In researching coal trains on D&RGW, I want a Mopac unit as runthru power on a connecting coal train. That said, what coal power is appropriate for 1986? I'd assume SD40-2, but what else did MP use for hauling coal?
The SD40-2'c' would be appropriate, the 'c' being MP's designation for dynamic brake equipped units for pool power on coal trains. U30C's could and were also used.
Excellent! Thanks for the info! I intended on a DB unit. I don't think the Grande would allow one on its lines without DB!
Triplex, If there's any armour yellow on my railroad, it will be a passenger train, and nothing more. Never thought of the camaries, but thanks for the info!
I think you're discovering just how cool the Mopac is Hemi! :tb-cool: Mucho better than its successor. :tb-tongue: But yeah, I think the SD40-2c and U30C would be the only run-through coal units, apparently some of the early SD40-2cs came with Gyralights and rotary beacons! :tb-nerd:
From memory,some of the early MoPac SD40-2's that ran these trains were non dynamic & had to have DRGW units assigned to them to get themdwn the mountain.
Several SD40-2s in the 6000 number series should do the trick. Too bad the SD50s were jaundiced, if you know what I mean..... :tb-wink::tb-biggrin:
Here's another SD40-2c for you Hemi, a chopped snoot with the airhorn centered on the engineer's numberboard and the bell on the long hood just past the DB blister: Along your 'train' of thought, I bought a couple of D&RGW tunnel motors for run through power between St. Louis and Pueblo based on photos I've seen. OK, bad pun. I'm still on my first cup.
Hemi In my area Southern Illinois MOPAC used 4 U30C's on the Ker-Magee coal trains,the Missouri Public Service Ready Kilo-watt trains,Northern Indiana Public Utility trains,Consol coal mines trains,Ziegler coal mine trains,and regular MOPAC coal car trains.So hope this helps. Blane Kessler
Hey Blaine...glad to see another Trainboard member from the area. Those are some of the very coal trains I'm looking to model. I grew up near the Union Electric power plant at Rush Island, which had a joint MP-Frisco train bringing in coal on the SLSF River Division south from St. Louis along the Mississippi River. Here's one of the Kerr-McGee hoppers in the earlier Union Electric reporting marks: So, you saw the Mo. Public Service hoppers in So. IL too. Any idea as to which plants they served?
The consensus is U30C's, and SD40-2c's. Cool beans! I have a BN SD40-2 (8002) that's painted on an early phase engine shell. The 8002 would have best been done on a mid-late production phase unit, such as a chopped snoot. I'm tempted to strip it, and give it a coat of Mopac blue. What SD40-2c's would be appropriate for an early production unit? That side of the long-hood bell--is it similar to the bells installed on the long hoods of D&RGW SD50's?
Hemi, I've found that the JnJ bells are best for Mopac (at least I think they are from JnJ). The early SD40-2c's were numbered 3216-3235, but were renumbered to 6000-6019 shortly after to make room for more non-DB units. These had beacons & nose lights (and standard cab lights) and were ordered per BN specs specifically for Power River Basin use. Later orders didn't have the beacons or nose lights (6020-6073). All were in the mid-production version with corrugated radiator grilles. There's a photo of a Mopac unit with D&RGW SD40T-2s...I'm looking for it now...
Found 'em: 1984 @ Minturn, CO linked from the Screaming Eagle site. All of the Mopac early chicken wire SD40-2s were non-DB.
Sweet! Grande and Screaming Eagles in one shot, on Tennessee Pass! Hmmm... I may need to grab up another snoot to chop... Thanks for the photos! As an aside, were any Mopac-connecting coal trains routed via the Moffat? Based ont he orginating mine, I guesstimated a few were Moffat trains. Several were Tennessee Pass trains, as your photos show. Do you have any data on that? Better yet, pics?
You bet Hemi. I can't find any more info on hand, but will keep looking. Most of the coal trains I model are between the So. Il. coal fields and plants in Eastern Mo., so I don't have much to reference. In Kevin Eudaly's Mopac book, there is a nice shot of SD40-2c's 6035, 6038 & 6048 leading a string of black Ortners (CW, PSCX?) from Minturn, so it appears to be a popular route for these.
Ortners? I dunno much about TP coal loads, but PSCX trains were Thrall hi-side gons, or aluminum bathtubs. CW? I dunno that one. I gleaned a ton of info on Grande coal trains from here: http://www.carrtracks.com/drgw.htm Maybe it'll help you as well! Most of the Pueblo/KC interchanges with Mopac were TP trains. But not all, if I read it correctly. Here's 2 MP trains originating on the Craig Branch. *Moffat Tunnel routed trains* Info from Carrtracks site linked above! I wish that site listed why type of cars the trainsets were built from......... (D&RGW train numbers) 711 from MP train CSU at Pueblo to Energy mine with 73 empty DRGW and MP cars. 712 from Energy Mine to Pueblo then via MP to East St. Louis and N&W to Illinois Power at Federal, IL with 73 loaded DRGW and MP cars. 713 from MP train CUO at Pueblo to Empire mine with 73 empty UCEX and AMAX cars. 714 from Empire mine to Pueblo then via MP to Union Electric at West Labadie, MO with 73 loaded UCEX and AMAX
Would these hoppers be used on any D&RGW-originated trains? Who makes these? I would like to get a train worth of them....
Actually from my website. Plus here's a few more: #1 is 6061 @ Minturn July 1984 #2-5 is the eastbound train #788 near New Castle and then in Glenwood Canyon. This train has 2 sd 50's and an GE something in UP yellow. Sept 1986. I don't remember if any blue sd40-2's ran over the Moffat. But there were some post merger yellow sd50's. A little historical trivia here: At one time, 1978-mid 80's the #787/788 was the longest haul unit train in the US. It ran from Cameo Mine(east of Grand Jct) to Daniel, MS. in 100 car trains and used new black DEGX cars (as can be seen in the photos). Initially the loads ran as two 50 cars trains from GJ to Pueblo and interchanged with the MOP there. Then they ran full length trains to Minturn where they were split and reassembled at Kobe. Then for a while, they ran the full monster train (for that time period) as one train. Out of Minturn it ran with the head 5 units then 10 midtrain and 3 on the rear. Yes 18 units!! (Remeber this was before the big influx of tunnel motors, so most trains ran with anything from GP30-40's and SD45's with most of the Minturn helpers also being GP's at that time.) Lastly they reverted back to splitting the train at Minturn and reassembling at Kobe. Once more tunnel motors and the MOP SD40's came online the more typical 3-4 on the head end and 6 midtrain were used.
