1.This is one of my earliest photos. It was taken in Apr 2006 during my first visit to the Roseville Yard. I just started rail fanning and did know anything about ESPEE. She was sold to south america last year 2.Martinez Ozol yard. (04/08)It's a little weird to see a yellow tunnel motor......
5.Last unpatched. Never again! 7.typical tunnel motor. always dirty 10. 12. (05/15/09) Clean Tunnel Motor in 2009?! It was a BIG TREAT to see her especially i just had a three hours math final the day before.
Did they come from the factory with the dirt and grime already on them, or was that added in Espee's own shops?
SP employed some of the best weathering artists in the hobby! No two units were alike in their weathering patterns. Actually, just the demanding service and SP's lack of money for cleaning and/or regular repainting did the trick plus some help from the elements.
The Tunnel Motor has always been my favorite 6 axle units. I still have my plates off my old black dually, SD45T-2, which to railfans should have told them alot about what road was at the top of my list these were only bought NEW by one railroad....... I got photos of SP tunnel motors dating back to just after the big firethen thined out my collection of everything, 1986. I'm on the road so I can't post any o them now...
I've always liked tunnel motors and remember noticing their distinctiveness when I was a teenager in the Davis/Sacramento area watching them run on the double track line over the causeway. It was the SD45 and tunnel motors I've always remembered the most. Naturally as Rio Grande modeler, I still have to have some SP units!
Will this make you guys feel better? If you ignore the CEFX on the nose, you have a fairly clean SP diesel. Helps you to remember when they first arrived on the railroad.
This is obviously some guy's very well-detailed module scene shot outside. No SP freight diesel was ever that clean! :tb-wink:
Thanks, the picture makes me feel better, like when you're sitting at home alone on a saturday night looking at a picture of your ex-fiancee who left you for your best friend.
I just purchased an SD45T-2 in H0 scale. I refused to operate it on the club layout until it is weathered. It's the only way, of course! :thumbs_up:
It looks like there was a renagade mechanic who forgot where the bell goes. Were there many with the bell on the roof as your picture shows, rather than behind the first truck on the left side?
All of the SD45T-2s had the bell mounted on the cab roof as-delivered from EMD. Throughout the 60s-70s, many SP/SSW road diesels had the bell on the roof as-delivered; that also includes the GP30s, GP35s, SD35s, SD40s, SD45s, many SD40T-2s, and various U-boats. Starting with later SD40T-2 and B30-7 orders, SP specified the bell down at the standard underframe mounting location.
The tunnel motor I uploaded here also lacks the light arrangement it used to have. I'm guessing the lights got removed after the rebuild, plus the new paint job and the speed lettering. And notice the ex-SP on the other end of this lashup.......
The SP light arrangement pretty much ended when the D&RGW bought out SP, but many of you have forgotten the SP died long before UP got their sticky hands on them.
Here's a recording of a chain of tunnel motors screaming by a level crossing at the North Shore of the Salton Sea back in 1978 when i was 16yrs old. Poor quality so TURN IT UP! Southern Pacific - soleilmuzik - goear.com
Big nostalgia freak. Otherwise why be here?;p I'm sure many have seen this. Used to go to Cajon Pass for the very reason we all know. Enjoy... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQJVgY9yprg"]YouTube - Repost--Fallen Flags: SP works hard up Cajon--turn it up Loud![/ame]
I think it was when the Santa Fe tried to get their hands on the SP that the lights started to be removed and the Rio Grande finished the job. Hard to believe the Tunnel Motors are going away. Seems like they were the new kid on the block not long ago.
