Sidewalk Life. At 98 feet long, Union Pacific Railroad 6938 (DDA40X, EMD, 1970) is an impressive sight and a tribute to the "bigger is better" days of railroading. One of 47 built, this unit is a long time cosmetically restored resident of the sidewalk near the parking lot at the Downing B. Jenks Shop at North Little Rock, Arkansas. Its 6,600hp are produced by a pair of EMD 645E3 prime movers, a concept that was also used by EMD in the E series, making it the most powerful diesel locomotive built on a single frame. Nicknamed "Centennial" and numbered in the 69 series because the the first DDA40X was delivered for the 100th anniversary of the first transcontinental railroad driving the "Gold Spike Limited", the units lasted in service intermittently until 1986. As seen on the evening of August 10, 2021, UP 6938 is one of 11 DDA40X that are preserved, with another being used as a parts source.
A continuously growing album of photos that IMHO reveal the awesome and seldom-seen beauty of the railroad world from the dimming of day to dawn's early light! From dusk to dawn, trains roll on! (I'm still finding gems of sunset-to-sunrise surprises!)
