BNSF & Union Pacific?

[PartsMan]

I saw a train go by work yesterday that was pulled by two large late model wide cab, and wing having six axle locomotives. One was an orange and green BNSF and the other a UP gray and yellow. They were pulling a long line of matching black tankers. Is it just me or is that odd? Sorry no pics or road numbers.

 

[kenw]

no, it isn't unheard of. unusual, yes.

more likely, one or the other may in fact have been leased units that still have the original owner's colors.

For awhile in Houston it was very common to have a BNSF train with UP power, altho closer inspection indicated that the UP power had been sold to a leaser (HLCX, LLRX or others are common) without having been repainted. The only clue may be the reporting marks (HLCX, etc) on the cab side. Sometimes the UNION PACIFIC on the long hood is still there, often it has a single thin line thru it.

 

[UP2CSX]

It may also have been a unit train of sulfur or whatever chemicals were being delivered. Unit trains will often use whatever power is available including foreign power that's working off hours that the other railroad used with that railroad's locomotives. I've seen trains down here with solid four and five locomotive consists of UP engines hauling loads of cardboard and paper products north after they delivered unit trains of coal to a power plant. This saves the CSX from having to send engines to pick up a coal train from a far away interchange point and the saves the UP from having to send engines south for paper products. Although there's a considerable amount of leasing, like Ken wrote, power swapping is also very common compared to the past. It's actually similar to what's been done for decades with freight cars. It works now because there are relatively so few different models of locomotives in road service nationwide and they are fairly standardized, so they can have running repairs performed at almost any railroad shop.

 

[ICG/SOU]

When SP was merged with UP, so I am told, and UP owns all the tracks in my area, you just saw UP with patched SP.

With the Toyota plant we have, it was in the contract that UP gave trackage rights to other roads, including BNSF.

On the old MKT and MP lines, I see mostly UP, but occasionally UP lashed with NS or BNSF or TFM. At Flatonia, which was all SP until recently, I see UP, NS, and KCS all lashed together or separately.

 

[vato loco]

It may also have been a unit train of sulfur or whatever chemicals were being delivered. Unit trains will often use whatever power is available including foreign power that's working off hours that the other railroad used with that railroad's locomotives. I've seen trains down here with solid four and five locomotive consists of UP engines hauling loads of cardboard and paper products north after they delivered unit trains of coal to a power plant. This saves the CSX from having to send engines to pick up a coal train from a far away interchange point and the saves the UP from having to send engines south for paper products. Although there's a considerable amount of leasing, like Ken wrote, power swapping is also very common compared to the past. It's actually similar to what's been done for decades with freight cars. It works now because there are relatively so few different models of locomotives in road service nationwide and they are fairly standardized, so they can have running repairs performed at almost any railroad shop.

Last year I saw a SP locomotive leading a mixed freight down here in florida!