Hello- Yesterday, on the morning of March 5th, the eastbound MRONY-04 picked up DRGW 5371 in Helper and it headed east for Denver. The original ETA into Denver was sometime around 2:30pm today, but the train must have made really good time as it descended east on the Moffat Tunnel Sub in early morning light. The train held at Clay to meet the westbound Ski Train, and then it finished up its trip, arriving North Yard around 9:00am. DRGW 5371 appeared to be DIC, but more concerning than that (as far as I'm concerned) is that the number boards were already missing. My guess would be that the (former) Grande guys that still work in Helper are probably assuming the unit won't be coming back, and thus liberated the Tunnel Motor of its number boards! It'll be interesting to see where it goes from here! It hasn't officially been retired yet. Heck, if the stars align, it could get some work done at Burnham and be sent right back west to Helper (granted that seems a bit unlikely)... Here are three shots from its trek east this morning on UP's Moffat Tunnel Subdivision, about 10 miles west of Denver, CO. Considering how fast other railroads have disappeared, I'm not complaining too much. 20 years after the "official" end of the Rio Grande and 5371 is still kicking...might be about done kicking, but it still is! The Katy fell in 1988 - around the same time as the DRGW/SP merger - and how long has it been since there was a "pickles and mustard" unit on the rails!? 1. The MRONY-04 coming around Big Ten Curve in between Rocky and Clay. DRGW 5371 was, obviously, the fifth of five units on the train. 2. A nice consist overall on the manifest. An AC4400CW, an SD70ACe, an SD60M, and SD40-2 and an SD40T-2...pretty good mix up! Here, the train is passing Chem Spur, located about ten miles west of North Yard. 3. A roster shot of 5371 as it passed me. Note the missing number boards from the front...here's hoping there is still some future for 5371 other that a torch! Some have suggested it might join UP's heritage fleet along with 6936, the E-units and the steam engines!? These and a few more shots are available here: ColoradoRailfan.com Photo Gallery Enjoy! Kevin Morgan Webmaster, ColoradoRailfan.com
Sorry, Mr. Morgan about falling asleep at the switch. Darn allergy pills...:tb-embarrassed: Here's hoping the Union Pacific honchos see the worthiness of donating the venerable Tunnel Motor.
Interesting observation! After viewing the photos, I get a similar sensation. Oh well, as the old song went, 'Little Boxes, All The Same'... No wonder I do little railfanning. Boxcab E50
D&RGW 5371 is in Cheyenne, WY. There are no pending movements for the locomotive out of Cheyenne, so I don't know what it'll be doing there.
Wow interesting reading and great photos I guess another milestone in the life of DRGW it is amazing th nit remained unpatched 20 years since DRGW merged with SP
I'd rather it go to an indoor museum.... In Cheyenne, they'll stuff it in a turntable track, where it'll be exposed to the elements and rot away. Much like the F9B they have, 5763.
i have a good question on the unit what was it before Rio Grande in coloradorailroads post in the link you can see that there is some yellow under the dynamic brake radiators
Only two railroads bought the new SD40T-2: DRGW and SP. I presume this engine is an original purchase.
It's actually orange paint. The black on top is wearing off. The method probably used to paint these, was the orange on first, then lettering masked, and black on the engine as a whole. Boxcab E50
Not quite wearing off, Ken; it's more accurately described as the black paint is cracking, pulling away, and leaving the primer and/or rust showing. NSR mag had a feature article about Mike Danneman's detailed tunnel motors, and a close-up shot of a real paint "burn" mark. The SP units exhibited this in the more extreme cases, and heavy rust as well.
News (and pics) from TO: Apparently DRGW 5371 will be a guest of Steve Lee's with the heritage fleet for the forseeable future. The thread is here (if you have a subscription): DRGW 5371 "Honorary Steam Locomotive"
