The Union Pacific Railroad was well-known for its love of massive locomotives. I'm suggesting a few DLC packs for UP Sherman Hill (and maybe Cajon Pass, too) with UP's giant locomotives. -Pack 1: UP Giant Steam: 1.) Big Boy: UP rostered 25 of these giants. They were used for pulling heavy freight trains over Sherman Hill and the Wasatch Grade between Ogden, Utah and Green River, Wyoming. Several Big Boys were preserved, with #4014 being restored to operation. 2.) Challenger: UP was the largest user of 4-6-6-4 Challenger locomotives. If we get the Challengers in TSW5, we should get both the original light versions (CSA-1 through CSA-2 Classes) and the 4664-1 through 3-Classes which were improved versions with similar design to the Big Boys. 2 of the UP Challengers were preserved: #3985 (being restored to operation) and #3977. 3.) Some other ideas: UP FEFs (including #844), 2-8-8-0 "Bull Moose", and the 9000-Class 4-12-2 -Pack 2: UP Gas Turbine Electric Locomotives (GTELs): UP tested a prototype Alco-GE Gas Turbine locomotive (UP #50) in 1948. In all, they rostered 3 different classes of GTELs. The first ones (10 units) were 4500HP and were numbered #51-#60. The second, improved versions were the #61-75 Veranda Turbines (so named because of the side walkways that made them similar to conventional road switchers like the GP9). The Veranda Turbines had improvements and produced the same 4500HP. The 3rd Generation of GTELs were 3-unit sets #'d 1-30. They produced a whopping 8500HP (10,000HP was even achieved for a short time)! The turbines were all retired by the 1970s as fuel prices rose, but 2 of the 3rd Gen GTELs were preserved. I've seen the one in Ogden, UT. Man, that thing is massive (nearly 179 feet long)! -Pack 3: UP Giant Diesel Locomotives: 1.) Alco C855 A-B-A Set: Alco's attempt at building a massive diesel loco for the UP, these three 5500HP monsters (each with 2 Alco 251 prime movers) were the only ones ordered by UP. They were ordered as an A-B-A configuration. They were based on Alco's Century-series locomotives. However, the C855s were not very reliable and were scrapped in 1972 after less than 8 years in operation. 2.) GE U50 and U50C: GE attempted to build a powerful locomotive for UP in 1963. The U50 was a 5000HP beast with 2 FDL-16 prime movers. UP eventually rostered 23 of the U50s. The Southern Pacific RR also ordered 3 of the U50s. The U50 rode on the trucks of scrapped 1st and 2nd generation GTELs. GE also built 40 U50Cs for UP, which were the same basic design as the U50s except for the trucks which came from scrapped 8500HP Gas Turbines and the U50Cs had 12-Cylinder engines rather than 16-cylinder ones. The U50s were scrapped by 1977, and the U50Cs suffered from reliability issues because of the Aluminum wiring, the trucks cracking, and other mechanical problems. The U50Cs were eventually scrapped by 1978. 3.) EMD DD35/DD35A: EMD's DD35 was basically a pair of GP35s with twin 2500HP 567 prime movers. The EMD DD35A was the same loco with a driver cab. The EMD DD35s and DD35As were fairly reliable, but they did have issues with their electrical systems getting clogged up by sand. This was solved by moving the sandboxes externally on the walkways. The DD35s were scrapped by the late 1970s, and the DD35As were scrapped in the early 1980s. 4.) EMD DD40AX "Centennial": The most successful of UP's giant diesel locomotives was the EMD DDA40X. The first of these beasts was built for the Transcontinental Railroad Bicentennial Celebration in 1969 (hence the nickname "Centennials"). 47 of these giants were built for the UP (#6900-#6946). They were well-liked by crews for their speed and smooth running. The DDA40Xs were used on the UP for high-speed freight services. The DDA40Xs were run into the late 1970s, with some run into the 1980s when UP needed more power to handle freight trains as the economy improved in the 1980s. 13 of these monsters have been preserved, with UP #6936 still operational. #6936 is located at the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America Museum in Illinois, along with UP Challenger #3985.
