I was pretty sure that “the peg” on the ammeter was 1400 amps, and before long we were down to 9 mph pulling what I’d estimated to be roughly 1350 amps – just shy of the peg. Now, darned few locomotive can pull that kind of amperage on dry rail without slipping (a GP40 gets real skittery around 1000 amps, for example), but at 417,000 pounds – the SD40A’s being the heaviest locomotives ever owned by IC – the six motors kept the horsepower per motor down to 500 and the IDAC (Instantaneous Detection And Correction) wheel –slip system was very effective. On the wet rail, the units were down on their hands and knees, but with the lead unit laying down dry sand and the IDAC working perfectly, the 6009 hung onto that high amperage like the needle was painted on the dial – on a lesser locomotive, the amp needle would have been jumping all over the place as the wheels would slip. Grab, and lurch, over and over again.       The turbos were still howling in Run-8 as we were deep into the shortest short time rating. With about a minute left before we’d have to shut down, I asked the engineer on the radio how far we had to go.     “The crest is at that crossbuck about 200 yards ahead,” he replied. We were about a hundred yards away when time ran out. “Shall I shut ‘em down?” he asked.     The book says yes, but I felt that if those engines “fell down” on Adamsville Mountain we’d never hear the end of it, and they’d have a bad reputation form then on. I asked the engineer, “How long before we’re over the top?”  “About a minute.”  “Go for it, and as soon as you can, throttle back and get rid of those amps.”       I stuck my head out the window and sniffed the air for the smell of hot motors, but all I got was a headful of rain. The SD40A’s crawled over the top, and the amps dropped down as the speed picked up and the engineer notched back. Before long we were in full dynamics descending the south slope of Adamsville Hill.   I had one impressed crew on my hands. “I’ve never seen an engine that could dig in like that!” the fireman exclaimed after watching the performance on the ammeter in the third unit. The engineer was equally enthusiastic, “These are the best engines I’ve ever run!”   When we showed up at Thomas Junction, we were greeted by a red signal and a disbelieving yardmaster. “What’re you doing here?” he demanded on the radio.   “We pulled Adamsville Mountain and just kept comin’,” the engineer smugly replied.    “Well, hell, when we heard you had only two working units, we figured you’d be out there all night; I don’t even have a track opened for you yet.”  Score: SD40A’s 1/ Yardmaster 0. Nobody in Birmingham ever whined about losing their black Geeps again.