SD45 in Union Today

Discussion in 'General' started by wpmoreland719, Apr 22, 2010.

  1. wpmoreland719

    wpmoreland719 Member Frisco.org Supporter

    My wife was out for her usual run this morning and noticed a "red and blue train engine" parked here in Union. This is unusual, since the Central Midland only operates two small blue and white switchers on their revenue trains. I found the locomotive this evening parked on the old main just west of Independence Dr., and it turned out to be a SD45, at least in appearance.

    The leased unit was brought here to push unused hopper cars, which are being stored on the old Rock Island west of Union. The Central Midland has recently been rehabilitating this old delapidated line west of Union for this purpose. The section between Union and Owensville has not seen a revenue train since 1995, and between Owensville and K.C., it's been about 30 years. However, the line remains intact for the most part, although some no good so-and-so stole several rails near Jeffriesburg and sold them for scrap a few years ago.

    Since we've been on the topic of SD45's for a while, I thought I would share some photos of it. I apologize for the lighting, it was almost dark before I was able to get down there to photograph it. It's nice to see one of these units still around, although I would guess it's probably been repowered by now.

    Pat Moreland


    I took the liberty of doing a little doctoring -KLRWHIZKID
     

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    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 22, 2010
  2. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Pat, I hope you don't mind my "doctoring" for improved visibility.
     
  3. wpmoreland719

    wpmoreland719 Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Not at all, Keith! Actually, I'm glad you did. I was hoping to get some details of it, such as the appearance of the trucks, and the rear mu lines, but it was just too dark and I'm not very photo saavy. I was disappointed that it didn't have an "L" window, but oh well, still a neat and rare diesel.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 22, 2010
  4. bob_wintle

    bob_wintle Member Frisco.org Supporter

    According to the Roster I found of HLCX locomotives, this used to be a DRGW unit. It is now classed as an SD40M-3 if I remember correctly.
    Bob Wintle
    Parsons, Ks.
     
  5. WindsorSpring

    WindsorSpring Member

    This locomotive may have been one I saw at Lackland near St. Louis on the Central Midland May 23, 2009. My notes say at the time, two were stored, both with HLCX road numbers of 65XX.
     
  6. Brad Slone

    Brad Slone Member Frisco.org Supporter

    It may not be Frisco, but I really enjoy reading about this portion of the RI, there is so little written about it. It always strikes me kind of sad the way it just lays their rusting away. BYW in 95 I spent a day with the Sprint/SP contractor laying fiber optic conduit along the right away west of Meta. I was told that part of the original right of way agreement was that if the rails where ever removed then ownership reverts back to the original owner. Since the corridor is worth so much for telecommunications purposes the rails will never come up, at least that's what I was told. Anyway it belongs to Ameren UE now, that's today installment of what I know about the RI!
     
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  7. FriscoGeorge

    FriscoGeorge Frisco Employee

    I don't know if it was this particular engine or not, but I saw an engine bearing these markings in consist with a BNSF SD45 come through Newburg earlier this year, I think it was in March. As a matter of fact, if I remember correctly, the two units where switching out some cars from a siding here in Newburg and were headed to Bundy Jct. to get some DOD cars to take out to the Ft. Leonard Wood Army Base. Nice old engine!
    George:)
     
  8. wpmoreland719

    wpmoreland719 Member Frisco.org Supporter

    I don't want to put too much into this thread, since it isn't directly Frisco related (SLSF, still my first love), but I think it's worth sharing. I agree with Brad, it is kinda of sad to see this line in the condition that it is in. That's is usually what happens when a railroad is abandoned and removed; land is returned to the original owners along the right-of-way. We seen that 25 years ago when the Salem branch was abandoned. But at least the RI holds out, and if it's gradually rehabilitated, maybe there be revenue train operating west of Union again, at least to Owensville. They can't store those hoppers forever.

    My sergeant here at UPD ran into an engineer grabbing a soda one day at the Mobil station on N. Washington Ave. near the railroad tracks. He told him that when the Missouri Central (now Central Midland) took over operations about 10 years ago, he was given the assignment of taking a locomotive west of Union (I assume to Owensville) as a sort of a experiment to see how if the line could handle traffic again without major repairs or upgrades. The engineer told him that he was never as scared as he was on that trip. He could feel the rotting ties crumbling beneath the weight of the locomotive, and thought that it was actually going to roll over. Needless to say, the new railroad continued with the SSW/SP practice of only operating as far west as Union.

     
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  9. Brad Slone

    Brad Slone Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Even though it's non Frisco I'm going to keep talking about! I was staying with some friends in Gerald one Summer in the mid 80's and recall a short consist of covered hoppers heading to Owensviille being pulled a GP-40 and B 30-7 as best I recall.

    Brad
     
  10. wpmoreland719

    wpmoreland719 Member Frisco.org Supporter

    I'm glad that you enjoy talking about the Rock! I do too, I just don't want to offend anyone.

    The St. Louis Subdivision has to be the most neglected and forgotten railroad in the United States. I think it had too much competition in the StL to KC market and was too remote to really make a go of it. One of my uncles tried to hire on with the CRI&P in the early 50's and went to Belle for an interview. Apparently some of my family members, who are mostly from the St. James and Vienna area, never knew the railroad went west of Belle.

    I'm really impressed with the scenery along this line. I took a 10 mile ride up the Gasconade river on a jet ski a few years ago just to find the Gascondy trestle. And I wasn't disappointed. Over 1,800 ft. long and 90 ft. high, it's really a site to behold. I just wish I would have lived in the era to have actually seen trains operating over it.
     
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  11. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Agree! I'm a big fan of the Rock Island as well, in particular the StL-KC line. That was the railroad of my youth - we lived three blocks from it and it ran down the middle of my grandfather's farm west of Gerald.

    I didn't get involved with the Frisco in a real big way until 1960 when I started at MSM in Rolla.

    The first two issues of "Remember the Rock" magazine featured the StL-KC line. Neatest tunnel portals in railroading!

    Ken
     
  12. Sirfoldalot

    Sirfoldalot Frisco.org Supporter Frisco.org Supporter

    Reading these post caused me to have a flashback to 1963. I was talking to an older mechanic one day in Boston. He told me that he took his family: " WAY out West on vacation one year". I asked him where he went - He replied: "Pittisburg"!

    Sorry, Just can't resist!:D
     
  13. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    I hosted a kid from MIT once here in StL to interview Monsanto about employment. He was a Boston native. He told me he was excited not only about the chance to talk with us about employment, but that he had "never been out west before".

    Ken
     
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  14. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    I'm wandering even further off-topic, but the 2010 Model Railroad Planning issue includes a nice article on Charlie Duckworth's MoP Bagnell Branch: he has modeled the MoP/CRI&P interchange at Eldon, MO.

    While it's not SL-SF, it's a nice article on prototype modeling.

    Best Regards,
     
  15. f4joe

    f4joe Member

    I did the same thing one day, I drove to the east of the bridge but they have a gate blocking the road so we went to the west side and was able to park in a camp ground and hike up to the bridge. It was awsome!! I have a bunch more pictures of this line if anbody is interested!
     

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    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 23, 2012
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  16. PAC MAN

    PAC MAN Member

    Also...was there some type of plastic pellet or other industry in Union? Thought maybe that was what was going on west of town. Didn't think about it just being storage.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 5, 2013
  17. PAC MAN

    PAC MAN Member

    Pat. I know the thread has been out for a while but I wanted to know if the rail line to Ownesville has been put back into service. I made a trip some years ago to Eldon for training and in the afternoons I took some trips west and east checking out the line. Went to Versailles one aft then to the tunnel and beyond the next aft (the other direction). Really neat to find the old rails here and there. Didn't make it to the big bridges. Sure would be cool if they would rehab the line a little at a time but there needs to be some industry to support the venture. Been thinking of driving up this summer and checking out the operations there. Went to a ballgame in Union too once and remember the hoppers on the west side of town and some new ballast on the line east of town. Thanks!
     
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  18. wpmoreland719

    wpmoreland719 Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Hi Mike, thanks for your interest in this thread. The line currently operates between the former Rock Island yard at Lackland, located on Warson Rd. near Page Ave. in St. Louis, to Union. The plastic pellets are delivered to the former Rexam (now called Silgan) facility in Union. They make plastic containers, similar to what you find lunch meat packaged in. The last revenue "train" west to Owensville consisted of a single covered hopper delivered to MFA. This was in December 1994 under Southern Pacific control. There's a good story about that last car to Owensville and the feuding between MFA and the SP that would best be told by Jeff Cooney (frisco4301). Jeff grew up in Eldon and had the pleasure of taking a few cab rides in the last years of Rock Island operation. The last movement over the entire route between St. Louis and Kansas City occurred sometime between August and December 1979.

    I've become good friends with the crew that now operates west of Union and have had the honor to ride in the cab between Union and St. Louis several times. One of the engineers told me that they were attempting to secure a deal with Bull Moose Tire Tube in Gerald to provide service to them. This would have required rehabilitating an additional 20 miles of track currently out of service, plus adding on an additional crew. However, those talks fell through.

    Maybe someday.....

    Pat Moreland,
    Union Mo.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 5, 2013
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  19. dricketts

    dricketts Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Are we talking about the same line that went through Raytown on the KC side?
     
  20. wpmoreland719

    wpmoreland719 Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Yes, that'd be the one.

    Pat Moreland,
    Union Mo.
     

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