City of Los Angeles, 16th Train, 1950

  E8A

EMD delivered the first in a long series of E8 units to UP in 1950. Units numbers 926 through 930 were delivered in May through August of that year. These engines weighed in with a hefty 340,300 pounds and became the most popular engine to pull the City trains.

COLA 16

It is difficult to determine the exact unit number for any of the locomotives in this train. I have therefore just picked three numbers from those that were available in early 1950 and what would be more appropriate than to pick the first: number 926.

Available Models

There are several models of the E8 on the market, from the mediocre to the extreme. I will list a few that are within a "normal" budget (when you consider that three are needed).

My Model

I have the BLI road number 929. According to an article by Don Strack and Dick Harley in the Winter 2008 issue of "The Streamliner", there are a couple of problems with the original paint scheme on this engine (and the other engines in the train). The ends are gray and should be Yellow/Gray with a red stripe like the sides. The trucks are aluminum and should be gray. The UP medallion on the front shold have the "RAILROAD" on a third line and the text "UNION PACIFIC" should be removed from the front in order for the engine to correctly represent a 1950 style engine. Even though it is hard to determine, the medallion should be an aluminum medallion that is bolted on the front and not a decal medallion. The side lettering is correct, however. Please see the Color Charts section for further details.

In addition to the lettering and painting changes, the number board number has to be changed from 929 to the correct train number (#103). Steve Orth has described this in an article in the August 2004 issue of "Railmodel Journal". He also mentions in this article that the Pollyscale UP Armour Yellow is a very close match to the BLI paint.