Has anybody seen the same locomotive twice? And by this I meet road locomotives, not Heritage Units, yard locomotives, or museum units, etc.
Yes, as a matter of fact, and this one wasn't easy to miss.
It was the CSX 699, the six-thousand horsepower unit with the "Diversity" markings. Several years back it seemed to be a frequent visitor to the Richmond VA area. And then one day it was gone, never to return.
Here it is, http://locomotive.wikia.com/wiki/File:CSX_Diversity_AC6000CW.jpg
The other CSX units I see around here are pretty "cookie cutter" and don't stand out like that one did, so I may have seen them more than once but as they're not very memorable they just don't register, if you know what I mean.
Like Firelock says - I may have seen the same unit, even multiple times, but unless something stood out, it just didn't register.
I did a search on a GP38 I saw in this area some years back and found a picture of it in Michigan - 500 miles away.
It does happen at Deshler - a stack train will go east into North Baltimore, then the locomotives will appear a few hours later with a westbound stack train.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
It's not really that unusual, depending where you are. Engines can be assigned to specific power pools, like manifest, intermodal, coal, etc. For engines in the coal pool, they seem to stay on the same train for a few cycles. A few times I've had the same train, power and cars, on different trips. Once within in a period of a few weeks, with the exception of one engine change, I had the same train on different trips. One time on the loaded train, twice on the returning empties.
I do have one advantage. I keep a record of trains, loads/mtys/tons, length, engines I work.
Jeff
PS. Yard and local power tends to stay in the same place. At least until time for shopping or inspections.
At one time I did write down the engine numbers I saw. I had to write them down as I could never remember the numbers for more than a few minutes, let alone 2 or 3 days or weeks later! Sometimes if there were 3 engines on the lead I could not remember all three numbers while I was writing them down! I even bought a small toy electronic recording device, called a "Yak-Back" that would record about 10 seconds of audio, so I could speak the numbers and then play it back to be able to write them down, but slow trains with multiple engines might take so long to pass that I would not get all the numbers recorded to play back and so I'd miss one or more.
I put the numbers into a spreadsheet along with the date, time and direction of travel, so I could sort on the numbers to see if there were duplicates.
I did note that on some unit trains, I would see the same engine multiple times (maybe every 3 or 4 days) for maybe a month at the most, and then I'd not see it again. I assume the engine would just haul the same cars back and forth until it needed some repair or was pulled off that job to help some other train and it was the only power available at the moment to help. Sometimes I'd see the same engine going the same direction a few days later; I suppose it went back the other way while I was not watching. 60 to 80 trains a day is a lot of trains even in the short time per day I was out watching trains (1 to 4 hours... I'd take a picnic lunch and a book to read, or my computer to work on the spreadsheet of engines or a Visual Basic program I was writing, between trains).
I didn't keep up the list for more than just one summer when I was out watching trains most every day (right after I retired). I don't know if any engines got back to the regular runs later.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
jeffhergertI do have one advantage. I keep a record of trains, loads/mtys/tons, length, engines I work.
I have an engineer's log from the 1950's I acquired a while back - not so much loads and empties, but definitely all of the engines he ran.
Turns out I've run one of the locomotives he ran - an RS3 that has been preserved and that ran on the Adirondack.
I didn't think about this until this morning, but I do see some CSX GP38's on local freight jobs on a pretty regular basis. I don't remember the numbers but what does strike me is how well maintained they are, which is what probably what got my attention to begin with. These aren't rolling junk piles, they have fresh paint jobs and appear to be good runners with good "get-up-and-go" and no smoke-belching exhaust. They look a lot better than some of the mainline CSX locomotives do.
A really shaggy looking KCS locomotive show up about every three months on BNSF grain trains in southeastern South Dakota.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Firelock76I didn't think about this until this morning, but I do see some CSX GP38's on local freight jobs on a pretty regular basis.
I've been working with the same group of yard engines for the past 10 years. It's kind of nice. You learn their quirks and features.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
When I lived in the Northeast it was common to see the same engine multiple times. With GG1s you could even track some changes in paint schemes across numbers, and it would not have taken long to find a 'second sighting' of some E44 (the probability calculation is interesting math). But these were restricted numbers of locomotives running over a comparatively short distance in heavy service.
Similarly, I saw 'repeat' RS3s on Erie and then EL commuter trains, and later it was common to see the same locomotive on NJT trains different days, particularly those in semi-dedicated service like the old Atlantic City express with an electric on one end and diesel on the other.
Currently in Memphis, the ex-Forrest Yard (don't remember the rename, sorry!) has several GP-38s that are shopped remotely and then returned; I've been seeing 5038 and 5036 on and off for quite a number of years.
Sets of engines were not uncommon 'repeaters' on the ex-Southern NS line; they'd be dispatched out and then return. Some sets have easily-spotted exotica in them (for example ex-Conrail dash-8s) which makes noting the numbers almost secondary.
Semper Vaporo At one time I did write down the engine numbers I saw. I had to write them down as I could never remember the numbers for more than a few minutes, let alone 2 or 3 days or weeks later!....
At one time I did write down the engine numbers I saw. I had to write them down as I could never remember the numbers for more than a few minutes, let alone 2 or 3 days or weeks later!....
I do something similar. I note date, time, location, direction, symbol, if I can hear it on the scanner, engines, and cars. I have over a decade of train watching on paper and four years in a spreadsheet. I don't go out every day, nor do I spend all day when I do, so it is not huge amounts of data. Now that I, too, find it harder to remember all those numbers, I take advantage of digital photography and machine-gun the locomotuves and later zoom in on the numbers when I feel like writing them down. Bonus if the photos turn out good, otherwise I delete the majority. As I get older, I don't write down as much as I take in more of the experience.
I really haven't searched for repeats, but I do scan my notes for locomotives in published photos to see if I've seen that same unit.
If your data is in a spreadsheet, depending on the program you use, it can be sorted many ways (keeping other columns attached) so if you have the engine numbers in one column and the date in another and so on, you can sort on the engine numbers and then it is easy to look for duplicates and see the dates they were seen. I use excel and it is a joy to sort things and then create new columns that calculate the difference in dates of pairs of rows to see how long it was between sightings.
JUST BE SURE you first SAVE the file in a junk file so that when screw things up you have not destroyed all the data in the original file! I'll let you guess why I recommend such precautions! :-(!
Suggestion for Trains staff: An article(s) on various jobs in the Class 1's, such as power desks, crew assignments, and other positions that keep the trains rolling. We have seen stories about track repairs and dispatching. How about car supplies, (CSX had complaints by shippers about getting cars for loads)
Electroliner 1935Suggestion for Trains staff: An article(s) on various jobs in the Class 1's, such as power desks, crew assignments, and other positions that keep the trains rolling. We have seen stories about track repairs and dispatching. How about car supplies, (CSX had complaints by shippers about getting cars for loads)
I suspect the Class 1's would claim 'propritary information' when it comes to both Car and Power distribution. (Especially CSX when customers alledge they aren't getting what they need.) Crew management - because of various Fallen Flag contracts and Local Chairman/Division Manager 'side letters' that change the implementation of the Master Agreement account specific local issue - is a snakepit of different rules at different locations. One size DOES NOT fit all.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACDI suspect the Class 1's would claim 'propritary information' when it comes to both Car and Power distribution.
I'd think it would be possible to write an article without giving away any trade secrets. What the power desk does, how it does it, common problems, etc.
tree68 BaltACD I suspect the Class 1's would claim 'propritary information' when it comes to both Car and Power distribution. I'd think it would be possible to write an article without giving away any trade secrets. What the power desk does, how it does it, common problems, etc.
BaltACD I suspect the Class 1's would claim 'propritary information' when it comes to both Car and Power distribution.
Both kinds of distribution are dependent upon propritary software that each carrier has developed over the years based upon the physical characteristics of their operating property as well as their customer mix and how that customer mix is arrayed over their property.
In simple terms, EVERYONE knows that the Power Distribution department is charged with the responsibiliyt to provide locomotives for trains the need to be operated - priority scheduled, secondary scheduled and all the unscheduled bulk commodity trains (both loaded and empty). Car distribution is all about providing customers cars for their prospective loading with minimum expenditures (long distance empty movements) as well as getting non-system cars off the per diem clock in a expeditious manner. There are computer algorythems that have been fine tuned over the years to make decisions in the most beneficial way possible.
BaltACDIn simple terms, EVERYONE knows that the Power Distribution department is charged with the responsibiliyt to provide locomotives for trains the need to be operated - priority scheduled, secondary scheduled and all the unscheduled bulk commodity trains (both loaded and empty). Car distribution is all about providing customers cars for their prospective loading with minimum expenditures (long distance empty movements) as well as getting non-system cars off the per diem clock in a expeditious manner. There are computer algorythems that have been fine tuned over the years to make decisions in the most beneficial way possible.
I am aware of what you speek of. But it would be interesting to see if a Class I would be willing to have it talked about. Some of it might be too complex to be spelled out or explained but I wish someone would try. I see trains with "excess" power (Example: today on the Horseshoe curve, an Eastbound loaded coal train came down the hill with the normal two engines on the front, three OOS on the rear and a two unit "helper set" behind the three). Repositioning? On BNSF, at La Plata I see Z trains with anywhere from two to four units on the front and sometimes a DPU on the rear. But the size of the train does not seem to correlate to the power. Jeff has talked about fuel conservation decisions making units placed off line. Why put them on the train or is that a precautionary deployment. Inquiring minds....Or as I like to use the phrase "Infinite Couriosity" which sounds better than "Noseyness".
Let me throw out a few of the considerations Power Distribution managers face.
1. ALL locomotives must be inspected every 92 days - If not, they not usable by FRA rules - only certain locations can perform the inspections and efforts must be made to flow units each of the sites so they don't get overloaded beyond the shops ability.2. Each Terminal and outlying Local Origination location has power requirements that must be met.3. Power on line of road must have fuel to operate (scheduling refulings)4. Power on line of road will fail (mechanical and electrical) and work arounds must be designed.5. Failed power must be moved to an appropriate shop for repair.6. Scheduled Priority trains must have sufficient power in the proper time frame.7. Scheduled Secondary trains must have sufficient power in proper time frame.8. Scheduled 'slop freight' trains must have sufficient power in the proper time frame and be used to haul 'dead' power to the shop.9. Unscheduled bulk commodity trains must have power provided for their round trip.10. DPU capable engines must be available at the proper time for the trains that will use them (not all engines support DPU operation)11. Train Control equipped power must be available to lead trains that will traverse territory that requires Train Control.12. PTC equipped power must be available to lead trains that will traverse territory that required PTC.13. Helper Power must be available at helper locations to assist moving trains upgrade or assist in braking trains downgrade.14. Horsepower hour account balances with Foreign carriers.15. Probably another dozen considerations that I have overlooked.
In doing the above, communications must be established with Shop Personnel, Terminal Management, Outlying Trainmasters for their locals, Chief Dispatchers, Foreign Carriers with run through power on line and off line. Each carrier will have priorities established in how to make the decisions for their property - not all carriers decide things the same way.
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