UPY number sereis

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Hey Guys,

I’ve just spent a couple of weeks in the Chicago area (I’m from England) and noted that the UP switchers at Waukegan and CNW station are numbered UPY xxx

Anyone know the significance of the Y?

Thanks

Kevin

45144 is 16 wheels and 2500HP of Sulzer power (or at least she was before scrapping)

2

Designated yard engine and a good way of opening up new slots for more classes of engines (Happened as a function of all the mergers…They also had numered -B units)

3

Thanks

4

Yep, they just ran out of #'s, so they added a letter

5

Many of them are former MP SD40-2’s that were derated to SD38-2 standards.

6

If you go to www.up.com, general public, reference, yard switchers, there is a roster of which engines are which .

7

No, I hate to disagree with you Kev. but most units are switchers and GP-15’s[:p]

8

The Y series would be a pretty substantial roster all by itself, including slugs, switchers, GP15’s, SD38-2’s (both original and derated from SD40-2’s) and control car remote control locomotives.
Prefixes like the Y series are not new but never before on a scale like UP. IHB has the PB and BU series for slugs and boosters, respectively, and other roads had prefixes for their slugs.

9

Thanks also for the info. I’ve seen “Y” series switching newsprint cars at the Chicago Tribune printing plant, and thinking they might be ex-CNW (but no bell on the nose).
This solves the mystery.