Photos & Story By: Ken HulseyOne of the great things about the mega-mergers of the 1990's, is the fact that now railfans sometimes get a chance to see examples of motive power in their own region that would have never ventured there prior.
Case in point is today's photo study on Union Pacific GP40-2 #1368, which, as you can plainly see, is of ex Rio Grande lineage. To be precise, ex Rio Grande locomotive #3117. Had the Union Pacific never merged with the 'Grande" then it would be a forlorn conclusion that this diesel would have never found itself parked in Ontario, California, where these photos were taken.
Luckily, the UP never took the time to repaint many of their acquisitions, spare the front hood logo and company colored number board.
As luck would have it, I got a chance to talk to a Union Pacific engineer on this day, who informed me that there was and unaltered Rio Grande unit of this type still in use in it's native Colorado, often times paired with UP's, Rio Grande 'Heritage' series SD-70ACE #1989.
On this day in October of 2007, #1368 was lashed up with a pair of ex Southern Pacific road switchers, one of which is numbered 1414. I failed to note the number of the third locomotive.
Of course, I'm assuming that the second engine was Southern Pacific, with the long hood lettering painted over, it could be an old Cotton Belt unit. Locomotives from the SP owned line used to find themselves in the nearby Colton yard quite frequently when it was still in the railroad's ownership.
Since I snapped these photos, I have seen #1368 in and around UP's Colton digs a few times. The last time, being on the head end of a local, paired with a leased unit, traveling south through Grand Terrace with several loads of lumber.
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