Western Railroad Discussion > Reporting Marks Question

Today I saw a westbound UP manifest in Lawrence (Ks.) with a freshly painted (brown with white lettering) standard 50 foot box car with BKTY reporting marks (which the UP acquired with the MKT). There was also GATX stenciled in big letters in the upper right corner of the car. If this is a GATX owned car, why didn't they use their own reporting marks? Thanks for your help.

WichitaJct Wrote:
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> Today I saw a westbound UP manifest in Lawrence
> (Ks.) with a freshly painted (brown with white
> lettering) standard 50 foot box car with BKTY
> reporting marks (which the UP acquired with the
> MKT). There was also GATX stenciled in big letters
> in the upper right corner of the car. If this is a
> GATX owned car, why didn't they use their own
> reporting marks? Thanks for your help.

Maybe GATX doesn't own it but is leasing it from UP.

WichitaJct Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Today I saw a westbound UP manifest in Lawrence
> (Ks.) with a freshly painted (brown with white
> lettering) standard 50 foot box car with BKTY
> reporting marks (which the UP acquired with the
> MKT). There was also GATX stenciled in big letters
> in the upper right corner of the car. If this is a
> GATX owned car, why didn't they use their own
> reporting marks? Thanks for your help.

As GATX marked it would not earn car hire.  As BKTY (RR mark) it would.  

Waybiller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WichitaJct Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Today I saw a westbound UP manifest in Lawrence
> > (Ks.) with a freshly painted (brown with white
> > lettering) standard 50 foot box car with BKTY
> > reporting marks (which the UP acquired with the
> > MKT). There was also GATX stenciled in big
> letters
> > in the upper right corner of the car. If this is
> a
> > GATX owned car, why didn't they use their own
> > reporting marks? Thanks for your help.
>
> As GATX marked it would not earn car hire.  As
> BKTY (RR mark) it would.

And we have a winner. I learned about this practice some years ago when I found out that many cars with shortline reporting marks are actually owned by companies like GATX and GE Railcar that use those 'railroad' marks for the above reason. That's also why there's now lots of rolling stock with WRWK (Warwick Railway) reporting marks even though that railroad's track has been inactive for years. GATX has an ownership stake in Providence & Worcester, which owns the WRWK, and presumably uses the WRWK reporting mark as a mark of convenience. (How Genesee & Wyoming's pending acquisition of P&W will affect that, I don't know, although I suspect GATX will remain a minority owner and thus keep ready access to the WRWK mark.)
 

If MKT is still a RR reporting mark for "Missouri-Kansas-Texas" RR owned by Union Pacific, would "BKTY" be a BANK- ("B--") -FINANCED/PURCHASED/LEASED M.K.T. car?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/16 14:05 by rbx551985.