BJORK@SU-SCORE.ARPA (Steven Bjork) (08/02/85)
The SP seems to be having trouble with the airbrakes on the new F40's. In order to provide sufficient braking, the ex-commuter locomotives (with an occasional freight unit) have been put back into service, usually just stuck on the front of a complete consist of the new trains. Yesterday it was interesting to note the complete revival of the old commuter pool--every class of (commuter) locomotive the SP had was used! This includes the 3187 class (GP9), 3197 class (GP40), 3200 class (SDP45), and 4450 class (SD9). It is great fun to witness this revival of the SP. With the days of the SP strictly numbered, I have had great pleasure in getting out to photograph this event. --Steve -------
hkywong%ucbcory@Berkeley.arpa (Harry Kim Yee Wong) (08/08/85)
Lots of the SP commuter geeps and SDP's have been seen to be cycling through the paint shop in Sacramento as of last weekend (Aug. 3-4), still emerging in the good ol' red & grey 'bloody-nose' paint job. The current rumor for the new paint says that one of the new SD45 rebuilds, SP 7551 is to be the first to receive the SP-Santa Fe merger paint job, which consists of a red carbody, black roof (like BN), black fuel tank, silver trucks and a yellow warbonnet applied either only on the nose or like it is now on Santa Fe units. --Harry