| Fresh from the Siemens AG factory in Florin, a part of Sacramento, California, are the first two SC-44 "Chargers" for San Diego County’s Coaster commuter trains. The engines were picked up at the factory by Union Pacific SD70ACe 8989 the day before, as UP train SFLWC-04 (Special, Florin to West Colton), and brought south to UP’s West Colton Yard, where it arrived this morning. This short train was then handed off to the BNSF Railway, and ES44C4 6570 was added, for the trip south to Stuart Mesa, a joint Metrolink/Coaster facility just north of Oceanside. Coaster is now operated by North County Transit District (NCTD), which recently modified its paint scheme to eliminate the white horizontal stripe and include more blue than on the older teal. white and blue scheme. BNSF train J-WCLSTZ1-05 (High/Wide Move, West Colton to Stuart Mesa) is about to get off Metrolink’s Olive Sub at CP Maple and travel on Metrolink’s Orange Sub all the way to Stuart Mesa. The two Coaster engines were being shipped under the SIIX reporting mark. (Orange, California – August 5, 2020) |