Just past the Horseshoe, the helpers are approaching the southbound SOALC-11 UP Customers Special waiting in the hole at Chorro.

Two out of three unpatched SP SD40M-2's ain't bad. From this angle, it still looks like SP dominates the coastline 8 years after the UP merger!

Light helpers in the last sunlight of the day whining up Cuesta to make my day - big time.

Train #11 the Coast Starlight is arriving into San Luis Obispo. Nikon coolpix 995. www.bayarearailroading.com

rare appearance of 2 Caltrain units on the Coast Starlight. In addition to 908, we see 926 with Amtrak 503 and 118.

A set of helpers arrive at the San Luis Obispo Station/Depot. Set includes ex-SP's UP 2883, UP 2671, UP 3178

Amtrak 775 backs into its spur track in San Luis Obispo, CA. It will spend the night here being cleaned and inspected before making the run back to San Diego the next morning. Union Pacific's SLO-... (more)

Before they got patched to HLCX lease numbers, two of the three ex-Trona RR SD45-2's on lease to the UP were assigned to SLO as the Cuesta helpers.

Station stop in SLO-town

Coasting down the Cuesta Grade

UP5810 leads the southbound QRVDO with ex-SP speed lettered SD40T-2 GECX8350 in the consist. Two of the three Trona RR SD45-2's leased to the UP are working as helpers 2/3 into the train.

Two of the three Trona RR SD45-2's leased to the UP are still working as the helpers at SLO after arrival last month. Here is TRC3001 shown cutting off the southbound QRVDO just outside of the SLO... (more)

Amtrak's Coast Starlight descends from the mountains into San Luis Obispo

Southbound Coast Starlight at SLO. I made my wife very nervous walking up to the front of the train to take this picture; she was convinced the train would leave without me.