| UP GP15-1 1700 on the east side of the yard at Cotter, Arkansas on February 28, 1989, photo by Chuck Zeiler. The UP came into posession of MP's line along the White River in 1984 at the time of the merger, but the MP folks were not enthusiastic about it. The first order of business was to strip out all the automatic detection equipment and otherwise downgrade the line. Locomotives assigned to the White River line were more often than not idling away the day. When the crews arrived for work, there was generally a good smoke show as the locomotives warmed up, blowing out the 12 to 16 idling hours of accumulated soot and condensation. |