A trio of spotless rebuilt SD40-2's, UP 1926-1556-1848, serve as the helpers for an eastbound loaded coke train. On the Altoona Sub, helpers are used on heavy eastbound trains to mainly assist with two grades. The grade from St. Paul up to Westminster on the BNSF Midway/St. Paul Sub and the grade coming out of the St. Croix river valley up to Hudson are both very steep. UP 1926 and 1556 are no strangers to these rails since they were built as the CNW 6916 and 6897 respectively. UP 1848, however, is a relatively fresh rebuild from a original UP snoot SD40-2.
