Just wondering because every once and awhile I will see one pop up in the BNSF yard here in STL. They will only be there for about a day then there gone. They are almost always coupled with BNSF locos though. Just wondering what the deal is?
Also everyday there is a NS train with about 70 boxcars attached to it that sits on the siding right outside of this yard then its gone. Its normally there from early morning to late at night. I sometimes see UP loco’s attached to these trains aswell. Any info would be appreciated.
They do lease them on occaision, but 99.99% of the time you see a an engine from one class 1 RR on another class 1 railroad it is “borrowed” and running on horsepower hours. The railroads have agreements between them that allows the engines from one railroad to run through with a train onto another railroad. The railroads multiply the horsepower of the unit by the hours its off line to get horsepower hours. So if the UP has an SD40 on the NS for a week, that’s 24hrs/day x 7 days x 3000 hp or 504,000 hphrs that the NS owes the UP. The NS will pay it back by letting the UP use one of its locomotives.
Dave H.
Wow I didnt know that thanx for the quick response.
Yes, it is not uncommom to see locomotives on horsepower payback form other railroads. I once saw a BNSF trains with horsepower payback from CP,CN,UP and NS. Intersting consist indeed!!
Without following the computer trail of whose account a particular engine is in at any point in time it is impossible to know whose horsepower hours are being accumulated.
It is not uncommon for say, CSX to get engines from NS and then operate them to the UP. While the engines are NS they are in the CSX/UP Horsepower hour account and NS is nowhere in the equation as it applies to horsepower hours on the UP…of course the NS/CSX horsepower hours account continues to accumulate.
the recent thread on Hinkle, Or explored many of the ways that foreign power gets into a railroad’s shops. I found it interesting.
dd
Curious,
Any one know if the UP E units are currently leased?
Could you be seeing a “retired” locomotive still in owners paint on lease?
See NREX, they buy and refurbish locomotives, then lease them out…
Here is a link…
http://www.krunk.org/~joeshaw/pics/pvt-locos/nrex/
Ed
So that explains why I am seening tons of BNSF,CSXT and NS units keep coming through town. Like there was a Westbound UP empty with 2 CSXT units behind one UP on a Hopper Train. Allan.
That last one could be because it was a coal train going to CSX rails, and it needed the UP leader for ATC.