Southern Pacific’s Desert Raceway - The Sunset Route in 1995
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 พ.ย. 2023
- In this video, C. Vision Productions takes you on a journey along Southern Pacific’s Sunset Route, with coverage between Tucson, Arizona and Lordsburg, New Mexico. From classic semaphores, to 70-mile-per-hour intermodal trains racing through the desert, SP’s Lordsburg District delivered a show like none other. Videographer Dan Hadley left no stone unturned as he toured this fascinating section of railroad in March of 1995. To begin our show, we’ll visit the yard tower in Tucson to see the type of activity that took place at this busy terminal. Next, we’ll head out along the high iron, as we move east along the line. This video features extensive coverage of the US&S Style “B” Lower Quadrant semaphores along the No. 2 track between Vail and Mescal, which were taken out of service shortly after these scenes were captured. Also between Vail and Mescal, trains are seen crossing over the impressive Ciénega Creek bridge on the old El Paso & Southwestern No. 1 track. As we continue east, we’ll explore the route as it passes over several mountain grades, cresting at Mescal, Dragoon, Raso, and Steins. Between Cochise and Willcox, the tracks cross Willcox Playa, a dry lakebed that often collects water during times of adequate precipitation. Intermodal and general freight trains dominated the traffic over the Sunset Route in 1995, and you’ll see a good variety of these trains powered by an eclectic mix of EMD and GE motive power. Southern Pacific, Cotton Belt, and Rio Grande locomotive models SD40 (SD40-2), SD40M-2, SD40T-2, SD45, SD45T-2, B30-7, B36-7, B39-8E, B40-8, GP40-2, GP60, and SW1500 are all seen in operation, along with leased power from various sources. Locomotives from CSX, Union Pacific, Santa Fe, and Conrail also make appearances. This program was produced using raw footage provided to us by Mr. Dan Hadley. It was edited at the studios of C. Vision Productions in November of 2023.
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As much as I've sadly lost most of the enjoyment from modern railfanning due to thd lack of variety, these videos truly show the last great era in railroading before Wall Street and the leasing companies devoured the railroads. car fleets.
We completely understand where you’re coming from. The variety of 90s railroading is greatly missed today. That’s one of the main reasons why we release so many videos from this era. Thank you for watching and commenting.
the good ole days of railfanning; when engines were dirty, loud, varied, and much more exciting. And rollingstock was much more unique!
Agreed! It was an incredible time to be trackside, that’s for sure. Thank you for appreciating that era.
For sure.
I sure miss the Espee.
As someone born in 1990, I wish I could've experienced this Era firsthand. 5 different engines and trains full of nothing but lesser cars do absolutely nothing fot me. These were the true glory days.
I couldn't agree with you more on that one.
@@davidmihevc3990I miss the SP for these reasons:
1. Had a fair amount of traffic on the SUNSET ROUTE.
2. Their power shortages brought a variety of foreign power from other sources onto their territory so their was never a dull moment.
3. Keeping their fleet of diesels active & working hard with little time to keep them clean.
4. Them & their neighbor railroad to the North CHICO do fit in more in the SOUTHWEST with fast track & fast trains.
5. These are just TWO of the fallen flag railroads of the 90'S that I grew up on & will never grow tired of.
C Vision Production is on fire with these SP Releases! It's like Christmas came early!!!
Thank you for enjoying these videos, Brandan! The SP was easy to love… We appreciate the comment.
Awesome show, I'm a retired over the road truck driver and no longer travel, shows like this take me back to places I'll not see again, I remember lots of fast freights between Lordsburg and El Paso along with lots of wide open territory
Thank you, Carl! The SP traveled through some beautiful country in the Southwest. We’re glad that you got to see it firsthand. We appreciate you watching the video.
Dan Hadley certainly did a wonderful job videographing the SP Sunset Route in March 1995, when SP had a variety of EMD diesels! And he captured a Santa Fe F45 with the Santa Fe name painted out. I enjoyed watching this video!
That F45 is only one of a few along with some SD45'S that working on the SP as lease units from Morrison Knudsen. They started showing up in early 1994.
Thank you so much, MJ! Mr. Hadley really did witness some great variety during his visit to the Sunset Route. And yes, that F45 was pretty neat! Thanks again.
@@CVisionProductions1 During that time period, those along with EX-SF SD45'S could be found scattered system wide on SP'S system. Even a few of the F45'S could be found working on the UTAH RAILWAY in Utah as well.
@colinmulder6806 Interesting! Those were neat units. Thank you for the information.
@@CVisionProductions1 I agree & you're welcome.
Looks like Dan Hadley Had great connections and access to these places he took these videos. Great job posting this CVision!!
Thank you very much!!! Mr. Hadley was generally welcomed by the railroads. He was known to be responsible and safe while on railroad property, so it earned him a good reputation. We appreciate the nice comment, Jimi.
My father worked for SP in Houston back in the 70s. He took me to the giant yard and locomotive repair facilities. Wish I had pictures. Thank you for the video!
Those sound like wonderful memories! It’s great that you got to experience that era of railroading. And, you’re very welcome. It’s our pleasure to share this video with you.
Ahhh, the sounds of tunnel motors, sd45s, and Nathan p3 horns. Nothing like it
Agreed! Pure SP magic… Thank you for watching, and for your comment.
Good to see a lot of extra footage that wasn't used in Pentrex's "The Stormy".
Same here. I knew the original could've been longer than 75 minutes.
@metalheadrailfan Yes! We always search out those unused scenes. A lot of them are very good! Thank you for watching, and for your comment.
@@CVisionProductions1 These come about when the original versions are on a deadline for release to the public thus leaving extra minutes or even hours of leftover footage unused. If they wanted to, they could've used footage like these for VOLUME 2'S or 3'S.
I recognized a good bit of those!
Too bad my copy is stuck in the player 😢
@@SpheroJr3289 Really?
Excellent video
Thank you very much!!! We appreciate the comment.
I Love Southern Pacific
We do too! Thank you for watching the video.
"We are not here to be efficient, mind you" 😂
Some great footage from Dan, thank you all for getting it produced and uploaded to share with us.
That was a classic line! And she was right to be saying that. Moving the oldest traffic first looks good on paper, but it often isn’t practical. It can actually create more congestion in certain situations. And thank you for the kind words, Joel. We’re happy to hear that you enjoyed the video.
Great video, so many people in the video I worked with when I transferred to Tucson. Robbie was a yard master when i got to Tucson
Thank you very much! Robbie seemed like quite the interesting person. It’s great that you got to work with her. The SP was fortunate to employ so many great railroaders. We appreciate you watching and commenting.
@@CVisionProductions1 Robbie was also in a popular railroad book from 1980s. Her and Linda were working switch engines
REALLY?
@@arizonalivesteamer9225Did you ever got a chance to see a variety of foreign & lease power visiting the SP between 1991-1996?
@arizonalivesteamer9225 That’s pretty cool! We’d love to see that book.
Thanks for releasing so many good titles on TH-cam!
You’re very welcome! Thank you for appreciating our videos. It really does mean a lot.
SP had a lot of dusty smoky units back then. There are some pretty night shots in this one too. Also the yard operations scenes in the beginning were great
The SP really did have a lot of those grungy locomotives back then (we still love them). On a railroad so chronically power short, it seems that washing locomotives wasn’t a top priority. And thank you for the kind words about the video. They are very much appreciated.
@@CVisionProductions1 thanks for the content. It brings me back to when I used to watch train videos as a kid
You’re very welcome. It’s our pleasure to share it with you.
Absolutely amazing.
Thank you, Drayton!
The ICC should have approved the SP/SF merger. At least we would have another Class 1 railroad today. It sure is nice to see clean rolling stock of yesteryear.
SPSF sure had an interesting paint scheme! It was great to find SP 7564 in Kodachrome paint when we first reviewed this footage.
I know some of these scenes. They were shown in Pentrex's railroad program, "The Stormy: Southern Pacific's Lordsburg District." I have that program on DVD.
The Stormy gets its name from the huge thunderstorms found between Tucson, Arizona and Lordsburg, New Mexico during the summer. So avoiding flash floods and extreme heat, the area was visited during the spring wild flower season.
Actually some more scenes that Pentrax did not use 😉
When I was young, I remember seeing a preview of this video at a train hobby store. I could never figure out the name of it until 2005.
@@truckerkevthepaidtouristIf those along with the ones featured in the original program were made into it's full length presentation, it would make a SUPERB addition to an anniversary video tribute collection to SP.
@@colinmulder6806 That's right. I didn't say that ALL of the scenes were shown in the Pentrex program. I only meant that SOME of them were.
@@andrewcrumb8027 No worries.
I grew up in LA with SP and chased them everywhere they went. Thanks for this great show before the end. Thank you!
Thank you kindly, John!!! We very much appreciate your generosity.
Great video, Please show more SP Video's, thanks, I love the SP
Thank you, Larry! We’ll see what we can do…
@@CVisionProductions1I have to admit, you guys do know how to surprise me with your uploads & I LOVE IT.
Same here. Classic 90'S RAILROADING will always remain the BEST to me.
Thank you, Colin! You just never know what we’ll release next. There’s so much footage to choose from…
@@CVisionProductions1 No kidding. It's like dealing a WILD CARD or being given a BOX OF CHOCOLATES. For when it comes to you folks, fans will never know what railroad or time period just might POP up on your channel next. So basically like a railfan trip to Chicago, IL, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED from C Vision Productions.
The raw activity of a railroad yard and an awesome video of the road!! Excellent video!!
Thank you so much, Anthony! We were hoping that the inclusion of both yard and road footage would be appreciated. The SP put on a fantastic show - like none other. We appreciate you watching and commenting.
This was amazing!!
Thank you so much!!! We’re happy to hear that you enjoyed it. More on the way…
Excellent video! More Sp video!
Thank you very much!!! We’ll see what we can do! SP is a favorite of ours.
Great Video.
Thank you! We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the video.
Before Southern Pacific adding new fleet of Dash 9-44CW, AC4400CW, and SD70M.
Plus one year prior to Union Pacific purchased the Southern Pacific Railroad on September 11, 1996.
Actually by the time of this video, the first order of SD700M'S & C44-9W'S were already on the property. However, these scenes were taken TWO months before the AC4400CW'S made their apperances.
It’s interesting that you bring up the newer SP locomotives. Not a single one was seen in this video. That’s a little surprising, since the Dash 9s and SD70Ms were already on the property. The railroad must have been utilizing them elsewhere. As Colin mentioned, it appears that the SP began taking delivery of the new AC4400CW units shortly after these scenes were captured. Thank you for watching the video.
@@CVisionProductions1 That's mainly because the SD70M'S were assigned to SP'S I-5 CORRIDOR working manifest & intermodal trains between Los Angles, CA & Portland, OR. While the C44-9W'S were assigned to SP'S CENTRAL CORRIDOR working coal & taconite trains out of Utah & Colorado.
@colinmulder6806 Ah, yes. That makes perfect sense! We recall the SP assigning power just as you claim they did.
@@CVisionProductions1 You’re welcome.
Thank you
You’re welcome! Thank you very much for watching.
At first I wasn't sure, but now this confirms it. Dan Hadley has done it once again by filming one of my personal favorites focusing on SP'S SUNSET ROUTE. Although I might be hoping for a VHS copy of this EXTENDED look to his original production later down the line but only if you folks manage to acquire a VHS duplicator if you feel up to it.
We’re happy that you’re happy! The SP’s Sunset Route is a favorite of ours as well, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share this footage with you. Thank you, Colin!
@@CVisionProductions1 Your very welcome as always.
What’s name of the show this year?
@@thomasblack736 Which one exactly?
@@colinmulder6806 Saint Louis in the Year 1990
very cool. I work for up and we run the ILBHO still to this day!
Awesome! It’s great to hear that the business is still there. Thank you for letting us know. This type of information is always appreciated.
Great video. Some areas are familiar as I’ve worked on tie projects on this line.
Thank you very much! It’s an incredible piece of railroad that passes through some beautiful desert country. We’re hoping that the temperatures were agreeable during your time along the route. Thanks for checking out the video.
I rode this railroad when I was in the Army back in 92/93 timeframe. I rode in the last cabooses SP had since we were a military train. El Centro, Ca - Tuscon, AZ - Lordsburg, NM - El Paso, Tx. Good memories !
So you had to accompany the train? That sounds like a pretty good deal! What a beautiful trip that would have been… Thank you for your service.
@@CVisionProductions1 Little did they know I liked trains! I have also rode SP. from ELP- HOU. I see why conductors liked cabooses because you can tell whether the engineer is doing a good job of managing slack = good ride or bad = rough ride. You can definitely felel it !
That would be a dream assignment for someone who likes trains. And yes, a good engineer would be mindful of the crew members in the caboose. Slack is a powerful force!
damn is SP still using semaphore signals in the 80's?
They sure were! And even in 1995 when these scenes were filmed. Thank you for watching the video.
bruh this is USA not britain 😂😂😂
On the old El Paso and Southwestern segment
Great video. So many memorys😅but mainly it's so nice to see emd power!I'm so sick of GE and frankly BN lol ,thanks for sharing😊
Thank you very much! EMDs are always in style… We appreciate you watching the video.
I wish the SP never died..
I am angry at Union Pacific for buying the SP! That was a violation of the Pacific Railroad Act of 1962, which was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. UP should have never expanded beyond Council Bluffs and Kansas City. In fact, the SP, C&NW, Missouri Pacific, Rio Grande and MKT systems SHOULD have remained independent.
1862. Error
@@mjrodriguez8670 well, shoulda, coulda, woulda don't bring em back or change history unfortunately.
We feel the same way. The SP had a very special appeal. There was simply no other railroad like it.
Agreed!
In the twilight of it's history, southern pacific was such a cool railroad, especially their rare cotton belt line
Absolutely. The final days of the SP were arguably some of their most interesting. Thank you for watching and commenting.
I was born in 92 and on the East Coast so unfortunately I never got to experience the good ol days. I kind of remember seeing Conrail. I do have family out west so I have seen plenty of former SP units along with other warbonnets. . Even Saw a SD40T-2 in full SP paint once and was in fairly good shape. Also had the cool mars light.
Great memories! The late 90s and early 2000s may not truly have been “the good old days”, but they are starting to seem like it now! Either way, thank you for sharing your story. We appreciate you watching and commenting.
Great Video! Just one question, I've had for years living in Arizona. Did the SP ever wash their locos?
Thank you very much! And to answer your question… Yes, they did. But there were times that you’d never know it. They certainly weren’t washed often enough. We appreciate the comment.
They did, up until the late 1980's. Then they realized that dirty locos ran just as good as clean locos, only without the expense of washing. The EPA got in the act and required railroads to capture waste water, and not allow it to soak into the ground. It was, and still is, easier just to not wash locomotives.
I probably need to mention this that the RVCHM featured was actually a DETOUR train. Normally he's routed via the CENTRAL CORRIDOR ROUTE from Roseville to Salt Lake CITY, UT then east over RIO GRANDE territory to Pueblo, CO.
However speculation would have this train being rerouted via the San Joaquin Valley to Bakersfield. Then over the Tehachapi's to Mojave then down the SAGAS LINE to West Colton due to a mix of both congestion with coal trains & crew shortages on it's normal route.
More often than not C.C. traffic was often routed via the SUNSET ROUTE for the same reasons but problem with that is it results in trains being a day late behind their scheduled arrival for their taken more scenic but longer LONG WAY around. Once such train symboled KCOAF was routed this way between 1993-1995 for the same reasons however it's eastbound counterpart OANSF went back East via the C.C. route.
This is very interesting information, Colin. To be honest, we never considered that the RVCHM may have been a detour. And you’re correct, it really did add a lot of extra miles to the train’s route by operating it across the Sunset Route. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. It is always appreciated.
@@CVisionProductions1 You're very welcome as always.
Awesome video! Do you have any footage from Soldier Summit?
We sure do! Our first volume of Rio Grande coverage has some of that. It was released on TH-cam in June of 2023. We also have more Soldier Summit footage in the archives from 2000 and 2001. We’ll share that at some point in the future. Thank you for your interest in C. Vision!
Wish there was more El Paso footage from this era!
Absolutely. We definitely agree with you there. The El Paso area didn’t seem to get very much coverage. Although, the semaphores on the Carrizozo District were fairly popular.
@@CVisionProductions1 Yep. Wish I were alive to see all of it! I was born in 1995 and am originally from Dayton, Ohio, but now live in El Paso, TX. Both sets of parents had jobs that moved me cross-country (step-dad was Army soldier and real Dad is a contracted land appraiser) but I wound up moving back to El Paso in 2021 after having left in 2014. So much has changed since the UP implemented PSR. Cotton St. Yard is practically abandoned, D-Yard shops are dormant, the newer Santa Teresa facilities are booming, Alfalfa Yard is basically a consolidated switching yard now, all the towers are gone, and the only single track segments of the Valentine Sub through town are between Belen and Clint now.
@@CVisionProductions1 D-Yard and Cotton St Yard were pretty busy back in the day, and I used to see that rare ex-SP GP40P-2 #1375 switching locals between the yards and industries back in 2012-2014. River Yard is probably the only yard that didn't change besides the BNSF Santa Fe St. Yard and the Biggs Army railhead.
We appreciate you sharing a little bit of your story! And thank you for the updates on El Paso. It’s interesting to hear what’s changed over the years.
@@CVisionProductions1 Yeah, no problem! I post videos of trains around the area on my TH-cam channel. They aren't as professional as the videos on this channel, but they're still decent quality.
Someone told me years ago, get pictures and video today, because tomorrow it may be gone.
That’s very true! So much has changed since this footage was captured…
@@CVisionProductions1 I worked the Tucson yard 2012-2016, even since then, lots of changes
PSR has really taken hold since that time. We’re thankful that you were able to enjoy railroading before those changes were implemented.
37:44 Is that... a full light package? in 1995??
Yes, it would appear so! From what we saw, the extra lights on 9338 had been removed by 1997. Thank you for pointing that out.
can we get a milwaukee road and a wisconsin central video?
Yes, and yes. We’ll get them on our list for 2024. Stay tuned!
22:57 what was thrown from the locomotive?
We’re not completely sure. Most likely some paperwork from the train. Whatever it was, there’s a good chance that the engineer’s contact information was written on it. He most likely wanted copies of the photographs taken of his train - and we don’t blame him. That was a great shot with those semaphores.
Sure wish SP was still around and UP was gone.
We really do wish that SP had survived into the 21st century. At the end, their locomotive fleet was starting to look fantastic, traffic was booming, and it appeared that the SP was headed in the right direction, operationally. There were still issues, but the dedication and skill of the railroad’s employees always carried them through. Thank you for the comment.
Their already was a DALAF featured that met two North Line Locals at Wilcox. The train featured at milepost 1100 was actually a CXCIF(CSX New Orleans, LA - City Of Industry, CA FORWARDER).
Turns out this train along with the HOLBT seen at Raso were caught eariler that same day in Texas by the folks of THREE D'S VIDEO PRODUCTIONS. Evidence of this is featured in their prodduction "SP'S SOUTH TEXAS HOTSHOTS".
It was actually a stroke of luck to catch the LBCRX. He's actually one of the intermodals that operates on an AS NEEDED(ONCE-A-WEEK) basis. He goes to Chicago, IL for handoff to Conrail.
Hello again, Colin. As far as we know, that was a DALAF at MP 1100. Mr. Hadley received his information straight from the SP, and that’s what we went on. It’s possible that the other video producer had it wrong. However, we won’t rule out a mistake on our end. There is no way to verify it now, since all of the information is nearly 30 years old. We appreciate you bringing it up, however. If you have further evidence that the 8327 was actually a CXCIF, please let us know. As for the LBCRX, that was a great catch by Dan. Especially with SP Kodachrome 7564 in the lead. Thank you for your examination of our videos. Train symbol history is mighty fascinating.
@@CVisionProductions1 My pleasure as always. Always glad to lend a hand. Had no idea their could be TWO DALAF'S on the same day unless theirs TWO SECTIONS.
When it comes to railroad operations, it’s always best to expect the unexpected. Trains get delayed, second sections run, and of course, sometimes the information itself just isn’t correct. It’s really hard to tell what’s right and what’s wrong without looking at the lineups directly. Some of our BNSF lineups from the early 2000s show some very surprising symbols and train routings - information that we wouldn’t have believed without seeing it in print. Anyway, thank you for staying vigilant.
@@CVisionProductions1 Very true hands down. In fact in your program:"FROM THE TWIN PORTS TO THE TWIN CITIES", one such BNSF freight was detoured off the Staples Sub via the Hinkley Sub for some reason but was never explained.
Thank you for mentioning that. Back in 2002, we saw a few M-GALSUP detours on the Wayzata Sub. At least a few were due to flooding. What’s interesting is that some were eastbound, while others were westbound! Another good example was in 2001, when an H-KCKPAS traveled eastbound on the Wayzata Sub. And that’s just scratching the surface. It’s tough to rule out any potential detour route, especially on a network like BNSF.
El pez mas grande se come al mas pequeño por esa hay 7o 8 ferrocarriles clase 1 y las short lines que an soportado
Yes, the number of large class one railroads continues to decrease. Where will it end? Thank you for the comment.
22:54 Any idea what the engineer threw?
Train orders (Form 19s) or a packet of towels and waterless cleanser.
We appreciate that another viewer took the time to answer your question. We’re not sure what he threw out the window, but it was definitely a friendly gesture. Lineups, old track bulletins, train lists, and voided track warrants are just a few of the items that have been thrown out to us over the years. We’ve also had train crews throw out papers with their contact information, with the request to send them photos and videos of their trains. Thank you for watching the video.
Dave and Jill were there, need to ask them😀
Wasn't NS getting rid of Triple Crown trailers?
Hello there. Just so we understand, were you referencing something in the video, or just asking the question?
Is that The Stormy
We’ve heard this territory called that, yes. Thank you for watching!
El tex mex tenía en roster de locomotoras puras EMD
In the railroad’s later years, yes. It was pure EMD. At one time, the Texas Mexican also rostered a few Baldwin and Whitcomb locomotives. Thank you for watching the video.
These are the days before graffiti covered the cars.
I sure miss those days. Looking back, it seems like the graffiti happened over night. Now almost everything is tagged.
Can I use your video please I will you give you credit
Hi there. Unfortunately, we can’t give you formal permission to use copyrighted material. However, we would like to thank you for asking permission to use our videos. We’ll end by saying you can do whatever you’re legally allowed to do, short of copyright infringement. Please let us know if you have any further questions.
@@CVisionProductions1 okay
Videos del Tex mex Texas Mexican. Railway qué conpro KCSL hoy CPKC
44:00 What it’s like watching N scale
Yes! The Blue Streak Merchandise in N scale. Thank you for pointing that scene out.
Unhealthy amount of smoke from those switchers
For sure! The 2480 was particularly bad. Thank you for watching.
Years earlier SP got with Standard Oil to develop a cheaper diesel fuel. It was basically dirty fuel and not used by other RRs.
Sadly, all these coaling towers and most water tanks came down shortly after the UP takeover.
Thank you for the information. We’re sorry to hear that. They were impressive structures. Taking those coaling towers down must have been a major undertaking!
Southern pacific was last railroads had good soft my grandpa live in Texas knew what was like southern pacific was company had to much at end of life
Long live the SP! Thank you, Taylor.
@@CVisionProductions1 your welcome guys
One year prior to usurpation by Union Pacific.
Exactly. Long live the SP!!! Thank you.