About those Trainworx trucks...

[Smike]

Just spoke with Trainworx again. I had to order parts when I dropped one of the models 

New announcement will be posted in Sacramento for a second run of trucks. No more runs will be based on TV/Movies. There goes my hopes for the Happy Toyz truck.

Aweome level of detail, here is hoping for a run of 53' modern trailers

[C855B]

I forgot about my buddy's website where he documented the restoration of the Duel truck: http://stlouisdumptrucks.com/Duel/index.html. As I said, he's since sold it. Most of the pictures on his site were taken at the Museum of Transport in St. Louis, where he stores/displays some of his collection. The picture of the tanker on the flatbed was taken in Kingman. Good reference shots of the rail bumper and license plates.

I also stand corrected, as there were four different trucks used in the movie. He had #2.

EDIT: More pictures here, and in-site links: http://stlouisdumptrucks.com/Duel/Progress.html. He deleted the site links on the index.html page but left the subsidiary pages active.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

That's awesome.

[C855B]

Now... anybody have suggestions on where to find a '70 or '71 Duster? In orange? 

[bbussey]

You'll have to settle for a '72.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/N-Scale-1-160-Willmodels-72-Plymouth-Duster-Resin-Kit-/181473748925

[Bendtracker1]

Now... anybody have suggestions on where to find a '70 or '71 Duster? In orange? 

You mean a Valiant?

[tom mann]

Boy, does that ever look like a model railroad scene waiting to happen. 

[C855B]

OK, a Valiant. Not a Mopar fan back then. 

Yes, this is a MRR scene, in spades. The train from what I can tell was apparently a real SP train and not a prop or staged movement, although I certainly expect there was a conversation with SP about the filming activity at the location. However, I wager they weren't told, "Oh, it's going to be a stunt where we're going to simulate a car about to be pushed into the train."

Locos visible in the film were two SP SD35s, 6909 and 6907, typical power on the line at the time. There would have been at least two other units, most likely 5300-series SD38s or SD40s in the mid-8400s, although a 7900-series U30 could have been in the consist. No B-B power. Typical SP bay-window caboose.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Interesting. I didn't know SP used SD38s on road trains.

[bobdobbs]

On the SP there is a prototype for anything.

[C855B]

Very much so, and, truthfully, the 5300s were pretty much confined to the L.A.-Bakersfield pool, as were the 6900s. In the '60s and early '70s, this line was all C-C all the time when the rest of the industry was still mostly B-B. Apparently management made the decision that lots of powered axles but low-HP per axle was the way to improve performance over Tehachapi with 2nd-generation power. Even the Daylight got SDP45s in 1966 when everything else kept their F-units. The only exception was the overnight TOFC expediter, which drew passenger-geared Geeps and Fs.

This changed a little bit when the Colton Cutoff opened in 1968 between Palmdale and West Colton via Cajon Pass, but the train count was low until West Colton Yard opened in 1972. At that point we started seeing a lot more SD45s and U33Cs, but the 35s, 38s, 40s and U30Cs continued to dominate trains going via Soledad Canyon to Taylor Yard. And still no Geeps.

TMI?

[C855B]

Crap. I'm an idiot sometimes.   5300s were SD39s. SP didn't have SD38s.

Obviously I'm still punchy from eight days on a train.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Oh wow, I never even realized class 1s really had SD39s.

Any idea why they went for them, instead of 40s?

[James Costello]

Oh wow, I never even realized class 1s really had SD39s.

Any idea why they went for them, instead of 40s?

Oh, they still had one or two 40s as well.... 

[C855B]

My edu-guess is the SD39s were less thirsty for the tractive effort at low speeds for the grinds up and down Tehachapi. Seriously, they didn't much leave the L.A.-Bakersfield pool; trains swapped power in Bakersfield for the SJ Valley portion. Not much opportunity for running at speed, save the stretch between Palmdale and Mojave. Raw HP didn't matter much, but T.E. did, and by the mid-'60s the SD9s were too long in the tooth for major haulage.

I know so much about this infinitesimal trivia 'cause that's where I grew up and cut my railfanning teeth.