Big Geep Acquisitions. On the night of Mach 26, 2022, Union Pacific 1068 (née-SSW 9669, GP60, 3/1990) and UP 1131 (née-SP 9606, GP60, 1/1988) sit outside the Amtrak Station in Redding, California. The St. Louis Southwestern Railway (SSW) or "Cotton Belt” operated as an independent railroad from 1891 until 1932, when it became a Southern Pacific subsidiary. The Southern Pacific was founded in 1865 as a land holding company, and would eventually find its way into the railroad business, amongst other concerns. Its transportation holdings, including the SSW, were acquired by Union Pacific in 1996. Of the 294 EMD GP60s that were built, 195 of them were purchased by SSW or SP, and many are still rostered by Union Pacific Railroad today.
A continuously growing album of photos that IMHO reveal the awesome and seldom-seen beauty of the railroad world from the dimming of day to dawn's early light! From dusk to dawn, trains roll on! (I'm still finding gems of sunset-to-sunrise surprises!)
