Nudge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Really? They would have all the prints and changes
> in their office, of what has been done on Donner
> over the last 60 some odd years?
>
> I don't think so. They would leave that sort of
> business to the people who take care of the right
> of way, M of W. They have the prints, changes and
> other info at their finger tips. They would be
> the folks that would tell Omaha what needed to be
> done and the cost, before an engine of that size &
> weight would be allowed over the district.
>
>
> Nudge

You are usually a straight shooter, so I guess I am
having trouble understanding what you mean here. Are
you saying that 21 years after the merger that all of that
material, or at least copies of it, are not in Omaha by
now? What about all the clearance and geometry car data
taken since the merger?

As to an "engine of that size and weight," I would remind
you that a UP 4000 weighed 1,250,000 lbs ready for the road.
That's with a full load of coal, water, sand, tools, and half
a glass of water in the boiler. That figures out to 54,347
pounds per axle. The SD70AH and C45T4 units weigh 427,000,
which figures out to 71,166 pounds per axle. Heck, a 286,000
railcar has 71,500 pounds on each axle. So weight can't be
an issue.

SP's ACs were 123' 9" long. UP 3985 is 121' 11" long, and
4014 is 132' 9" long, or 9 feet longer than the AC. Heights
and widths are very similar. The overhang to the outside of
curves is about 2" more on the 4014 than it was on an AC.

Unless you think SP, after the steam era, went out to Donner
and narrowed the tunnels, cuts, curves and track centers, I
don't see your point.