Question about cars used in modern unit coal service

[Anonymous]

These days, most electric utility companies own there own coal hoppers, that are used to bring coal to steam plants. It is very common to see an entire unit coal train made up of nothing but utility-owned cars. It is also, however, pretty common to see nothing but railroad-owned cars in a coal train. My question is this, and it may be a pretty silly one. Would, or do, you ever see a "mixed" train with both railroad owned, AND utility owned cars? If so, how common is it?

[nbrodar]

I've seen it on occation, but it's very rare. 99.99% of the time it's either all ulitity or all railroad owned.

Nick

[dehusman]

Pretty common, the railroad ones are often used as spares or sometimes the contracts require the railroad to lease or provide equipment so there may be a mix of railroad cars and cars they have leased.

Dave H.

[nbrodar]

Railroad lease equipment is something entirely different from utiltiy owned equipment. I see railroad equipment and lease equipment (FURX, HMJX) mixed quite often. But very rarely will you see utility owned equipment mixed with railroad or railroad leased equipment.

Nick

[jsoderq]

Actually they come in here mixed all the time. The rate is based on a certain number of cars (say 100) so they have to add cars to make up the count. Every time a car is sidelined (brakes, wheels, broken ladder) another is added - whatever is handy of the right type to go through the unloader.

[nbrodar]

I stand corrected...I've just never seen them run like that through my yard.

Nick

[dehusman]

It depends on the contracts between the railroads and utilities. It may very well be that the trains operating through your area don't provide for railroads providing equipment. On the UP it its fairly common.

Dave H.

[emdgp92]

I see railroad-owned hoppers mixed in with utility-owned cars on the former Monongahela line every now and then. Not many, usually about 1 or 2 in a 100-car (or longer) train. But, I never see the reverse. That is, I have *yet* to see a string of NS hoppers with a single DEEX (Detroit Edison) car in it.