| Unirn Pacific Railroad SD60 6039 at Batesville, Arkansas on April 29, 1989, Kodachrome by Chuck Zeiler. This was a unit coal train and this photo shows it just a few miles from its final destination, the Independence Power Plant at Newark, Arkansas. Upon arrival at the plant, this train entered a balloon track which led through the rotary dumper. After the power passdd through the dumper, the crew took a break and the train was turned over to the rotary dumper operator who positioned large mechanical arms behind the loaded hopper next in line to enter the dumper. The whole train was pulled forward by the arms, one car at a time, and each hopper was positioned in the rotary and tipped over almost 180 degrees to dischasge its load. Once empty, the train continued on the Newport, Arkansas, the crew rested and returned the next day to retrace the route back to the Wyoming coal. |