straight UP SD40-2s in the Bay Area for some time now, but we've had a few SD40N rebuilds work through every now and then.
I've got a few UP SD40-2s photos posted, including SD40Ns, though not even close to all the images I have of 'em, not by a long shot
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/archiveThumbs.aspx?id=67034
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"In the 1970s and '80s, UP's SD40-2s were absolutely E V E R Y W H E R E!"
That is the understatement of the century. They were like mosquitos, wanting to swat them anytime they lit somewhere.
Fast-forward 30 years (you're so right about getting old, Paul!)
and yesterday I just chased a 3 unit set of UP SD40Ns through the wilds of North Fort Worth, firing away at glee every time I got a good train and roster shot of either end of the set.
That crow tastes awful.
B2
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And sad thing is, I'm "only" in my early 30s, yet I've achieved railfan curmudgeon status! Growing up with, modeling, and railfanning SP (with a pinch of ATSF) in the 80s and 90s, I'm partial to, and miss, those hordes of T-2s, SD40-2s, SD45s, and other 2nd generation power that once ruled the mainline here in SoCal. Even the "new" power of my youth, GP60s and Dash-8s, are relgated to secondary status (GP60s on a local?!?!?), or are about gone. Just goes to show how things can change so quickly in the railroad world.
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Up here in Minnesota, it was the BN's SD40-2s that were "cursed" at for being everywhere.
Being just about 56 yo now, I remember the '70s when the C&NW, BN, Soo, Milwaukee & Rock Island's SD40-2s were brand new.
Those Soo & RI units sure looked odd, w/o DBs.
Getting any UP power, especially a UP SD40-2, up here was near impossible until UP and C&NW started pooling units on the trains between Omaha & the TC area, late '70s & early '80s, and then on coal trains headed up hereafter that.
Dan Schmidt
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I lived in Victorville, CA for nearly ten years (1986-1995) and shot the snot out of UP's SD40-2s! I actually had slide traders excited to see so many of them because no one else was shooting them! I currently have 124 of them on LocoPhotos (front uncoupled too - I always went for quality, not quantity). http://tinyurl.com/7pobf26 More to come!
Randy Keller
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MY STACK OF MEDIUM FORMAT B&W NEGATIVES OF BN SD-40-2'S TAKEN IN THE LATE 70'S AND 80'S MEASURES 3INCHES HIGH! ITS DEFINITELY A CLASSIC LOCOMOTIVE BUT NOT ONE THAT WILL EVER RANK HIGH ON MY FAVORITE'S LIST. THEY WERE JUST TOO COMMON. THE SEATTLE AREA AT LEAST HAD ALCO'S AND F-UNITS STILL WORKING TO DILUTE THE ONSLAUGHT. IT MUST HAVE BEEN PRETTY BLEAK PHOTOGRAPHING IN COAL COUNTRY WHEN THE 40-2'S REACHED SATURATION.
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I can't remember just where I saw this, but the words are SO fitting for today, as I'm sure they were for each generation of railfan coming up through the ranks. I have changed a few words for today's times, indicated by [ ]:
"The RS2 that bumped the Mogul off the local freight,
the railfan once regarded with a mix of scorn and hate.
But times have changed and now it's strange,
how far he'll go to view
some short-line enginehouse where there's a lowly RS2.
So heed these words and do not spurn the SD45,
the U-Boat and the [Dash-2] and the others that arrive.
Remember well the story of the alchemists of old:
the worthless lead [that's everywhere], will be tomorrow's gold!"
(Author I cannot recall)
B2
and as a PS;
on Sherman Hill in the late 70s, I overheard this many times: (train smokes out of tunnel westbound), "S##t!! Another ______!!
....anybody care to guess what loco model and series they were griping about.....?
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While I am a bit too new to the game (2002 when I started 'chasin') to see the onslaught of SD40-2's in their prime. I did, how ever, get tired of seeing the same 4 HESR GP38-2's all the time..so when the CORP 3838 and MNN 1471 showed up..it was like a miracle..then the HESR getting all those Central Michigan RR units..made it fun..but now that I dont get up to the HESR much anymore..I miss those 4 old RI GP38's.
2 groups of units on CN I got tired of seeing all the time was those SD50 and SD60f's..they were all over the old GTW in the early to mid 2000's..now the 5400's are gone..with the 5500's soon to be..as the old line goes "ya dont know what ya got till it's gone".
I, as a 28 year old, get excited to see a standard cab "anything" on class ones these days.
And yes..UP's "Twin Cities Service unit" still has several GP38's and SD40-2's hanging around. The SD40-2's are used on the Roseport jobs.
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You're not old until you've seen the SD40-2 roll out of LaGrange back in the '70s THEN see them retire.
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ehhhh???? Speak up sonny, I can't see ya!
It IS even worse today (In my opinion)in that even the GE and SD Units have the same cab (Safety)At least you would see a GE with the "snub" nose and the EMD with what I considered a "normal" nose with an occasional snoot for variety. Yep, I'll take railroading in the 70's over this crap ANYDAY!. Also don't forget you could see the crew back then not hidden behind the black glass! (Though I have to admit it is a heck of a lot more comfortable behind the throttle of a wide cab, Unless your backing up for any distance!
Brian
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From my earlier question:
"and as a PS;
on Sherman Hill in the late 70s, I overheard this many times: (train smokes out of tunnel westbound), "S##t!! Another ______!!
....anybody care to guess what loco model and series they were griping about.....?"
Well, they were talking about...............DDA40Xs!! When they were in their prime, they ran up the miles, and on seemingly every shooter out there. The sought after UP of the day were U50Cs, SD24s, SD24Bs GP30Bs, GP20s, GP9Bs, the SD40 ex demonstrators, etc. Some at the time were convinced that more Centennials were coming, so they were considered boring new power after awhile.
My, my haow times change, and it doesn't seem like that long ago.....
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