Back in the day when I was an Operating Practices Inspector for the FRA, I was occasionally assigned to the FRA’s self-propelled track geometry car. I was responsible for lining up certified locomotive engineers in the specific territory for “pilots” and working with the dispatchers to keep the car moving across the territory. In the late 90’s, I was assigned to FRA “T-10” along with an FRA Track Inspector, with the task of getting from Salt Lake City, UT to Grand Jct., CO. Going east over Soldier Summit turned into a slow grind as one of the two engines on the T-10 failed and the remaining engine kept us moving at a snail’s pace, plugging up the whole railroad. We eventually made it to Grand Jct., but it was not pleasant. The following day, on the return to Salt Lake, we still were fighting to keep both engines running and were gradually running behind schedule. After arrival at Helper, UT, I made the command decision that we were not going to challenge Soldier Summit again without help. After talking with the local road foreman, I was soon provided with DRGW Tunnel Motor 5385, more than enough power to get us up the hill. Just prior to departure, I snapped a quick photo of our train and then climbed up into the cab for our trip west…..all the way to Salt Lake with the T-10 in tow.
Mike Ramsey