While heading home from a Boy Scout scuba merit badge weekend, I was watching all along the UP mainline somewhere between Midland and Coahoma Texas. I usually see several long Intermodal trains from the west coast heading toward Ft Worth. I was about to pass another one in a siding up ahead when something was a little different than the familiar yellow and red monster diesels from The mighty UP.....wasn't sure what, but I kept going.....then I got to thinking to my self and I said "Self..you need to turn around and take a second look at that siding." So I did. Parked on the side of the road in rattlesnake country and headed off thru the thorns and bush in my flip flops and this is what I found.....
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Cute...

That might be one of the UP's heritage units. Looks like the "bloody nose", might have pinked out. I think the UP numbered their units with the years that they merged with the railroad represented. Looks like the Southern Pacific unit has been re numbered and is patched.

There are still some of these patch jobs running though my home town on the NS Pittsburgh Line. I think UP is just going to use them up as is. I have seen 3 different numbers.[attachment=23090][attachment=23089][attachment=23088]
Charlie