My understanding has been that Norfolk Southern runs the East....yet I see them running on the BNSF line along I-40 across Arizona. Since I freelance fictitious places in and about Arizona...I guess my locomotive roster can expand to include NS now. Life is getting better all the time....:tb-cool: .
I believe all of the Class I's have some sort of run through/power by the hour agreement between each other. I've seen BNSF and UP running through Ohio on the Chicago line (NS), in some cases they are solid sets of foreign power. I've also seen pics of CSX units out west in Washington and Oregan. Seems like anything goes these days. Certainly makes modeling the prototype more colorful... Brian
Yes, BNSF has never been afraid to give NS units the "All Access" tour of the system. I remember back in the mid/late 90's they had a lot of SD40's and SD40-2's on lease, and that's not even counting payback pool power and such. About a year ago, I made the trek to my parents' house which is about an hour away following a BSNF line WEST of Fort Worth, TX. Two of the trains I saw were solid sets of NS locos.
Hi, On October 6, 2008 I saw four BNSF locos (only BNSF) on a south bound grain train on the NS "Rat Hole" here in KY. Turn-a-bout is fair play.:tb-biggrin: Gary
Somewhere I saw a great picture of a solid lashup of CSX 8-40CWs approaching Tehachapi loop. In the Bay Area I have seen on occasion NS, CSX, CN, and Ferromex locos on BNSF trains (usually on UP track, to boot). BNSF seems on average to have foreign power much more often than UP.
I live 1000' north of the Chicago Line just west of Rochester, NY. I see CSX, NS, Conrail, Soo, BNSF, UP and even Santa Fe, both Silver/red & Blue/Yellow paints. You name it, I've seen it. Each road has a distinctive sound and I try to "guess the road" before it comes into view. Makes train watching from the front porch that much more fun!
I have a subscription to Railpace magazine, mostly photos of train action in the Northeast, Ohio, and eastern Canada and can assure you that UP and BNSF power make regular visits on CSX, NS, CN and CP trains throughout the region. There have been great pictures of dual UP SD70's running on the point of a CSX manifest train in central New Jersey. It was especially great to see because I realized I could run the UP AC4400 "lifesaver" I had been wanting for so long on my northeastern layout! Certainly adds some color to a black and white NS layout! my best, Jan
The first time I seen a CN unit down here in AZ on BNSF's transcon, I couldn't believe it. How'd that thing get all the way down here??? Since then, I've seen them quite a bit, along with most everyone else's units. Kinda makes me want to change my modeling time to the present. ;D -Mike
The railroads do seem to do a lot of loaning locos, and I believe the earlier reply was correct that they essentially repay each other in kind. I know that I have seen units from NS, KCS and TFM in BNSF consists out here in Colorado, and the variety certainly does spice things up.
Yup...modeling modern and diesels sure makes the layout pop...lol. Now I dont feel so odd running whatever THE Wife finds and says "Isn't that cute?!"...or "Would that one look ok on your/our layout?". It makes shopping sooooooo much easier...:tb-wink:. .
I think the railroads are only copying what can be found on any given Ntrak layout. Either that or they don't know where all their locomaotives are.
It can't quite be that, or else they'd be running that NS loco in a lashup with a Mikado steamer and maybe an Alco somethingorother, and it would be towing boxcars featuring individual U.S. states or old battleships or Smokey the Bear.:mtongue:
Makes life a lot more interesting when buying a new loco for your layout. At least you don't have to worry so much about sticking to prototype too rigidly. Might make for some "rainbow" coloured trains!!!!:tb-biggrin:
Hi again, Since the Big Boys play with each others locos, I have no qualms doing it on my layout. I have only 4 locos numbered for the GD&R, and one of them is still in primer gray. Most locos that frequently run on the layout are from other railroads (see the roster page on the railroads website). Gary
I live here in Hickory, N.C. and their been 5 UP/BNSF lash ups and even come rare CN trains rolling thru so really I'm Like everyone else I will aleast take some pictures so I can model the ones that came thru here.
pastoolio, you don't have to model the present to have run throughs on your layout. Pooling of motive power has been a regular practice since at least the late 60's. You're a little more limited in terms of specifics, but there are still plenty of possibilities.
David,you hit that on the head.Here in Northeast PA,from the mid '60's up,you could see literallyANYTHING running the rails.Just on the LV,I remember NKP,UP,N&W,BAR,DT&I,and who knows what else,EL saw frequent BN,up,and other power,N&W and B&O/Chessie were everywhere,even a primer gray U50 ran on the EL here at one time!! THese days,I live next to 2 active mains,one R&N,one CP,it's not unusual to see CP,CN,SusieQ,UP,BNSF,NS,ATSF,and a plethora of lease units,and that's on a light traffic pair of lines..
Despite living in an area technically served by only two Class I's, BNSF and UP, I see quite regularly CSX, NS, and CP units. There are lots of old SP units creeping around, too, and lots of lease units. Occasionally, I will see a KCS loco, and even rarer, a CN. Adam
A few years ago I was driving down I-81 in Wytheville, Virginia when I saw a solid consist of UP locomotives pulling a train down the NS mainline. Made me feel right at home. A friend of mine is a dispatcher for UP at the Spring Dispatch Center just north of Houston. A few years back he told me that CSX was notorious for "borrowing" power. Anything that rolled into New Orleans was fair game and could disappear headed east as soon as the UP crews would walk away from it. UP regularly swapped out power in Houston, especially their newer locomotives and put old junkers on the train for the trip to New Orleans. They never knew when they would see those engines again.
This has been interesting reading. Never knew almost all roads ran everywhere. That got me thinking though. (Yes...I know thats dangerous). BUT...If a modeler models a certain area...maybe even a time period...and he wants/ needs and desires it to be as 'prototypical' as possible. But he only buys and runs what would be most common to the area...say BNSF....and not any other road names...is his layout really 'prototypical' ?? Just thinking out loud....hehehehe. ;-) .