Western Railroad Discussion > Does BNSF penalize UP for breakdowns?

Based on my highly subjective viewing OF the Fort Madison IA railcam, it seems like UP puts more power on stack trains than BNSF does.

Is there a penalty imposed on UP if its power breaks down on BNSF tracks?

3-4-5 units are common on BNSF, 4-5 or more on UP. UP seems to like 2 unit DPU, also. Just now a wb BNSF passed with 2 units and 43 stacks. An eastbound windmill empty went thru with one BNSF unit and 40 flats.

(I've been counting cars to see how many it takes to foul the crossing.)

Posted from Android

I don't know the answer to your question (wondered myself) but the only trains that use Fort Mad are Z trains, and UP has been keeping their Z's powered pretty well for most of the year.  Not uncommon to see 4 or 5 on the lead with 1-2 DPUs on trains through there, but also common on other divisions on their own rails for some of the longer Z's.      

The stack trains i see here on the Overland main almost always have 4-5 units for power.
JC

Posted from Android

         UP's Global 4 to City of Industry seems to always run with four units and no more than 125 cars.

         Prior to the U. P. taking the Southern Pacific, the SP kept 4 to 8 units in Liberal, Kansas to 'horse up' any hot train moving over to the Santa Fe at Hutchinson, Ks for the run to Chicago but of course that was normally thought of being done because the SP had a higher failure rate than was allowed. SP kind of accepted a 'drag' when power went down but the Santa Fe did not.

memphisfreight Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't know the answer to your question (wondered
> myself) but the only trains that use Fort Mad are
> Z trains...

The current UP trains thru Fort Mad are ZG4CI (afternoon?), IG4SI , ZCIG2 (morning) and ILBG4 (early morning), all daily.

I have found out from Florida581 that memphisfreight is correct.  IG4SI and ILBG4 go via the Jefferson City Sub.  Others on that route are the IG4SIB, ITUG4, ICYDU, ZDUNP and the new ICIG4 and IG4CI.

mapboy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/20 09:02 by mapboy.

One time I was train watching at YERMO, CA, and a waiting WB UP freight was finally given the chance to get into Barstow.  The train was underpowered, and struggled to get going, barely making headway, then stalling at the switch.  The BNSF dispatcher came on and asked "What's going on?"  The UP engineer explained, seeking permission for time to back up and make another run at the junction.  The BNSF dispatcher was clearly irritated by this underpowered UP train tying up his busy RR, and he told him to "back down, clear the junction, and call for more power.  When that happens, let me know."  And thus the UP train, after obediently backing down into the clear, sat there and waited for a very long, long time.....

Moral of the story:  maybe UP learned that BNSF doesn't mess around when running a high-speed, 2-track mainline, and maybe they (UP) should come prepared.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/20 07:40 by coach.

UP trains going on the joint line in Colorado usually follow Rio grande practices of having more power than the BN.

I believe there's a minimum horsepower/ton ratio the UP must follow for their trackage rights trains on the BNSF.  I seem to recall it wass 4hp/ton at one time, but I can be corrected on this.  

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

UP used to regularly run the LAYR (Los Angeles to Yermo) trains light on power knowing that one of the SF helper sets would shove
it up the hill. SF finally got tired of that an mandated a minimum hpt for Cajon. Didn't mean the train would make it but at least it left
East with the minimum met.

Out 

Mechanical or mental?