Last hurrah for the Rio Grande, and it's tunnel motors. I was fortunately enough to get a last chance, of catch four Rio Grande tunnel motors working together on the dirt train in 2002.

Rio Grande EMD SD40T-2 Tunnel Motor No. 5390 leads the eastbound Union Pacific LJP45 dirt train through the short canyon between Wash and Wellington (sometimes referred to as Wellington Canyon), U... (more)

Three Rio Grande Tunnel Motors on Union Pacific’s LJP45 local are picking up a cut of cars at the east end of Sutro siding on the west side of the Soldier summit grade. During this moment in ti... (more)

With Union Pacific LJP44 “dirt train” local from Salt Lake City late this particular morning, still crossing the grade over Soldier Summit, the LJP45 local out of Helper had some time to kill ... (more)

Even in Utah desert country, the Price River brings autumn colors to the short canyon between Mounds and Wash on the afternoon of October 6, 2004. Curving through the scene is a trio of Rio Grande... (more)

Led by Rio Grande SD40T-2 No. 5390, Union Pacific’s LJP45 dirt train rolls through the desert between Wash and Mounds, Utah, on April 5, 2005.

By mid-2002, there were still 47 former Rio Grande EMD SD40T-2s running on the Union Pacific system, but only seven were not patched or painted yellow. At this time, a quartet called Helper, Utah,... (more)

It’s a mostly cloudy early afternoon in the desert country of Utah on February 4, 2003, as a fortuitous sliver of sun illuminates a quartet of Rio Grande Tunnel Motors on Union Pacific’s LJP45... (more)

It's been 14 year since the SP, Rio Grande merger at the time of this photo. Seven since Union Pacific took over. Don't tell the boys in Helper, Utah the Rio Grande doesn't exist anymore. They gat... (more)

Snow is falling on stormy-looking Book Cliffs in the background as Union Pacific’s LJP45 “dirt train” local rolls into brilliant sunshine as it passes through Banning, Utah, on February 5, 2... (more)

The power for Union Pacific’s LJP45 “dirt train” local out of Helper, Utah, sits near the locomotive facility on the cold night of December 1, 2004.

Engineer Mel Baughman pauses outside the depot at Helper, Utah, with Rio Grande SD40T-2 “Tunnel Motors” sitting in the yard behind him on October 5, 2004. Mel was born in Rifle, Colorado, on N... (more)

Swinging through the “S” curve at Mounds, Utah, is Union Pacific’s LJP45 local nearing the approach signal for the junction with the main line a trip back Helper on February 5, 2004. Rio Gra... (more)

Three Rio Grande EMD SD40T-2 Tunnel Motors head eastbound through Castilla with a short “dirt train” picked up at Sutro on the west side of the Soldier Summit grade. With only five unpatched/u... (more)

The Chicago to LA intermodal train is about to pass the Amtrak depot in Galesburg on the BN side. The SP had trackage rights over the BN back in 1994 from KC to Chicago. After the BNSF the SP star... (more)