I like the bottom picture the best. Nice location. The BNSF running the worktrains with bigs on each end. Saw several tied up in Delta Yard over the summer with bigs on each end. Over the years worktrains usually using Geeps for power but not today as there a better chance at finding bigs to get a worktrain going.
The "bigs" as you call them are equipped for DPU operation. The old engines are not equipped with DPU and need a second engineer to operate with an engine on both ends.
It can be done with old engines, you just don't want to get caught doing it.
First pic was leading east, second was a partial string of empty hoppers, the last was the trailing unit shoving of course. Ballast unit trains gotta be heavy. Coming north on hwy. 395 from Oregon across the Columbia into Washingtown, through Tri-Cities, passed TWO big semis, hauling MOW equipment. (Ballast tamper, and ballast cleaner).
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Hmm. That address doesnt look right. It looks like the link pointing here was faulty.
Have to say I love the "DPU era". In the GPNW seems about 2/3rds of the trains have them and depending on the "DPU arrangement" you can photograph 2-trains at once... coming and going if you lie. Always good when the rear DPU unit is facefirst instead of the rearend of a dash-9 with those huge radiatiors.
-- Edited by The Krink on Thursday 14th of September 2017 12:06:22 AM
I'm pretty sure if you were watching a train go by and thought "just 2-engines for this 200 car train"
and then there is a surprise at the end with a couple DPU's working very hard with the head-end power.
Better than a caboose I say.
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