SP "Oil Cans" at Tehachapi

[Chessie8638]

The Southern Pacific "Oil Cans" heads up and around the famous Tehachapi Loop. Nothing like grimy, dirty, filthy, SP units.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE5SSdRBgYc

[harryadkins]

Nice!

[arizonachris]

Wow, interesting seeing a Conrail and a Rio Grand in the mix. Cool!

[WhiteKnight77]

I don't think I ever recall seeing a train with locomotives in the middle of the consist before. Cool.

[Shortliner]

I don't think I ever recall seeing a train with locomotives in the middle of the consist before. Cool.

It happens from time to time, esp. on mountainous routes. They are Distributed Power Units. They are basically units that have computer software that allow the engineer in the lead locomotive to control them. They basically even out the consist of the train so that it's easier to pull the train.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_power

[arizonachris]

I don't think I ever recall seeing a train with locomotives in the middle of the consist before. Cool.

Oh, yeah, out here they do it all the time. 3 or 4 in the lead, 2 or 3 in the middle, maybe a few at the end. Hell, you got 120 double stack containers. It takes just a little horsepower to pull them, especially up the Cajon Pass. IIRC, it's a 3% grade?

[Shortliner]

Oh, yeah, out here they do it all the time. 3 or 4 in the lead, 2 or 3 in the middle, maybe a few at the end. Hell, you got 120 double stack containers. It takes just a little horsepower to pull them, especially up the Cajon Pass. IIRC, it's a 3% grade?

I wouldn't mind taking a week off for vacation and spend the entire time railfanning a route like Cajon. Heck, I want to take a weekend off and go railfan Horsehoe Curve!

[wc71046]

I wish I could get to cajon pass. But being Canadian I would fry from the temperature

Look at this video for locomotives in the middle of the train. This is a typical day for them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LsuNWjRaAo

[arizonachris]

I wish I could get to cajon pass. But being Canadian I would fry from the temperature

He he he he, the desert gets cold in the winter time. It may not snow, but your keester will freeze. Really quick. With that desert wind. Lots of folks show up in the daytime, 85f, then all of a sudden, no sun, and 30f.

[wc71046]

He he he he, the desert gets cold in the winter time. It may not snow, but your keester will freeze. Really quick. With that desert wind. Lots of folks show up in the daytime, 85f, then all of a sudden, no sun, and 30f.[/quote]


Thats nothing. I guess I will go in the winter then.

[simer4]

Kinda random bringing this thread back just to say this off topic thing but, here in Winnipeg, during the summer it gets really hot. 'Bout 95 degrees (35 degrees Celsius) and sometimes hotter. At least 90 average. Anyway, great lash-ups there, very unusual.