thats not a diesel...8-P

I'll try that on the model railroad. I tend to think some power shortages do this or unusual circumstance. UP big boys were all about getting over Sherman Hill, and double heading so another episode.

During the 1980's, when it seriously looked like coal-fired steam might make a comeback, a Canadian named Peter Lewty proposed diesel-assisted steam as the quickest and best bang for the buck solution for the use of coal as a railway fuel. This info comes from David Wardale's book "the Red Devil".

Diesels excelled in low speed pulling capability but could operate at high speeds. Designing a new steamer to have similar operating characteristics would have been an immense challenge over and above just developing modern steam power. Lewty proposed using new steamers as the main power for trains supplemented by diesels for starting, dynamic braking, and steep grades. The diesels would be shut down when not in use.

This combination would have cut the development time and cost for new steamers while allowing railways to retain most if not all their existing diesels and reap the benefits of the use of drastically cheaper fuel for most of the ton-miles their trains operated.