Needles Division Santa Fe RR N Scale: 1981 Union Pacific C30-7 Manifest Freight

The Union Pacific Railroad has running rights on Santa Fe tracks through San Bernardino, the Cajon Pass and through the desert to Daggett, where the UP cuts off and heads toward Las Vegas. This agreement has been in force for some hundred years, allowing the UP access to Southern California. This is why you see so many UP trains in Cajon Pass.

Pictured here is UP C30-7 2411. It is a Kato model featuring air horns over the cab, rotating beacon, with a "firecracker" antennae located just to the right of them. It is very mildly weathered. Large Union Pacific lettering.

Another Kato model, UP U30C 2816. I looked back over the many hundred photos I took in Cajon Pass in the early eighties, and found that most of the UP diesels had faded paint, and kind of a grayish quality overall. They also seemed to have fewer weathering effects than similar Santa Fe units. Maybe they were washed with greater frequency. Small Union Pacific on the long hood.

Kato SD40 3024. This unit, as well as the U30C above, features a firecracker antennae located above the headlight, a mid cab rotting beacon, and air horns located above the radiators. These were the standard UP locations for the above items through the middle of 1980. Mid sized Union Pacific lettering on the long hood. (Looks like the air horn got whacked!)

Micro Trains 60' hi cube box

SP 53' covered hopper from MT

SAMX (Cargill) covered hopper from MT

NATX custom painted, lettered and weathered

Two 50' mechanical refrigerators from MT. Stock on the left, with "Ship and Travel..." logo; roof walk removed. I always thought the blue door was painted too dark. The car on the right is custom painted with billboard "Santa Fe" lettering, sans roof walk.

50' double door hi cube from LBF.

This car is from the first 6-pack offered by Micro Trains. This is one of the two Maine Central OB braced box cars in the packge.

Atlas Rio Grande covered hopper with GMM walkway.

St. Louis Southwestern stock MT covered hopper.

MT 40' hi cube box

Rio Grande 50' plug door box, one of several I have.

MT 60' hi cube box car, nicely weathered

Mildly weathered 50 double plug door box.

Very old Atlas covered hopper

Same as above

This is a very cool 60' double door box car, mainly because of the unique black Union Pacific lettering across the length of the car. I had to modify it a bit to get the MT wheel sets and couplers on this car., but worth the effort. U-1 stencil should be removed as this car most likely had 36" wheels, which were not subject to inspection.