OPRRMS Wrote:
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> SP5103 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > I know they tested the SCL U36B Mate slug set
> > there,
>
> Ah, yes. Another memorable trip. December 1975.
> This was the second of the two round-trips the
> units made on the NWP. An SP crew was called out
> of Oakland at 4 AM to deadhead to Schellville, get
> the train, then pick up a fill at Lombard and go
> to Elvas, where it was to be handed off to a
> Valley crew. Or at least that was The Plan.
>
> The first thing that was discovered was there was
> no way to tell if the MATE (SCL's term for their
> road slugs) was actually loading. After making
> the Lombard pickup, the train "made a run" for the
> Big Balloon at Napa Junction, but stalled before
> the engines made it a third of the way around. So
> the entire train was backed all the way to the
> signal at the Brazos bridge, and another try was
> made. Got it up to close to 40 going by the
> Lombard depot (never mind that the Maximum
> Authorized Speed was 15), but they didn't make it
> much futher than on the first try. Everyone was
> pretty much frustrated by then, including the
> brand new Assistant Road Foreman of Engines who'd
> been instructed by the superintendent to ride
> along and had been up over 24 hours by then, so it
> was decided to triple Creston Hill to get the
> train to Busch Siding at Suisun. Even with only
> about 40-car cuts, the units barely made it.
>
> By then, a number of railbuffs were following and
> taking pics, including an SP company officer, who
> had a photo of the debacle published in Pacific
> News.
>
> The crew went to beans in Fairfield after the
> second trip, then tripled the train together, set
> it on the Schellville Main with the crossings cut,
> and waited to be relieved on the Hours of Service.
> I was told that the relief crew from Roseville
> had a series of problems with the units on their
> way to Sacramento, so OP&C made a decision to call
> another crew with fresh power to run from
> Roseville to Elvas and swap out.
>
> So it took three crews and close to 24 hours to
> get the train from Schellville to Elvas.
> Impressive!
>
> The engineer happened to be wearing his EMD hat
> (visible in the Pacific News photo, so maybe he
> jinxed it.

ERWCY in December,1977, Rich. The whole idea was to see if the SCL set could take a 8500 train up Cordelia hill with a few SD9s added. NOT. Rest of your story is as is.