Visitor to Livingston MT

FXE ES44AC 4649 on a westbound coal train at the NP depot at Livingston, MT on 5/29/10. Paused for helpers for the attack on Bozeman Pass.

Let's see; FerroMex is roundly the lines that comprised the State owned FCP, or Pacifico. That once upon a time was the Southern Pacific-Mexico. Ferromex is also the now privitazied lines in which Union Pacific made a major investment (KCS did same in what was roundly the NdeM).

Moral of the story; it would appear the Union Pacific 'owed' BNSF some horsepower/hours (that is the unit of measure the roads use to "keep the bookkeeping straight" when units are interchanged), and this unit was handy with whoch to "pay 'em off". Therefore time for "Mexico in Montana".

Quite likely these foreign units will never see the lead; for one, all their controls are identified in Spanish.

Gilbert B Norman wrote: Moral of the story; it would appear the Union Pacific 'owed' BNSF some horsepower/hours (that is the unit of measure the roads use to "keep the bookkeeping straight" when units are interchanged), and this unit was handy with whoch to "pay 'em off". Therefore time for "Mexico in Montana".

FXE and UP are separate entities when determining horsepower hours. UP never, ever owes BNSF horsepower hours as the regular run-through trains between them favor UP locomotives spending more time on BNSF than vice-versa; FXE, on the other hand, is always in debt horsepower hours to BNSF (because BNSF power takes grain, taconite, and other trains into Mexico).

Gilbert B Norman wrote: Quite likely these foreign units will never see the lead; for one, all their controls are identified in Spanish.

Again: Incorrect. It is not uncommon for BNSF to receive trains at Eagle Pass and El Paso with entirely FXE power, and they operate great distances on BNSF as lead locomotives.