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Re: Heavy power in SP/NWP Willits, CA
Author: Trackside Tommy
Date: 09-05-2013 - 21:11
WAF Wrote:
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> The change from the valley to the Coast had
> nothing to do with SD40/45 coming into Willits. It
> was whatever was on hand. Just about anything got
> to Willits in the 70s.
Yes it did have an effect just not in the way you think it did. SP transfered a bunch of SD9E's from Roseville to Oakland around that time but Oakland was not as dilligent as they should have been swapping power due to terminal congestion and managers wanting to get those ER trains out of town. The power bureau had given out orders to swap the power out but that was not the every day reality. Roseville actually did a better job trying to keep the SD9Es on the NWP trains but yes you are correct even they didn't always have enough power on hand. What Oakland did more times than not was to use the SD9Es on the Schellville turn then use whatever else on the WCERY whether it be other SD9Es or big units or a mix of both. Where they got in trouble with the power shortage was with the loads off the NWP. Many times the trains didn't have enough power out of Willits or Lombard because the inbound trains to Willits were sent out of Oakland or Roseville with only 2 or 3 units. There were many cases I remember when the Schellville turn had to pick up a dead train off the NWP at Lombard or Schellville either because it didn't have enough power to make it out of Lombard or the crew died or both.
-------------------------------------------------------
> The change from the valley to the Coast had
> nothing to do with SD40/45 coming into Willits. It
> was whatever was on hand. Just about anything got
> to Willits in the 70s.
Yes it did have an effect just not in the way you think it did. SP transfered a bunch of SD9E's from Roseville to Oakland around that time but Oakland was not as dilligent as they should have been swapping power due to terminal congestion and managers wanting to get those ER trains out of town. The power bureau had given out orders to swap the power out but that was not the every day reality. Roseville actually did a better job trying to keep the SD9Es on the NWP trains but yes you are correct even they didn't always have enough power on hand. What Oakland did more times than not was to use the SD9Es on the Schellville turn then use whatever else on the WCERY whether it be other SD9Es or big units or a mix of both. Where they got in trouble with the power shortage was with the loads off the NWP. Many times the trains didn't have enough power out of Willits or Lombard because the inbound trains to Willits were sent out of Oakland or Roseville with only 2 or 3 units. There were many cases I remember when the Schellville turn had to pick up a dead train off the NWP at Lombard or Schellville either because it didn't have enough power to make it out of Lombard or the crew died or both.
