Union Pacific Locos on the CSX Mainline in Syracuse?

I wasn't sure whether I should put this on CSX's or UP's page, but I figured since the locos were on CSX track, answering to CSX dispatchers, and so far from their home turf it would be best to post it here.

Around 5:30 PM yesterday (2-17-11) I observed two UP Locos hauling a single freight car heading westbound on the CSX (ex-NYC) mainline in Syracuse. Their numbers were 3955 and 4168. Anyone know what they were doing in this neck of the woods?

Power pooled on through train and is now returning on another pool train. Most likely Q351, or Q377. If they were all white ARMN reefers, it could have been Q091 hotshot veggie express between Portland Or. and S. Schenectady, NY. Foriegn power, UP, or other railroad is fairly common. CSX has been having a power shortage over the past month, so they'll send whatever is in the service center, out on the next available train. Keep your eyes open, your likely to see a number of other RR's engines passing through.

roadster wrote:Power pooled on through train and is now returning on another pool train. Most likely Q351, or Q377. If they were all white ARMN reefers, it could have been Q091 hotshot veggie express between Portland Or. and S. Schenectady, NY. Foriegn power, UP, or other railroad is fairly common. CSX has been having a power shortage over the past month, so they'll send whatever is in the service center, out on the next available train. Keep your eyes open, your likely to see a number of other RR's engines passing through.

Thanks for that!
The locos weren't hauling any reefers, just an off-white hopper car, and they definitely seemed in a hurry to get home, because they ran a full red block signal and had to back up. I didn't realize CSX had a power shortage either, what's going on with that?
I've seen foreign power on the line before, but it's usually local regionals (NYS&W, Finger Lakes RR, once even the Ontario Midland RR!) or the other local Class I's (CP & NS). I'd never seen UP this far east before, and I don't believe they even have trackage rights east of Chicago (please correct me if I'm wrong...it's old information).
Definitely something you don't see around here everyday!

I think that would be an ethanol train....solid tank cars with one spacer up front.

The units were on Ethanol Train K682-13 loaded and K683-17 empty.

When viewed they were probably moving to or from the consignee's plant.

It's not trackage rights. These trains are run throughs, from UP territory. It's just alot simpler to keep the loco's on the trains and change crews. this has been a normal operating proceedure for well over 20 years. Most Railroads have agreements which allow anothers engines to run on the others territory and the horsepower usage is paid back by borrowing the other railroads engines back for a simular hp usage time frame. That's ahy you'll see most any RR's engines floating around the country. As far as the local shortlines and regionals engines. In most cases they are being transported to a repair facility for more work than their home shops have capacity for.
I remember that train the other day. The crew had to turn the power and idler car on the Wye at CP 291, so they could pull their ethanol train from the West end of Belle Isle siding, runaround it again, turn power and idler again to get everything back on the East end and facing the right way. They didn't run the Red signal. They were given verbal premission by the train dispatcher to pass the Stop Signal as part of the turning process.

UP and other foreign units have been relatively common through Syracuse for over 25 years. You can see CN units on an almost daily basis on trains 620/621; heck Sunday night the eastbound had a BC Rail unit for a leader - IC and WC units can show, too, as all are part of CN now.

NS units, on the other hand, should be relatively rare on CSX up here. I haven't seen one in a long time. But KCS units turn up now and then, instead.


Just to give an idea, I used to purposely go out on Thursday afternoons in the mid-1990s to catch TV556 - 9 times out of 10 it had Southern Pacific units on it, including once a leased ex-Santa Fe F45 of all things. It usually worked Dewitt, so if it had something really good I could catch it at CP293, jump in the car and catch it again along Saintsville Road or someplace else around Minoa.

lvrr325 wrote:UP and other foreign units have been relatively common through Syracuse for over 25 years. You can see CN units on an almost daily basis on trains 620/621; heck Sunday night the eastbound had a BC Rail unit for a leader - IC and WC units can show, too, as all are part of CN now.

NS units, on the other hand, should be relatively rare on CSX up here. I haven't seen one in a long time. But KCS units turn up now and then, instead.


Just to give an idea, I used to purposely go out on Thursday afternoons in the mid-1990s to catch TV556 - 9 times out of 10 it had Southern Pacific units on it, including once a leased ex-Santa Fe F45 of all things. It usually worked Dewitt, so if it had something really good I could catch it at CP293, jump in the car and catch it again along Saintsville Road or someplace else around Minoa.

BNSF 8266 in pumpkin and NS 8810 on Q382 went through rochester yesterday late afternoon...

That's about the most likely way for NS to end up here - it's already being run through as someone else's power. But NS has it's own trains and routes to most of the places CSX goes in New York, so there's little reason for trains to run from NS origin to a CSX destination.

The pumpkin may have originated from AYMO on Pan Am. There was a pumpkin in the lead not too long ago. I've also seen UP units lead AYMO, and NS units are the most common leaders. In fact, it's been a long time since I've seen a PAR unit lead AYMO.

Q382 comes from Chicago area and is a relay train from the BNSF. It often has BNSF units, pumpkin or otherwise. Bottom line is you can see mostly anything along these mains. Yesterdays Q381 had 2 BNSF green/white SD60's and a KCS GE.

roadster wrote:Q382 comes from Chicago area and is a relay train from the BNSF. It often has BNSF units, pumpkin or otherwise. Bottom line is you can see mostly anything along these mains. Yesterdays Q381 had 2 BNSF green/white SD60's and a KCS GE.

Roadster's right. The one, 8266, only few ex SF sd75i, was on eastbound and on Q382 as he stated. Didn't came from AYMYO...

I see UP, BNSF, and others a lot...

In fact there is 2 NS and 3 CSX sitting in R&S' yard next to Rochester airport. you can see them from 390. NS has been there since Sunday or Sat. CSX got there on Monday.. So railroad's locomotives can be found anywhere, away from their home, even on shortline and regional..

Correction- trio of each CSX and NS. they have been split apart yesterday. However they are still sitting there. R&S left headlight on NS lead on since monday...

sd80mac wrote:

roadster wrote:Q382 comes from Chicago area and is a relay train from the BNSF. It often has BNSF units, pumpkin or otherwise. Bottom line is you can see mostly anything along these mains. Yesterdays Q381 had 2 BNSF green/white SD60's and a KCS GE.

Roadster's right. The one, 8266, only few ex SF sd75i, was on eastbound and on Q382 as he stated. Didn't came from AYMYO...

I see UP, BNSF, and others a lot...

In fact there is 2 NS and 3 CSX sitting in R&S' yard next to Rochester airport. you can see them from 390. NS has been there since Sunday or Sat. CSX got there on Monday.. So railroad's locomotives can be found anywhere, away from their home, even on shortline and regional..

I have never seen foreign power on CSX here on the Kanawha or Big Sandy aside from twice. Once I found out was a K train with CP or CN run through power, the other was a pair of NS catfish on a coal train on my cell phone. I'll see if I can find it...

NS' Trio powers are finally GONE after little over 2 weeks of sitting in R&S yard.. they were not there yesterday.

sd80mac wrote:Correction- trio of each CSX and NS. they have been split apart yesterday. However they are still sitting there. R&S left headlight on NS lead on since monday...

sd80mac wrote:

roadster wrote:Q382 comes from Chicago area and is a relay train from the BNSF. It often has BNSF units, pumpkin or otherwise. Bottom line is you can see mostly anything along these mains. Yesterdays Q381 had 2 BNSF green/white SD60's and a KCS GE.

Roadster's right. The one, 8266, only few ex SF sd75i, was on eastbound and on Q382 as he stated. Didn't came from AYMYO...

I see UP, BNSF, and others a lot...

In fact there is 2 NS and 3 CSX sitting in R&S' yard next to Rochester airport. you can see them from 390. NS has been there since Sunday or Sat. CSX got there on Monday.. So railroad's locomotives can be found anywhere, away from their home, even on shortline and regional..