We’re all familar with railroads that share track…even among competitors like CN and CP. But do any roads also share other functions like repair/service facilities? This would make alot of sense given that we don’t have a large variety of motive power and rolling stock out there like we used to…and skilled mechanics are becoming hard to come by… from that stand point pooling that resource for most efficient industry wide benefit would make most sense.
I wonder if the answer to that isn’t “outsourcing.” An independent contractor takes over an existing RR facility and takes on all comers - perhaps with a contract with each railroad. There are lots of performance guarantees and the like that can be put in place to ensure that one RR doesn’t get dumped on by another.
At the day-to-day level, the industry isn’t far from that now, what with all the run-through, pooled power, leasing, and ‘power-by-the-hour’ arrangements. The UP’s loco will be just as happy if it gets its fuel and sand from the NS facility at Allentown, PA - and as long as it does get that and any lube oil, brake shoes, running repairs, and other more expensive but maybe less immediate items, then UP will be happy, too.
For the cars, the AAR has a standard list of small repairs and the set prices for each, which serves to adjust accounts between the involved railroads - the one that ownes the car, and the one that does the repairs. Thus, if a car is found to have a minor defect, it can be repaired where it’s at then, instead of having to go to its home road first. For major repairs - the railroads can negotiate that.
For large-scale rehabs and upgrades to a fleet of cars or locos - that’s pretty much the province of the contract shops, as Larry said. Of course, short lines have traditionally used the shops of their connecting Class I railroad for their repairs, and I suppose some of the regionals might do that, too. I think that even now, the mega-shops - such as the former PRR / PC/ CR now NS Juniata Loco Shops near Altoona, PA may do some contract work for other major railroads, but I can’t recall any specifics - maybe someone else can.
And then there’s the Strasburg Railroad, which rebuilds steam locos for others - and once twice upon a time, even changed out wheelset for a crippled GG1 and an E-44 - not sure if those were still PRR’s, PC’s, or maybe CR’s or even Amtrak’s [not the E-44, I know] by then.
- Paul North.
I can see a great opportunity for the locomotive builders themselves to become more involved in the maintenance of their products. Imagine a companies like EMD or General Electric taking over that function and basically offering railroads complete motive power services…not just locomotives. Included would be all the servicing…all the accounting… any consultative services that involve the purchase, sale, or assignment of motive power…training locomotive engineers etc…
It’s been attempted, much of this concept as related to maintenance and upkeep was included in BN’s power-by-the-hour deal involving the Oakway SD60’s and promptly ran afoul of existing union contracts.
Another Paul beat me to it, [above] but I was going to say something similar, as follows -
Oakway was of course EMD’s operation - wasn’t LMS the GE equivalent [Q]
Both about 20 years ago - do a search and you could find more. I’m not sure if anyone other than BN got invovlved with it.
- PDN.
IINM, GE has some contract for this currently?