Symbol UPL, Union Pacific Loads, was used for unit coal trains received from Union Pacific (UP) Railroad at Kansas City, destined to Union Electric's Rush Island plant located at Frisco station T047 "Rush Tower". These trains operated KC-Springfield-Lindenwood-Rush Tower. (Note: there has been speculation that these trains switched to a KC-Mopac-St Louis-BN route after the UP-MP merger, but I believe this is confusion with pre-merger unit coal movements via MP-St Louis-SLSF. MP St Louis Gateway terminal project reports in March 1983 do not show any MP/UP movements to Rush Tower. More on this in future posts.) UP freight schedules for both 10/1/79 and April 1980 show train RTUE, Rush Tower Unit East, loaded from Hanna Basin, WY, to Rush Tower; RTUW (Rush Tower Unit West) empties westbound. 1255 total one-way miles. 100 cars. 144 hour turnaround time. This move started Sept 26, 1977. I do not have an end date for this particular service/contract. Attached is a train list for train UPL originating at Kansas City (station C004) on June 7, 1979. (Symbolled UPL-07.) UPL-07 departed KC 06:30 6/7/1979 91 loads, 1 mty, 11,593 tons, 5162 feet. Locomotives SLSF 403-SLSF 402-UP 3226-UP 2878-UP 2923, with caboose UP 25527. This train arrived Lindenwood on June 8, 1979, at 01:40 with units 403-402-UP 3226-UP 2878-UP 2923-699-677. Per a Lindenwood power lineup sheet for June 7, 1979, units 402-677-699 were to be removed at Lindenwood before the train continued to Rush Tower. Note that two GP38-2's were added at Springfield to increase the HP/ton for the trip over the Cuba Subdivision. More interestingly, the train shows arriving with Frisco caboose 1716, instead of the UP caboose received at KC. Also interesting, the inbound train was listed as 92 loads- 1 mty- 12269 tons. Lindenwood did remove the 3 units. The new crew was called at 03:30 and UPL departed at 05:20, same consist and tonnage but now with caboose 1711. Note the CNW hoppers among the UP hoppers in the consist. Ted Ferkenhoff Flagstaff, AZ
