It is the UPRR loco maintanence shop for the PNW. When I was their last year I saw some BNSF engines their. Can any one explain why BNSF loco’s would be a UPRR shop. [?]
Power share on run throughs; leased from BN (UP is a bit short of power); working off horsepower hours that BN owes the UP. Any and all of the above reasons.
Also might be horsepower payback
OK so you are saying if they are leasing them the UPRR must service them as well? Sounds practical as you have to do that with a leased auto. Yesterday on the Rochelle webcam their was a UPRR 4 loco set consist in which the 3rd loco was a BNSF. [8D]
it’d be the same as if you were borrowing your buddy’s car. you’d refuel it and check it over after you’re done with it or while you were using it…
My brother-in-law may have worked on it! He is a UP diesel mechanic at the Hinkle Yard.
I was a manager at the Hinkle Shop for five years (1998-2003). BNSF power regularly comes through Hinkle on the CBUPG/CPGBUs that ply UP rails between Spokane and the PGE Power Plant at Boardman. Generally, all we did at Hinkle was spruce up the cab of the lead units and if necessary, perform a quick daily inspection on the units. If you saw the units by themselves at the service track, sometimes a set or two of the PGE coal cars will be tied down at the plant during overhaul/shutdown/etc. and the BNSF power is then run lite back to Hinkle. They are then excessed back to Spokane and home rails on the next MHKSK. Also, as others mentioned, they may be on UP rails as HPT payback units, both of these scenarios may explain what you saw there at Hinkle-Dinkle. 
Wow that is great info & thank you very much. I found the facilty very interesting. We could not access it from the south side as their was a covered hopper train blocking the road. So after watching 2 thru trains weny by we backtracked & went under the overpass(north) rpass then made a right (east) where the John Deere is with all these very large machines then another right (south) & their I was & the BNSFers were a little off on my left painted in the war bonnet scheme. The funniest thing was seeing the so called “Amtrak” station their. If you never saw & I describe as just a little lean I think Amtrak lovers would think I was kidding. Thanks again[:D]
Yes sounds very prictical to me but this had the engine access doors open so it must have been being service besides refueled. [:D]
I would have loved to have met you when I was out their in May 04. [:D]
Thanks! I left for greener pastures in Sept of 2003 so I was long gone by May of 2004. I still peruse this and a few other railroad-oriented forums now and then. Primarily to keep what I picked up during my former life as a minion of the broken locomotive business semi-fresh in my mind and as a reminder that as tough as reports, papers, etc. can be…it could be a whole lot worse; I could still be working for the RR!
Thanks for all the information. I hope my little side trip their brought back at least a few good memories. [:D]
Using them in any way, shape, or form unless within an agreement stating otherwise.
However, you need to remember, just because a locomotive is on a foreign road does not mean that the foreign road is using that unit. At one time it was very common for foreign power to be towed dead enroute to the owning roads’ interchange. This is almost never done now, but it does still happen. If you are moving DIT (Dead-in-Transit or Dead-in-Train) power, you are not responsible for servicing since they are moving under a waybill just like a loaded boxcar in this situation.
OK thanks. It was just a shock to see BNSF power at a UPRR servicing facility. [:D]