Union Pacific engine leading California Zephyr into Chicago

[Agent]

I saw a Union Pacific freight engine leading the California Zephyr (#6/5) through Agency, Iowa running four hours late. The train should reach Chicago later today. I don't know why the UP unit was on there. Normally, news like this spreads before the train reaches me.

 

[Ryan]

Since there is only 1 P42, I would guess that the other one is broken down somewhere.

 

[fairviewroad]

Thanks for posting the video.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Hmm. When they hook up a UP (or other RR's) engine, do they need to turn off the HEP? I'm wondering if something like this happened on my trip in Nov 2011 somewhere in Utah (we may have been near Helper). It appeared we were stopped in a RR yard (it was dark) and I recall feeling bumps. They announced something was "going on" but with my poor hearing I didn't catch what and my daughter was sleeping. I thought they were switching the engines, but we never lost HEP. Didn't think to look when we got off in Provo.

 

[Trogdor]

Yes, they have to shut off HEP whenever switching cars or locomotives, as the crew will be working on the ground in very close proximity to the HEP cables (even if the cars or engines themselves are not having HEP hooked up).

 

[rusty spike]

Nice video, crummy weather though.

 

[Agent]

Thanks for posting the video.

You're welcome.

Nice video, crummy weather though.

Thanks. At least it was warm (for February).

 

[UKPhil]

For a frieght locomotive it was certainly going at a fair old lick - i expect the UP driver was enjoying the opportunity to give her some welly!!

 

[PaulM]

For a frieght locomotive it was certainly going at a fair old lick - i expect the UP driver was enjoying the opportunity to give her some welly!!

But don't freight engines have a lower max speed? We once had a UP engine heading west out of Denver. I asked the conductor about it and he said it didn't make any difference in the mountains, but would once they got on flat land.

 

[Agent]

For a frieght locomotive it was certainly going at a fair old lick - i expect the UP driver was enjoying the opportunity to give her some welly!!

But don't freight engines have a lower max speed? We once had a UP engine heading west out of Denver. I asked the conductor about it and he said it didn't make any difference in the mountains, but would once they got on flat land.

Yes, generally freight locomotives are geared to have a maximum speed of 70 mph. The speed limit here for Amtrak trains is 79 mph.

Also UKPhil, the person in the cab is an Amtrak engineer, not a Union Pacific driver.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

For a frieght locomotive it was certainly going at a fair old lick - i expect the UP driver was enjoying the opportunity to give her some welly!!

But don't freight engines have a lower max speed? We once had a UP engine heading west out of Denver. I asked the conductor about it and he said it didn't make any difference in the mountains, but would once they got on flat land.

Yes, generally freight locomotives are geared to have a maximum speed of 70 mph. The speed limit here for Amtrak trains is 79 mph.

Also UKPhil, the person in the cab is an Amtrak engineer, not a Union Pacific driver.

It's still nice to see an UP going so fast. What locomotive was that, an SD70MAC or ES44DC? I can't identify freight locomotives.

 

[Agent]

It's still nice to see an UP going so fast. What locomotive was that, an SD70MAC or ES44DC? I can't identify freight locomotives.

It's an AC45CCTE, which is Union Pacific's version of the ES44AC. I don't know if they're built differently than other railroads' ES44ACs, or if UP simply has a different name for them.

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

You know, Ive never seen a freight unit in the CUS tunnels, so is that freight engine going into CUS? Or are they going to switch out for a second Amtrak engine to make the final push into CUS?

Ive seen freight engines in the yard outside the tunnels, so I was just wondering for the sake of learning.

 

[OBS]

You know, Ive never seen a freight unit in the CUS tunnels, so is that freight engine going into CUS? Or are they going to switch out for a second Amtrak engine to make the final push into CUS?
Ive seen freight engines in the yard outside the tunnels, so I was just wondering for the sake of learning.

The freight unit will operate right into CUS, no problem.

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

Thanks OBS. I appreciate the quick response.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

It's still nice to see an UP going so fast. What locomotive was that, an SD70MAC or ES44DC? I can't identify freight locomotives.

It's an AC45CCTE, which is Union Pacific's version of the ES44AC. I don't know if they're built differently than other railroads' ES44ACs, or if UP simply has a different name for them.

Thanks for that. I really don't know about freight locomotives so I don't know the difference.

 

[chakk]

I believe that train left Emeryville, CA with only one locomotive, so I suspect a locomotive was borrowed from Union Pacific in Roseville to get the train over the mountains. With top speed reduced to 70 mph, plus the time to add the extra locomotive in Roseville, it's quite likely that the train would lose time over Nevada, parts of Utah and Colorado, and Nebraska.

 

[MetraUPWest]

Most of UP's AC4400s (which they call either C44AC or C44ACCTE) and all of their ES44ACs (which like already stated they call C45ACCTEs) and SD70ACes are actually rated for 75 MPH, so the top speed didn't have to take too much of a hit since UP gave them a nice engine for once. After arriving at CUS and turning the train Amtrak would then return the unit back to UP's Global 1 yard via the BNSF mainline which has access right into Global 1 just west of the Halsted Metra stop.

 

[MetraUPWest]

And just to clarify- the UP C45ACCTE is exactly the same as any ES44AC. Why they call them C45ACCTE is pretty hard to explain- IMO they should've just named them ES44AC instead.