These locomotives were at the end of a freight going through La Plata MO this week. I can't tell if they were damaged or undergoing maintenance. Anyone have an idea?
I can't even tell what they were from this post -- any pictures have been stripped or links to them broken. We would need either a link or a source to search before anyone can advise very much of any worth, I think.
It would be very unusual to handle most locomotives at the rear of a train, where their mass and possible relative lack of braking make for difficulty in train-handling, instead of coupling them in behind the front-end power, whether isolated or dead-in-train. So I would suspect this is an 'emergent situation' or you have something like older locomotives being transported with weak draft gear or couplers.
It is also possible that some failure of road power required 'assist' from engines of a following train, but I know nothing about that territory or whether that might have been necessary.
Just an observation: Having lived in SE Kansas [Parsons,Ks.area] and had seen on several occasions; how UPRR seemed to be getting "damaged power" to a company repair location. [ie: NLRAr, Jenks Shops or to a more northerly location(?) ] Their policy/practice(?) seemed to be placing the damaged engines directly behind the head-end power, and by-passing the damaged AB systems with temp rubber lines,[ strung past the damaged units] between HE power and the train.
As to BNSF's practices; I've not seen any, obviously, damaged power handled through here. But they seem to move many units in trains [units@D.I.T.(?)}. Normal power around here, on H.E.power is 2 to 5 units; when H,E. units comprise a count of 9 to 12 units, it is more obvious.
My guess would be that their practices would be similar to UPRRs in getting obviously, damaged power to a repair LOCATION(?).
CSX requires all locomotives, dead or alive, to be placed in the lead engine consist; even locomotives moving on a revenue waybill from one location to another.
Locomotives within trains will be working DPU engines. Locomtives at the rear end of train will most likely be a rear end DPU, however there is a outside chance that it could be a manned helper.
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