My best lashup in terms of rarity was probably a BNSF coal train with a BNSF ES44C4, BNSF Dash 9, Ferromex ES44AC, BNSF SD70ACE.
Hmm… probibly a westbound CSX manifest in Utica NY with two UP SD70Ms, wait! maybe it was the oil train with a pair of BNSF SD’s. Or maybe catching NS 931 in Plattsburgh(a rarity in its self in daylight) with two ES44s and a rare SD70ACU.(and only 7 cars.)
Mine might have to ba Conrail train going eastbound over the Horseshoe Curve with a UP SW1500 in the consist. Got a picture of it as it went by the observation area.
Caldreamer
An eastbound through Deshler, OH, right after a storm blew through. Didn’t get it on the DSLR, as it had gotten wet, but did get video.
I hesitate to call it a “lash-up,” as I’m sure the four or so switchers (tucked in behind the actual power) were all dead-in-tow. I’d have to dig out the video to remember everything that was there.
From a 42 year old memory - what I think were BN and C&O GP-35’s at each end of an SP DD-35. I wish I had taken a picture of that.
Probably this one, from 2007…
Let’s see now: SDP45/RS3 on EL in Hammond; RS11/C425/C628 on C&NW in Powers MI; any number of three-builder lash-ups (not uncommon into the late 1970’s).
Around here I routinely see a CN GMDI leading modern six axle GE and EMD power… probably because the view is better from the GMDI for switching purposes.
My hubby has one from the mid 90’s right after the BNSF merger went thru. A GP60M leading the 199 train behind it was a pair of GP-7’s with a another pair of GP60M’s behind the 7’s. He said those 7’s when the engineer threw them into notch 8 leaving town to get back up to 70 started throwing more sparks out the stack than you could imagine. He said you could almost hear those 567 engines in those Geeps going what am I doing here.
Mopac Heritage Unit leading with a dead in tow C40-8W which was patched within a week.
Amtrak display train south of White River Jct VT September 1995. FL9/P32AC-DM, something almost never seen in Empire Service operation. More interesting still was the consist, with display cars, brand new Superliner II cars (fresh from the Barre VT factory), a Viewliner sleeper, and Green Mountan RR 260, an ex-Rutland wooden combine carrying (unlit) kerosene markers. 260 came off at Bellows Falls, where it was met by GMRC 405, an ex-Rutland RS-1.
The FL9 loaded quickly, stretching out the slack, but the P32AC-DM had the kick to really get it moving.
Two SD45’s & two GP40’s…monster consist!!!
I wish I could have had five GP40’s at least once!
Don’t remember the mix of GE & EMD but, early 70’s West Colton yard in Cal. Uncle was giving us a tour when the 11 loco’s comming out of L.A. made a run at “Beaumont Hill”. They topped out at 1 or 2 mph, but made it. He said there wasn’t a loco in the mix that had a full set of ‘motors’. He spent a lot of years as an electrician riding the consists trying to get enough working to get up the hill. Said it was very common he him to step off at the top at 3-4mph and climb into the waiting van for the ride back down to ride the next.
For me probably this,
https://live.staticflickr.com/1752/42124629014_4d1e705965_k.jpg
Coming home from work on a Sunday night back in March, I saw a northbound BNSF Automoblie Special. The locomotives on the headend were as follows:
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GE ES44DC <
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GE ES44AC <
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GE Dash 944-CW <
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GE ES44C4 Tier 4 >
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GE ES44AC >
50 or 60 Autoracks with FRED
means the locomotive is facing forwards, > means the locomotive is facing backwards.
COOL! I just saw something similar pulling a long cut of cars out of the Waterloo Yard towards downtown Waterloo yesterday- could not take pictures since I was driving.
An exCNW loco brackteed by two other UP engines far from CNW territory in the Columbia Gorge. This was last summer when I though the CNW locos were gone!
Also I once saw and older wide cab DASH-8 running alone, long hood forward on a local. Maybe not a lashup but it sure was interesting.
Was the air around the cab blue? I’m sure the engineer thought very highly (not) of the arrangement - especially if it had a console vs a stand…
These are the worst. Not only do you get the smoke and neck-wrecking desktop, but you can’t see backwards. And for some reason CN only ordered half a rear headlight and no ditchlights:
PS: Larry, congrats on hitting 19,000 posts!
Only took me 18 years…