nearly two months after the Union Pacific merged with the Southern Pacific, there is nary a sign of the UP as train 1-EUDOQ-(K)-04 (Eugene OR to Carson [Dolores yard] CA) rounds the S-curves at Sandcut, California, where the curvature of mountain railroading over the Tehachapi Mountains begins. Showing hard on the rear are a pair of SP SD40M-2s. The rearmost helper, SP 8579, was built by EMD as Chicago & North Western SD45 968, which ended up being rebuilt by Morrison-Knudsen into an SD40M-2, losing those distinctive SD45 flared radiators in the process.
