Amusing how the stacks were thoughtfully capped to prevent rain entering the parted-out engines.
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| Posted by SES on March 29, 2019 | |
These engines appear to be the former MoPac GE engines that Union Pacific made into radio control master slug units. The fuel tanks were removed but appears the prime movers were left in for weight. Looks like they are using the prime movers in these for parts. The telltale sign of these units were the missing fuel tanks, the letter Y in front of the unit number and they were painted all gray. These radio control slugs were apparently a big flop. UP had one in East Tulsa to do the switching of local businesses. I could tell the crews didn't like them and people tell me the controls were very difficult to use. One wrong move or release of a control and the set would shut down, causing the operator to have to start the whole sequence over. I noticed it took longer for crews to do their chores with them. Although slug units can add considerable lugging power, I also noticed the lone GP15 coupled to the RC unit would really struggle on level track to pull a decent cut of about 15+ fully loaded sand cars for the former auto glass plant. I really do miss those days. The auto glass plant folded not long after the 2008 recession, and the auto unloading yard is now empty. Pretty much the only switching in East Tulsa is lumber racks.
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Second unit appears to be a former SP B23-7 or B30-07. Note the blanked off former oscillating headlight above the cab windows.
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Some still alive in the Tucson AZ Yard.
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UPY 144 was built as SP B30-7 7831 and was retired 12/4/2018. I think it likely both UPY 148 and UPY 144 were scrapped on site. I base my assumption on the following: on 12/25/18 I photographed UPY 143 and UPY 120 spotted on this same track. They were still there on 1/1/19. On 2/3/19 the track was empty, but immediately to the west (next to the track with the freight cars in Andrew's photo) were an excavator, personnel in PPE, loaded dumpsters and what appeared to be the front pilot and some of the frame of UPY 143 upside down on the ground.
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