Newbie Needs Update

[Mecha_Moose]

I don't know, but I've seen some TFM's (Mexican Railroad) engines up here in Minnesota... freaky, eh?

EDIT: Weird, it's like time travel. My reply was before the thread's creation.

[cmherndon]

You're right that it is a BNSF train, but the reason the NS and CN units are in there is that they were probably on a run through train at some point. It happens all the time when railroads interchange.

[Chuck Svoboda]

I'm way behind the times I guess. Can someone bring me up to date? Have been viewing RailPictures.Net for a while now and am puzzled by some of the strange lashups I see. The latest example is Photo ID 92727 posted today by Santiago Homsi Jr. showing a double-stack train being hauled thru Cajon Pass by a BNSF loco assisted by a CN and a NS. Presume that's a BNSF train but what the heck are the CN and NS locos doing in there?
Cheers,
Chuck Svoboda, Canada

[Chuck Svoboda]

Kyrailfan: Thanks for your reply. Now, pardon my ignorance, but what exactly is a "run-through"?
Chuck Svoboda

[cmherndon]

A run through train if I'm not mistaken is basically a train that originates on one road, and terminates on another. Sometimes the power gets changed, sometimes it doesn't. For instance, NS 223 originates on the BNSF, is handed over to Norfolk Southern at Kansas City, and then terminates in Atlanta. It frequently has BNSF or UP power, but most of the time, it has NS power.

[Chuck Svoboda]

Kyrailfan: Thanks for your help on run-throughs. I think I get the picture now. Cheers.
Chuck

[bnsf sammy]

It seems that BNSF and NS are like partners when it comes to using engines from eachother, and CSX and UP. Of couse, down in Southern California, on the freight north, was a BNSF dash 9, an undecorated NS dash 9, and a UP SD90!!! BNSF owns the tracks, so I have no idea what UP was doing down here, let alone a SD90. Dont ask about pictures, I frogot my camera :cry:

[Ru1056]

It is a pain to switch out entire lash-ups when ending home rails and traveling over anothers trackage rights is my guess as to why there is more run through power. Here in Indy our Class 1 is CSX :o

I have seen CSX, NS, BNSF, and UP power through here. Patched and unpatched along with most of the leasing companies. Have never seen a KCS though.

Billy

[cmherndon]

Here in Indy our Class 1 is CSX

My goodness, Billy. How do you ever survive? :grin:

I have seen CSX, NS, BNSF, and UP power through here. Patched and unpatched along with most of the leasing companies. Have never seen a KCS though.

KCS seems to be the elusive one of the bunch. I've only seen one in person. It was an Ex-CN GP40-2 with a wide cab (proper model designation for this one?) and a trailing unit on a military movement back in December. If that had been leading, one may have heard the old "Chattanooga or dark" comment. :lol:

[Ru1056]

Well it isn't easy. Thank goodness for shortlines.

However I am suprised that Indy isnt photographed more. The CSX main runs right through downtown Indy. You have the Louisville and Indiana coming from the south, and runs right through downtown Indy. Oh well guess it will have to wait till I get my tax check and my camera and start snapping.

Billy

[Joe]

Yesterday I was out on the BNSF for about 4 hours and I saw: NS C40-9 (leading the UP stack train), NS C40-9W leading, NS C40-8 leading, NS GP50 or 60 high hood, and an NS SD70M. Also, trailing on the UP stack train was UP 5371, a brand-spankin new ES44AC. Now UP power is pretty rare here so I never expected to see a brand new UP unit through here (especially heading east).
BNSF sure is getting a lot of power from NS... :wink:

Plus there was the usual BNSF Dash 9s, an unpatched BN Whiteface SD40-2, three BNSF AC44s on 3 different coal trains, 7 BNSF SD70MACs on coal trains, single ex-ATSF C40-8W leading autoracks, a 15MPH doublestack with green signals, an MRL SD45 leading a manifest, and Amtrak NPCU leading the Illinois Zephyr with Phase III P42 pushing.

Woo, what a day! Too bad it was cloudy! :x

[J]

Besides power going to other roads on "run through" trains, railrods keep records of horsepower hours and locomotives may be sent over to another railroad for extended periods of time to balance the horsepower budget.

By way of explanation, a SD40-2 at 3000 hp would generate 72,000 horsepower hours each 24 hours.

Where I worked, if the deficit grew beyond a certain point, the agreement was that cash would change hands. There was often a push to get "our" units over to the other railroad before the end of the measurement period as that was often cheaper than writing a check.