| The race was on, at least briefly, as a northbound Missouri Pacific train and a westbound Southern Pacific train accelerated out of their respective yards at Avondale, Louisiana. The MP train had GP18 1984, GP35 2563 and GP38-2 2109, whole the SP train had SEVEN units: SP GP9R's 3380, 3340 and 3754 with Seaboard Coast Line GP40 1581, U36B 1784, U33B 1746 and U30B 1708. |