do not have a clue

[willy6]

i'm a model railroader. i try to railfan to get prototype information. i live in south carolina and watch the CSX and the NS tracks when i can. today i went to the bank to make the company deposits.the bank is about 1000 ft. from the tracks
i heard the loco's horns .so i went to the railfan mode from the bank parking lot.now this is a NS mainline to charleston,this train had 2 locomotives BNSF PUMPKINS pulling a bunch of container cars. what is BNSF doing on a NS mainline?

[edblysard]

BNSF and NS have a joint intermodel service, what you saw was run through power jointly used by both roads.
Whatever happened to be on hand is the power they will use.
Keep your eyes peeled, you may see a BNSF followed by a NS motor, or vice versa!
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[JoeKoh]

Ed
I'm still waitng for a bnsf up combo pulling a csx or ns train here in ohio.that would be a photo to see.
stay safe
Joe

[eolafan]

Here in Aurora, IL we see NS power on BNSF all the time, sometimes in solid NS sets. Jim

[dehusman]

Railroads have "run-through" agreements where the railroads will exchange power on run through trains. The railroads keep track of the engines, cabooses and EOT's on the other lines and charge them for their use. Engines are charged by "horsepower hours". A railroad earns the horsepower of the locomotive for the number of hours its off line. An BNSF SD40-2 on the NS for 30 hours would earn 90,000 hphrs (30 hrs x 3000 hp). At the end of the month the railroads balance the number hphrs owed each other, usually paying each other back in locomotives. If I own you 9 million hphrs I might give you 4 SD40's to use for a month to pay them back (4 x 3000 hp x 24 hrs x 30 days).

Dave H.

[techguy57]

Do UP and CSX have similar agreements? I saw a UP engine coupled with a CSX running the IHB line near LaGrange, IL yesterday. It appeared the CSX was being towed although there is a 10mph or so speed restriction through the area. I got a good picture I think.

[JoeKoh]

Techguy
They probably do too.There are sometimes more foriegn power pulling Csx trains here in Defiance than Csx power.Also saw a BNSF engine (santa fe 500 # series)in warbonnet(sf)paint pulling an eastbound ns intermodal near my workplace the other night.
stay safe
joe

[willy6]

thank you guys for the answer..........thats what makes this forum so good we can share info and learn on the greatest machinery on earth.........except a submarine,which i rode for 20 years............have a great day