Southern Pacific SP Freight Trains - Eugene Oregon in 1990 - SD40T-2 / Amtrak

[@SomeFrigginChannel]

Thanks for the upload, a real treat. I'm 21, so this is all before my time, but it's pretty fascinating seeing what the Eugene station and the passing trains looked like in 1990; the spur in the background, SP motors, wood products on flatcar, a maned caboose, the cantilever signal. None of which is there or done, nowadays. Funny how lots has changed, but lots has stayed the same.

[@TristanMorrow]

Okay, now I'm feeling nostalgic! Pre-UP era seems like just yesterday!

[@NGH99999]

I lived in Eugene for ten years, from '93 to '03, and at one point around '01 I worked in a design studio situated in the east end of that Amtrak station. When the old SP and UP units rolled through, you could FEEL them through the floor of the building. Felt like they were going to come through the walls! That stretch of downtown Eugene is a great railfan location, for sure.

[@mikeflynn1629]

Thank you for the video I love the Southern Pacific saw a lot of it on the cajon pass. SP as a line down the middle of the street where I live. Thanks again I was so delighted to see the caboose at the end I can remember driving the 10 freeway and seeing the cabooses being put on the end of trains in the yard

[@RailwayWorld]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Those were the days, really miss them. After SP ended I lost interest in watching trains, too many interesting things disappeared like cabooses & the older freight cars. Sadly my Dad & I didn't get anymore footage on the mainline in Eugene. I have posted a couple videos on the Coos Bay branch.

[@larrybaldridge4078]

Loved the SP

[@JKramer328]

I remember this area very well. LOVED watching the trains go thru the area, after a trip to Skinner's Butte Park. If I ever go back there, I would always be looking for Southern Pacific engines to roll through there.

[@TheBlueBronco]

Interesting seeing the Cotton Belt cars. I forgot that they were a subsidiary of SP. I also liked seeing the caboose in the 90s.

[@RailwayWorld]

Thanks, I wish we (Dad) filmed some more at Eugene, just never really had the time. I'm 29 and remember a little of the old SP, and I do remember that spur siding in back with flatcars parked there. I'll have more SP videos featuring the branch to Coos Bay in a month or so when I get time.

[@RailwayWorld]

Yes, does seem like yesterday, still remember those SP freights flying through town, sometimes with the odest motive power combos ! With modern locos, seems kinda dull now. More SP coming soon.

[@guitars14]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!

[@up1943productions]

Also we have Cotton Belt Locomotives.

[@zr1rob]

That looong northbound was most likely off the Siskiyou line from Medford. Note the loaded lumber flats and WCTR (White City Terminal) boxes. Those loads were brought north to Eugene, and then sent south over the Cascade route to california, rather than over the line through Ashland and Siskiyou summit, almost twice as long a routing. I wonder if SP was doing it to charge their customers the extra route time or if they didn't want to use the summit route because it was so steep? That line wasn't embargoed until 1992, so maybe it cost so much to use that it was actually cheaper to send the loads on a routing twice as long!

[@ev1193]

I agree, has all the marking of a Siskiyou Train (Lived in Southern Oregon for several years, and watched a lot of ‘em… Sure do miss those long and heavy trains.😢

[@scoobycarr5558]

Those tunnels along Southern Pacific's line in the Cascades in Oregon showed no mercy to SP's freight engines. SP had a rough time keeping the diesels from getting grimy and dirty to begin with.

[@freighttrainsahpassing9790]

nice trip back to the past : )

[@Doobie1975]

God I sure miss the Southern Pacific railroad! How many trains go through Eugene, Oregon on the former SP mainline?

[@RailwayWorld]

Agree 100%, miss those SD40s in the scarlet/gray :) I'm not sure about 2020, but from what I can tell the number of freights through Eugene has decreased considerably since the 90's, along with the Lumber / Paper businesses of Oregon.

[@Doobie1975]

@@RailwayWorld That is unfortunate about the number of freights through Eugene has decreased considerably since the 1990's along with the lumber/paper businesses of Oregon, I thought since this was the mainline from Portland to LA it would have a good number of trains going through there daily.

[@trevormaxwell7398]

Very nice indeed

[@biskit84]

Nice!

[@xCharjx]

Back when SD's got the job done. :(

[@J3110M4N14]

nice video

[@richardreid6377]

Northbound looks to have been off the branch to Roseburg.

[@RailwayWorld]

+Richard Reid I agree, looks like a typical train makeup from the branch.

[@TFN5459]

Was Espee in the process of removing light packages around this time? It seems that about half of the units have them but the other half don't.

[@odinkvenvolden8218]

A Leslie RS5T on a Southern Pacific SD40T-2?

[@jalilmuhammad8270]

Six years later, Union Pacific would act as a lion and hunt SP down.

[@yuriilev]

And there was NO graffiti on the woodchip cars, just about all that survive these days are covered with it.

[@railfanallen]

The Amtrak train in the video, that was the Coast Starlight right?

[@RailwayWorld]

Yes, that was the Coast Starlight.