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Unlikely and Improbable RR Company: The Essence of Shortline Railroading

Unlikely and Improbable are two small towns located along the west coast of the US. The only reason they exist is due to the Unlikely & Improbable railroad. When the towns were built, there were no efficient ways of getting from one to the other by road. In 1920, a short rail line was built and connected to the nearby Union Pacific main line. The small company running the shortline, the U&I RR Co., purchased their first and second locomotives from Union Pacific soon after the line was established. They were both Baldwin 4-6-4s, Nos. 3424 and 3425, During 1922-1961, the line expanded slightly, including methods of turning locomotives around, and small spurs to industries in both towns. During the 60s, as many class 1 railroads began to dieselize, the U&I kept using exclusively steam well into the mid-20th century. In 1962, a bad track section on the highest part of the line caused No. 3424 to derail. The coupler on the tender snapped and the locomotive slid down a small embankment. This caused extensive damage to the front and sides of the locomotive. Due to the lack of and need for an operational second locomotive, U&I RR purchased a surplus Electromotive Division F7 from Southern Pacific with no number. After determining the price of repairing No. 3424, the damaged Baldwin was moved to a storage siding just outside Unlikely to make room in the engine shed, where it began to rust and fall into disrepair. Slowly, rail traffic on the mainline decreased to just a weekend passenger train, pulled by 3425, and the odd mixed freight. As more large railroads stopped using the F7 for motive power, the U&I picked up a second EMD unit, F7 No. 5270, this time from Santa Fe. Operations continued as usual for 5 years, until EMD’s GP40-2 was put into production at the beginning of the 21st century. The financial team for the shortline sold 3424’s tender, still in relatively good shape, to a railway museum. Using the funds, a new 40-2 was purchased relatively new from the Denver & Rio Grande, No. 3132. It was the first brand new locomotive purchased by the line since 3425. 3425 in turn was mothballed at the back of the shed. Then, one day, a curious resident of Improbable was able to get a tour of the line from one of the engineers, filmed it, and put it on the web. The railroad’s eclectic and historic locomotive roster caught the eye of some avid railroad enthusiasts, and it soon became a hotspot for rail buffs across the state, with people coming to shoot photos and videos of the line operating. Shortly after the popularity boom, 3425, after being recertified and inspected, was brought out for the first time in over 15 years and pulled an excursion train along the entire length of the line. Now, the railroad operates a steam powered passenger train 3 times a week, which is always full, and daily mixed freights servicing several new industries in both Improbable and Unlikely, such as a small quarry and oil refinery.