NS locos, why do they have other reporting marks?

[Davidellias]

While spotting a while back, I noticed an NS SD70 on the lash-up had small PRR markings under the number. I just brushed it off thinking it was an ex-CR unit and they had changed the markings to PRR like some of the freight cars, but recently while in Roanoke, i noticed loco motive with small SOU,NW and even GSF markings under the locomotive numbers. Why does NS do this? Is it related to what Southern used to do?

 

[wongsing]

In the same fashion as many other railroads that owe or have owed their existence to the merging of many subsidiary railroads (i.e: Chessie System - B&O, C&O, WM...) I believe they do this due to the original railroads still owning parts of the main holding company. I'm not exactly sure how ownership rights work and such, but this is how it was explained to me briefly sometime ago. Maybe someone else knows the more specific details and can elaborate.

-Richard Wongsing

 

[Photogdad]

NS is one of the few, if not only one who still has reporting marks on their locomotives. Now from what I understood was that whoever owned the locomotive prior to NS, that reporting mark was put on the locomotive by the number. Now I don't know why PRR would be on a SD70 as they never owned any, and I don't know if it may have been a ex-Conrail unit and NS put the PRR reporting mark on it to show their part of Conrail as CSX put NYC on their ex-Conrail cars, but never on their locomotives (unless it was right after the breakup and before it was repainted)

 

[DirtyD79]

NS is one of the few, if not only one who still has reporting marks on their locomotives. Now from what I understood was that whoever owned the locomotive prior to NS, that reporting mark was put on the locomotive by the number. Now I don't know why PRR would be on a SD70 as they never owned any, and I don't know if it may have been a ex-Conrail unit and NS put the PRR reporting mark on it to show their part of Conrail as CSX put NYC on their ex-Conrail cars, but never on their locomotives (unless it was right after the breakup and before it was repainted)

In that case it's because when Conrail was purchased and split between Norfolk Southern and CSX it was split into two separate limited liability companies, New York Central Lines (NYC) and Pennsylvania Lines (PRR). The two have nothing to do with the historic Pennsylvania Rail Road and New York Central. Norfolk Southern also got the right to use the CR reporting mark.
PRR and CR were used to indicate equipment that was going to Norfolk Southern while NYC was for equipment that would be going to CSX.

 

[cv_acr]

NS is one of the few, if not only one who still has reporting marks on their locomotives.

CN also has an extensive fleet of locomotives with the reporting marks indicated on the engine. Many IC, GTW, WC, BCOL, etc. engines have been repainted into CN colours wihout renumbering. These all have the reporting marks below the number on the cab sides. This is very important to properly identify, since there could be 2 or 3 engines out there all with the same number and paint scheme, but different marks.

 

[cv_acr]

In that case it's because when Conrail was purchased and split between Norfolk Southern and CSX it was split into two separate limited liability companies, New York Central Lines (NYC) and Pennsylvania Lines (PRR). The two have nothing to do with the historic Pennsylvania Rail Road and New York Central. Norfolk Southern also got the right to use the CR reporting mark.
PRR and CR were used to indicate equipment that was going to Norfolk Southern while NYC was for equipment that would be going to CSX.

Yeppers.

Locomotives going to NS were renumbered with small PRR reporting marks below the new numbers.
Rolling stock going to NS was left in original CR reporting marks.

Locomotives going to CSX were renumbered into CSXT series.
Rolling stock going to CSX was simply re-marked NYC.

These old pre-Conrail reporting marks (which were still actively owned by Conrail) were re-used to help split up the former Conrail equipment.