OK WHAT’S GOING ON? YESTERDAY I WENT RAILFANNING ON THE BNSF AND SAW MANY TFM AND KCS ENGINES. IS TFM REALY KCS? OR IS KCS REALY TFM? ALLAN.
Well, for photographic purposes, let’s hope TFM wins out. Haven’t seen ugly engines (KCS) like those since CSX introduced their STEALTH scheme.
What you really saw trackside was the NAFT**A Railway.[alien]
Yup. Your correct there. Almost every time I go down there I see a Westbound Grain Train with eather a TFM or a KCS Motor on the Point. Last week there was an Eastbound BNSF coal Train that had pure BNSF power on the point and an TFM SD70MAC as a DPU. Then I heard there was a UP motor at Pacific Jct yesterday. WEARD! Because the BNSF Dispatcher was calling out a UP Train.
Guess you missed the latest issue of Trains Magazine
The reason why you see KCS/TFM power on WB Grain is, that train might go on KCS track and will be powered by KCS crew once it gets to a crew change spot.
Example: NS train 734. This train always has BNSF power because once it reaches Memphis from Atlanta it has a BNSF crew and is on BNSF track going to a loading site out west which gets unloaded down south in GA on NS.
Hope this helps.
kevin
Kansas City Southern (KCS), a holding company comprised of three primary railroads: The Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCSR), Kansas City Southern de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (KCSM) and Panama Canal Railway Company (PCRC) . TFM does not exist any more.
TFM was the name of the Mexican railroad that KCS had a majority interest in. Last year, soon after KCS was able to gain complete ownership of the road, they changed the name to KCSdeM (Kansas City Southern of Mexico). Paint scheme of TFM, and the newly named KCSdeM, is basically the same as regular KCS locomotives, just with the KCSdeM lettering. They are just starting to change over the lettering, so you’ll still see TFM instead of KCSdeM for some time to come.
Regards
Ed
Will we actually see KCSdeM on the side of any locomotives? Or will it just say KCS on the side? (With a little espanol for the deM crews, of course…)
There are three or four AC4400CWs with the KCSdeM on the side. The SD70MACs will be getting just KCS are they are now US engines. It isn’t a big priority to reletter the locomotives.
They will have KCS in the same big red lettering, followed by much smaller “de Mexico” in black. Here’s a link to a shot of a recently relettered AC4400CW unit:
http://www.mexlist.com/temp/kcsm1.jpg
The logo is the regular KCS logo but with’“de Mexico” added in the same lettering. Check out the KCSdeM website to see the logo (which you can see on the other picture, just not real clearly).
They just have the red KCS on the nose.
Regards
Ed
I have seen that the KCS AC4400CW’s have had a re-number change too. Alot of them where in the 2000’s. Now thier in the 4000’s now.
KCS is renumbering their entire fleet, including the Mexican units. From their website on Oct 15, 2005:
[i]KCS has recently begun the process of renumbering its international locomotive fleet in a sequence related to horsepower, age and special capabilities. KCS’ U.S. and Mexican operations currently manage a fleet of more than 900 locomotives, including seven different switching models, three medium horsepower local models and soon to be 10 over the road models, ranging in age from 45-years old to brand new. In addition to being more descriptive, the new numbering scheme allows for future growth, improves consistency and ease of fleet management and prevents numbering conflicts between the U.S. and Mexican fleets.
Nearly every locomotive will receive a new international number. The renumbering process began with the SD45’s which will be changed from the 4500 series, making way for the TFM’s AC4400’s. Next to be renumbered are the smaller GP38’s, which will be given new numbers in the 1900 and 2000’s to make way for the new SD70ACe locomotives, which will be delivered with their new 4000 number series within the next few months. It is anticipated that the renumbering process will take about six months.[/i]
Regards
Ed
Hey, I saw that exact same train in Iowa. That was last Saturday, right? I just finished voulenteering on the Midwest Central and then as we’re going west on 34, there it goes. My eyes about bugged out of my head when I realized it was a TFM! That’s the first time I’ve ever seen one.
As for “Is it KCS or TFM”, it’s KCS. They bought out the TFM, so now it’s Kansas City Southern de Mexico. Why don’t they just call it “Kansas City Southern” is what I’m wondering.
That was a very cool Train wasn’t it?
Even though it is owned by Kansas City Southern Industries I beleive the Mexican government required it be a seperate wholly owned susidiary that is a Mexican corperation. Hence the name which means KCS of Mexico. Simular to how Canadian railroads operate with wholly owned American sudsidiaries.
In regards to the espanol, TFM motors have spanish first then english in smaller type on all of the signs in the cab. Fun to watch rookie hostlers try to figure out that campanna means bell 
Also we get CN motors with french in the same manner.
Thanks guys.
On a related note… Has KCS completely integrated Gateway Western/Gateway Eastern? I haven’t seen anything on these locomotives for quite some time.
Also, is there a KCS numbering conversion roster anyplace? I’m trying to track (and eventually get pictures of) five ex-SOO/MILW GP38-2s for my website.
I think that prior to the recent acquisition of the portion of ownership from Grupo Mexico / Grupo TFM, KCS had formerly actually had a “minority” interest in TFM. I seem to receall that it was either 37% or 47%. Grupo TFM had around 50% and the govt held the rest.