Ok, i’m getting tired of people not liking leasers. Half the time they’re prettier than the engines they’re with. If anybody here hates leasers, explain!!
You’re right about the colors, although some look pretty beat. And they do add a little variety to the locomotive consist, versus seas of grey, yellow, orange, black, or whatever.
So, I don’t hate them. It’s no worse than seeing a train come through on the “X” RR line with with a solid consist of “Y” RR locomotives…
And from a business perspective - the RR is moving traffic. Maybe even more than they have sufficient motive power enough to handle.
My favorite paint scheme is FURX
www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=22939
Canadian Pacific loves leasers, they always have 100 or so short termers.
Quite the contrary, I like leasers as they add variety to a consist. I saw a UP train on saturday that had a GATX (SD40-2 I think) that was clean and shiney. Quite a contrast to the dirty UP units it was with. I remember back in the days before SP got all those new C44-9s there were many many lease units running around, both from leasing companys and other railroads. The variety made things quite interesting. You never knew what the power would be but chances are it would not be SP.
without leased locomotives – we would not have nearly as many trains to watch and they add a lot of variety. how else would I see conrail paint in central texas?
dd
Thank you guys for writing. I am a big fan of leasers especially the ones related to Alstom (GCFX, CEFX and FURX). CSX really is big with leasers and I like them, because I’ve seen them growing up.
Thanks alot,
Richard
I’ve enjoyed leasers, even in the earlier days when it was mostly railroad-to-railroad leasing like NYC Sharks on RI, B&LE F’s on CP, etc. The current practices keep things interesting on several levels.
Those leasers really do make life a bit more interesting trackside these days.
I agree. leasers do make things more interesting.
stay safe
Joe
from an engineers standpoint… no 2 leasers are alike… and the almost all suck… now…when the FURX units first started showing up… they where nice for rebuilds… infact i didnt mind haveing one of them in the lead over a csx non-wide body locomotive…but they have started falling part due to lack of mantiance… just like evey other locomotive on the proporty… so…they suck now too…
csx engineer
csxengineer…
Dude, dont hold it in like that…let it out and tell us how you really feel!
Ed[:D]
Leasers. Heh. Better to be a owner operator maintaining your very own power.
Having said that… I find it difficult to determine who owns what rail these days with all the burst of color on the locomotives.
I have seen some dirty UP power being assisted by older leasers that are well washed.
I dont know if UP is paying good money for the leaser power but would not mind a bigger wash rack budget.
this is for csx engineer
A little off topic, but when a train in CSX Florida territory passes a signal facing the direction oppostie from you (say your going south and the signal faces north ) and it’s red before you pass it but green after what does that mean?
Back on topic
I remember . . . no wait that’s completely different . . . seeing a CSX train with nothing but BNSF units on the train . . .
I like the leasers jus’fine…they all have a/c,whereas the powers-that-be paid extra to have the a/c removed from the earlier units we bought…
I don’t mind them at all. My favorite are the Helm Leaser, HLMX. I’ve seen a few down in Southern Minnesota on the CP line. I like the dark blue and dark red look to an engine.
I have nothing against them at all. Like a lot of people said they add different color to a consist. I haven’t seen leasers come through town here. Just some patched SP units and an oddball CSX or BNSF engine. Sometimes NS. At college I’ll see some leasers.
Hawk, what railroads do you railfan?
Alec
Thanks for your replies everybody and thanks for the help,
Richard
I live along the Altoona sub (Wisconsin), me thinks. So it’s all Union Pacific here through town. I’m going to college in Winona Minnesota so there I will have everything almost. UP yard downtown. CP main goes right through campus almost. It’s main campus, street, tracks, football/baseball fields. Hop the river on my way back home I’ll follow the BNSF main. Great stops along the river to catch some BNSF action.
I haven’t had a chance at all this summer really to get out and do any train watching/picture taking except for my few trips to and from school for different things. Get to watch trains throughout the day while I’m at work, but no pictures. I work about 300 yards from the tracks at one of the schools.
Winona, so you see the ICE and DME right?
Alec
The colors? What about the multiple patches on most of them?!?! Like the HELM Rent-a-Wrecks. I agree, they are run down and ratty and sound like they want to just DIE, but that’s what makes them cool! As I like to say, the more patches, the better!