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Reply to "Do You Run Different Makes and Models of Diesels Together?"

Found this information about Borrowed power or Run-through power from some contributors to Trains Magazine. Pretty interesting. The result is that on many trains there is a variety of different types of engines, and they come from a variety of different railroads. It's all about horsepower.

"Borrowing locomotives happens all the time for various reasons. How the railroads keep track is horsepower hours. If say NS borrows a UP SD40-2 (@3000HP) for a day then NS will owe UP 72,000 horsepower hours. Now NS can pay UP back by sending them a 6000hp unit for 12 hours or 2 3000hp units for 24 hours, either way the debt will be canceled. That is just one example.

"Each railroad (usually the power desk) keeps track of each other railroads horsepower hour balance. When a railroad gets a lot of horsepower hours in debt with another they will usually send the owed railroad a bunch of units to pay of the debt. This means the owed railraod can pretty much use the units as they see fit. That could mean the foreign unit may end up at the farthest points of the owed railroad."

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"There are other reasons for a foreign unit running on another railroad's tracks. Long term lease is one reason, where a railroad that has excess power will lease units to a railroad that is power short. Then there is also pooling, where two railroads that jointly run a train over both railroads tracks will pool units for that train. An example being the inside gateway (GN(BN) Vancouver to Bieber & WP(UP) Bieber to Stockton) where GN(BN) and WP pooled power.

"There are also detours, like when one railroads line gets washed out and they have to detour on anothers route. Unless there are signal requirements (like cab signals) they usually use the detouring roads power and crew with a pilot from the hosting railroad (unless it's a long detour over multiple crew districts. "

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"There are many reasons locos leave there home turf. Run through agreements would be one. Railroad A has a train that is delivered by railroad B so they each contribute to a pool of power and where the train is handed off they don't have to change power whitch consumes time and effort. Then there is the case where one railroad may be short of power and might borrow power from another railroad. There are also trackage rights situations where railroad A has rights over B but while As trains are on B's tracks its railroad A's power on the point.

"When the power is on another railroads turf it is kept track of by horsepower hours. The horsepower of the unit is multiplied by the hours its on the foreign road. Each railroad has an account with each other railroad. Occasionaly an account will get out of balance and the oweing railroad will turn over locomotives to pay back horsepower hours and bring the account back in balance.

"This is kept track of by computer at each railroad. The bigger railroads have "power desks" where the locomotives are managed. Not only managed for hours they owe or are owed but to maintain the balance of power within there own systems. These managers have to plan days ahead of time to make shure there is enough power in the places it's needed."

Last edited by breezinup

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