UP 1988 - the Missouri-Kansas-Texas "Heritage" SD70ACe - lead UP engineering special SDVDH-15 (Denver, CO, to Dalhart, TX) down the Joint Line on Sunday, 15-Nov-2009. This is the unit's first trip down the Joint Line, and quite possibly it's first visit to Colorado. (Edit: Nope, I'm wrong as usual - the 1988 has apparently been to Denver a few times before, just never down the Joint Line. Thanks, Tyler.)



Called out of Denver in the early morning (0600h call, 0620h actual departure), the train suffered significant delays on account of last night's weather. The snowstorm included fair amounts of ice and snow, which apparently fouling up switches and signals all through the area. I first got word around 1000h that they were running extremely late, when Nathan Z called me from Palmer Lake, saying they were just coming over the hill. I met up with him and the movement downtown Colorado Springs around 1100h, and we all made it into Pueblo around 1230h. After a thirty minute crew change, we grabbed a few more shots east of Pueblo Junction. Then, given cloud cover and failing light, we gave up the chase and headed for lunch.



Consist of SDVDH-15:

• UP 1988 - MKT Heritage SD70ACe
  
• UPP 2066 (Power Car)
  
• UPP 102 - St. Louis
  
• UPP 314 - Columbia River
  
• UPP 5779 - Promontory (in flag wrap)
  
• UPP 201 - Wyoming
  
• UPP 1602 - Green River
  
• UPP 1605 - Powder River
  
• UPP 8004 - Colorado Eagle
  
• UPP 4808 - City of Los Angeles
  
• UPP 203 - Idaho