| Union Pacific SD40-2 3316 was powering an eastbound ROCKET TRAIN on the CSX at the Louisa Street grade crossing in New Orleans. A Norfolk Southern crew had just brought the train about 10 miles from the Kansas City Southern and now a CSX crew was on board. The space shuttle rocket motor sections were on their way from the Morton-Thiokol plant at Corinne, Utah to the KENNEDY SPACE CENTER at Cape Canaveral, Florida via the UP to Kansas City, KCS to Shreveport, CSX to Jacksonville, FEC to Titusville, and they completed their journey on NASA’s own railroad. The 8-axle ROCKET CARS usually moved in regular trains, but loaded cars sometimes ran as special movements like this. The train consisted of MP covered hopper 722984, SCL rocket car 109103, KCS rocket car 710032, MP covered hopper 710787, UP rocket car 50031, UP covered hopper 74487, UP rocket car 50021, UP covered hopper 221345, MP caboose 13060, and private car 800313 VIRGINIA CITY. The covered hoppers and the first rocket car were empty "buffer" cars.UP 3316 was an unusual long-nose SNOOT unit, with an interesting history. It was built in July 1976 as the 8046, one of 100 UP SD40-2's specially equipped with 59:18 (80 mph) high-speed gearing. In August 1980 it was refitted with regular 62:15 (65 mph) gearing and renumbered 3316. In April 1996 it received a special paint scheme for use on the UP's Olympic Torch Relay Train and was renumbered 1896; then, in November of that year, it was repainted back into the standard UP paint scheme and renumbered 3100, and on 6 November 2002 it was renumbered UP 3097. |