Foreign power

[mopjunkie]

I know this is a centuries old question, but here goes. I see foreign power on all roads in all corners of the lower 48… From KC area and on a trip to Northern California last week saw a KCS locomotive on a UP train in Bay Area. Just cuioius why roads swap so much and doesn’t that create a logistical nightmare to be sure we all get our “toys” back at some time or another.

[BaltACD]

Virtually all the carriers have ‘run through’ agreements with each other. Changing power for complete trains that move from one carrier to another costs time in both changing the engines and making the required brake test after the change, as well as putting the unknown condition of the receiving carrier having power at the interchange location at the time the delivering carrier is offering the train.

All carriers today have computer systems that handle the accounting of the power and many locomotives are GPS equipped and the owning carrier can tell exactly where the locomotive is when they need to. The accounting between carriers is done in the form of ‘Horsepower Hours’ - A 3000 HP SD-40 on a foreign carrier is 3000 HP Hours. Accounts are settled periodically and money will change hands. Roads will make some of their power decisions based upon how their horsepower hour accounts stand.

The reality of railroading is the the various carriers have seasonal demands for power for the various commodities that each carries. Not all carriers have peak power demand at the same times during the year and the carriers will work with each other to some extent so that all carriers are able to meet their peak demand.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Drat!! When the heading said foreign power, I was hoping to find out that a G12 or RS8 was working some obscure short line in west Texas.[(-D]

[zugmann]

Almost looks like an amtrak logo.

PS - your magnum?

[samfp1943]

Drat!! When the heading said foreign power, I was hoping to find out that a G12 or RS8 was working some obscure short line in west Texas.

WEEELLLL!

Would you settle for a Two Foot Gauge South African Railway(SAR) 's 2-6-2 +2-6-2 ? Operating on a private railroad near Hempstead,Texas?

http://www.sa-transport.co.za/trains/narrow-gauge/ng_info_pictures/ngg13-50_texas_th.JPG

http://www.sa-transport.co.za/trains/narrow-gauge/ng_info_pictures/ngg13-50_texas_th.JPG

Follow the links from this Trainorders.com item from Apr of 2107 :

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,1395487

[zugmann]

It was…till a woman on her cell phone, reading her day planner, rear ended it at 60 mph, while I was sitting still at a stop light.

Ironic justice, her Mercedes SKE was totaled, the drivers air bag slammed her phone into her teeth, chipped the front two and snapped her wrist.

Got the Magnum fixed as best as possible, traded in on a

Just as much fun, but miss the “station wagon” utility of the Magnum…better stereo in the Challenger, can store 2000 songs in it.

5.7 Hemi, 27 mpg highway, (yes, really) and 16 city…about 8 or 9 if your having fun!

Very nice, sir.

[Murphy_Siding]

Horsepower hours- Are they charged 24 hours a day while the locomotive is on some other railroad’s tracks, or only when the locomotive is in service and moving on the tracks?

[edblysard]

b

[edblysard]

It was…till a woman on her cell phone, reading her day planner, rear ended it at 60 mph, while I was sitting still at a stop light.

Ironic justice, her Mercedes SKE was totaled, the drivers air bag slammed her phone into her teeth, chipped the front two and snapped her wrist.

Got the Magnum fixed as best as possible, traded in on a

Just as much fun, but miss the “station wagon” utility of the Magnum…better stereo in the Challenger, can store 2000 songs in it.

5.7 Hemi, 27 mpg highway, (yes, really) and 16 city…about 8 or 9 if your having fun!

Very nice, sir.

S

[Mookie]

Houston - where will the little people sit?

[edblysard]

b

[dmoore74]

Same place as they sit now…in cars seats in the rear seat, (yes, you can fit people in the back seat) if I have to, or in Aimee’s crew cab pickup truck…they like my car better because I play a lot of rock and crank the stereo up for them, while grandma plays C/W…!

I was concerned when we bought this one, but it has rear side impact air bags, and reinforced mounts designed for kid’s car seat, that’s a new Federal standard feature on all cars with a rear seat, no matter how small that seat might be.

The cars seats leave marks on the leather, but it’s a good trade off.

Although it does have drawbacks…slide up beside a cute girl at a light, she gives me and the car a looking over, maybe a smile and a stare and right about then, a little cute face pops up in my side rear window, and my grandkids wave at the girl….kinda takes all the fun out of it, although I have gotten a lot of grins and waves also!

You have to watch out for those cute grandkids.

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A2KLqIOyAS1SYyUAlmP7w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTByZWc0dGJtBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDdmlkBHZ0aWQDBGdwb3MDMQ--?p=drama+queen+2010&vid=df3d96778afd06aa9e8f935d33e10193&l=00%3A52&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DV.4710674005755503%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCGnfKnfY6EM&tit=Drama+queen&c=0&sigr=11ar85nur&pstcat=arts+culture+and+entertainment&age=0&fr=sfp-vid&tt=b

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Cute grandkids are great!![tup]

[tatans]

“Foreign” power, in the U.S.A. are you referring to all those damn Canadian Railways now seen all over the U.S.? yes we are seeing lots of them, and even up here in Canadaland we are seeing those damn yankee funny coloured locomotives with strange foreign names, yes there are a lot of foreign power all over North America, what’s next, Chinese steam? ?

[edblysard]

b