I got in from Manchester at 8:30PM PDT this evening. It's about a 1/4 mile walk to the auto rental building, so I hoofed it in the 70 degree night air. I glanced at the tracks immediately adjacent the airport to the north; they were quiet. Most every time I come through I see at least one stack train headed west, 2 flared, flagged & winged on the front, and one on the rear.
I got this week's car (a Caliber with 41K miles - rides fine but that new car smell is increasingly becoming a hit-or-miss proposition. I can't wait to pick up a new ChrysFiat, just so I can hear something rattle and I can shout "Fix It Again Tony")
I left the car rental area and drove west along the tracks. It's a good 2-2.5 mile stretch along the airport. As I was driving I noticed a signal in my rear view mirror - red-over-yellow, indicating something was headed east. I always thought UP had directional running around the airport: WB on the north track, EB on the track just south of the airport.
Just before i was to cross over to I-10 and my hotel for the evening, the gates lowered and headlights approached. This lead unit wasn't reflecting as a normal UP unit reflects at night - too many horizontal stripes. The unit got closer and I was treated to the SP Heritage Unit, pulling two other UP units and nothing else. I assume they were headed for Colton.
Well that's 2 heritage units in a week - WP and SP. The signs bode well for HAPTapalooza 2009.
TONIGHT'S BEER - Sierra Nevada Porter, fresh from the brewery in Chico CA.
Wheelman ... out
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