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He pointed that headlight West, out where the wild things are

On the afternoon of Wednesday, July 24th, 2024, Trona Railway’s afternoon Searles turn brings a cut of cars past the West End Plant with TRC2009 (former Union Pacific SD40-2) leading as the sun set over the Searles Valley. Due to an issue with the coal unloader blocking the path of the train at the plant, the crew got a late start to their run despite having a surprisingly relatively short train and little to build. Although that afternoon’s train was planned to have 110 cars, the 7,200 ton weight restriction meant that the railroad could not physically take all the cars out of the plant without using manned helpers, which they did not have the crews for. Additionally, the locomotives ended up overheating just east of the Searles Interchange, resulting in the engines running back lite to the plant without taking any empties east. No, there was no Airstream trailer or a J-45 guitar involved.

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Uploaded on April 11, 2025
Taken on July 24, 2024