Question about reporting marks...

[Scordicus]

Why would a shortline railroad have different reporting marks on it's rolling stock as to those on it's locomotives?? Is there any particular reason for this??

 

[TrinityJayOne]

As I understand it, it was fairly typical for smaller railroads to get hand-me-down locos from the Class 1 railroads as they updated to newer equipment. Is that what you mean?

 

[Scordicus]

As I understand it, it was fairly typical for smaller railroads to get hand-me-down locos from the Class 1 railroads as they updated to newer equipment. Is that what you mean?

No..

The railroad in question is the Kansas & Oklahoma RR, they do indeed use second hand equipment from class 1 railroads but their loco's are marked 'WAMX' & their rolling stock is simply marked 'KO'. Most confusing...

 

[wheeler1963]

Their engine's marked WAMX may actually be leased from someone else.

Yes, look at this.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoList.aspx?id=WAMX

 

[Airslide]

maybe not a complete, or completely accurate answer but from what little bit i know, when reporting marks end in "X" it represents a private and in many cases, a non-railroad entity. in your case Watco/Webb Asset Management (WAMX) is the operating entity for the KO. so while probably all of the rolling stock of the KO is branded accordingly - the power units yeild the marks of the operating entity. all switching and feeding operations are probably carried out by WAMX...similarly, companies like DOWX, or ADMX, GATX etc. may have a few GP's or various switching power in their fleet, but do not participate in long haul operations. the difference being, DOW, ADM General American (GATX) have rolling stock with the same reporting marks as their power....or something like that....

 

[Ken G Price]

Airslide, you nailed it. Leased engines don't take as big of a bite from the budget as the leasing company is responsible for all maintenance beyond the basics.
If an engine dies then you can just exchange it.

 

[Scordicus]

Thanks guys, that kinda makes sense..

Strangely enough from the pictures I've seen, I presume then that the K&O doesn't use separate reporting marks on it's own loco's as they just have their name on the long hood & a road number on the cab on their GP9's, but on the GP35's they have WAMX as well on the cab..

Is it normal practice then for a company to repaint a leased loco in their home colour scheme?? I would have thought the leasing company would have their own paint scheme like TTX has or am I wrong?

 

[ICG/SOU]

Watco purchased a bunch of short lines, and it seems that in the case of the one around here, the Austin and Western, Watco is fine with leaving the locomotives well enough alone. Other Watco short lines like the Alabama Southern I've seen also have their own paint.

Genesee and Wyoming, aka the short line Borg, seem to repaint everything in their corporate colors, but with the original short line's name kept on the long hood.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Some information on Watco (WAMX)

 

[Airslide]

when railfanning i sometimes see non-railroad "X" power mixed in with the class 1 power. i guess to maximize profits, they just meet the bare minimum government requirements of having the reporting marks showing. like IGC pointed out some of the X companies do paint their power in comany colors and schemes. in my experience though i have only seen full schemes for X companies near the base of operations. i dont ever recall seeing them on the road as they are usually switchers or GP's.

 

[Scordicus]

Some information on Watco (WAMX)

Thanks for that Jeff, I'm now even more confused than I was before lol..

I always take wiki with a pinch of salt, it's a good reference, but it's not always wholly accurate and I really don't know in this case.. It says that Watco acquired the railroad in 2001, but then on the K&O wiki, it says they started operating the day after lol..

Anyway, I think I've now solved the problem I was encountering thanks to you guys.. Looks like Watco purchased the motive power from K&O & put their reporting marks on them, then leased them straight back to the K&O, I would imagine this was probably done to keep maintenance costs down or maybe just the fact that if a loco broke down, they could get an almost instant replacement to continue working..

Anyway, as the photo's I've seen of the original K&O loco's didn't have reporting marks, just a road number on the cab & their name on the long hood, I think that's the way I will go for my models...

 

[cv_acr]

Also, some leasing companies offer engines for short-term leasing and long-term leasing.

A shortline might permanently/long-term lease a locomotive from a leasing company, so it could have the shortline's name on it but the reporting marks indicating the actual leasing company owner. Or it could simply be in the leasing company's colours.