Saw an eastbound UP train in northeast Oregon this evening, should be in Idaho now. At first I thought it was a Herzog ballast train, but it was something different and new (and least to me).

About a dozen cars, former Thrall aluminum rollover coal gons (complete with ACI labels), a power car, another dozen or so cars, last car had a cab and conveyors. Similar idea to the Georgetown Dump Train sets that have been around for 20+ years, except instead of a single conveyor belt through the train, each car had its own belt dumping into the next car's conveyor. Between cars, heavy electric cabling (each car conveyor had an electric motor), a small hydraulic line and no surprise drawbars instead of couplers except on the ends. End car was HZGX 40113 and said ACT - I think it was Automatic Conveyor Train. All the cars had individual numbers, but with drawbars not sure what number it moves under. Stenciled for consist 1712-8 long. Car capacity was 194,000 pounds so I think it has a higher capacity than the GREX set.

Power itself was interesting - CP 9592 leading UP 5504. Was this off the SI/Washy or is UP just taking advantage of a stranded CP unit? Looked to be empty, so is headed to another assignment somewhere east. Might go across OSL/southern Idaho tonight.

Northeast Oregon had a hard winter with plenty of snow, now warming up with some rain. Have been some slide problems and now minor flooding. UP seems to be unaffected for now, but the Burnt River (UP follows Durkee to Huntington) is at high water level and small dam at Unity may be forced to increase flow.