Mixing Engines

Cannonball

More Trains Than Brains
In all honesty, I've never really paid much attention in real life but how common is it to mix different kinds of engines in a power consist?

For instance, a U36-B with a GP18 or a Dash 9 running with a GP20 or maybe even a GP18 with an EMD SW8 or something.
 

Kanawha

Member
Well, you are very likely to see a mix of power running within the same era. Even a mix of companies. Right now, you'll see GE Dash 9's running with EMD SD70s, or maybe even an older SD40-2 thrown in there. But you aren't likely to see a Dash 9 with a GP20 since they are seperated by about 40 years of production. In helper service however, I've seen all kinds of units called in to help. An SW8 wouldn't be in a mainline consist. Switchers were made to pull heavy loads in proportion to their size, but at slow yard speeds.
 

Gil Finn

Active Member
Today I saw a gray CSX and a blue Conrail engine leading a coal drag. They looked differnt as to manufacture.

I dont know what engines types they were. I know only 2 non steamers, one is a GG! and the other isn't.
 

doctorwayne

Active Member
An SW8 wouldn't be in a mainline consist. Switchers were made to pull heavy loads in proportion to their size, but at slow yard speeds.

If I remember where this thread is, I'll post a picture here just as soon as I get a scanner. The TH&B, on occasion, used an SW9 as a head-end helper to lift particularily heavy trains up the Niagara Escarpment, from Hamilton to Vinemount. Of course, not truly part of a "consist", in that the loco required a separate crew: the switchers were not equipped for m.u. service. The other locos were a couple of Penn Central GP38s or 40s.
If I recall correctly, there was one manufacturer whose m.u. set-up differed from what eventually became the standard; it may have been Baldwin - so early locos from that builder wouldn't have been able to m.u. with other manufacturers locos of the time. Other than that, any m.u. equipped loco could be part of a consist. There was even a steam loco (might have been one of the Royal Hudsons) running in excursion service that was set-up to m.u. with its B-unit helper.

Wayne
 

Cannonball

More Trains Than Brains
Thanks for the responses guys.
That tells me pretty much what I needed to know.
I just need to be careful and keep them in the same time period.
 

railohio

Active Member
An SW8 wouldn't be in a mainline consist. Switchers were made to pull heavy loads in proportion to their size, but at slow yard speeds.

It would be if it were being moved to a different location on the railroad for inspection, maintenance, or repair.
 

Triplex

Active Member
There was even a steam loco (might have been one of the Royal Hudsons) running in excursion service that was set-up to m.u. with its B-unit helper.
There are sevral such engines; I think UP's two steamers are among them.
If I recall correctly, there was one manufacturer whose m.u. set-up differed from what eventually became the standard; it may have been Baldwin - so early locos from that builder wouldn't have been able to m.u. with other manufacturers locos of the time. Other than that, any m.u. equipped loco could be part of a consist.
Very early on, EMD, Alco, FM and Baldwin all used different MU systems. Alco and FM switched to EMD-compatible around 1950 or '51; Baldwin never switched.

Some examples of big modern 6-axle power with first-generation 4-axle power:
RailPictures.Net Photo » Canadian Pacific Railway EMD SD9043MAC
RailPictures.Net Photo » CSX Transportation (CSXT) GE ES44DC
RailPictures.Net Photo » General Motors Locomotive Group (EMDX) EMD SD70ACe

Switchers in mainline consists:
RailPictures.Net Photo » Burlington Northern Santa Fe GE C44-9W (Dash 9-44CW)
RailPictures.Net Photo » Amtrak EMD FP7A
RailPictures.Net Photo » Alton & Southern Railway EMD GP38-2

Other random examples of odd lashups:
RailPictures.Net Photo » Milwaukee Road EMD FP45
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/pc/pc2414ads.jpg
EJ&E 925
RailPictures.Net Photo » Union Pacific U50C
RailPictures.Net Photo » Burlington Northern Santa Fe EMD GP50
RailPictures.Net Photo » Erie Lackawanna Alco PA2
RailPictures.Net Photo » Erie Lackawanna EMD E7(A) EMD E8(A)
Three of FRISCO's Second Generation Diesels Lead Four of the First Generation in 1967
RailPictures.Net Photo » New York, Susquehanna & Western (NYS&W) EMD GP20
Train Scan February 2003
RailroadForums.com Photo Gallery - New Stampede from Back in the Day - Powered by PhotoPost
 

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
The Penn Central often had odd mixes of motive power, especially shortly after the NYC/Pennsey merger.
Ralph
 

60103

Pooh Bah
A couple of years ago, one of the big western roads (UP or BNSF) decreed that some of their big modern power were only to be worked in consists of the same model.
I was watching a video the other night and they showed a road with 3 Geeps towing a switcher - the switcher was cut out and being taken somewhere.
CN runs monster lash-ups with many different models and manufacturers - 6-axle, 4-axle and occasionally switchers all mixed.
 
Here's a couple examples

243800-R1-08-8A_009.jpg

243800-R1-05-5A_006.jpg

946139-R1-04-5_005.jpg

946139-R1-05-6_006.jpg

Copyof946139-R1-11-12_012.jpg

Copyof946139-R1-12-13_013.jpg
 

Travellar

New Member
Also note, sometimes different railroads order the same locomotive with different 'options'. Probrably one of the more visable differences will be in cab designs.
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
A couple of years ago, one of the big western roads (UP or BNSF) decreed that some of their big modern power were only to be worked in consists of the same model.
I was watching a video the other night and they showed a road with 3 Geeps towing a switcher - the switcher was cut out and being taken somewhere.
CN runs monster lash-ups with many different models and manufacturers - 6-axle, 4-axle and occasionally switchers all mixed.

It was more than a couple of years ago, but when Santa Fe first repainted some of their newest power into the red & silver Warbonnet scheme, they sent out a decree that the red & silver units were only to be used in consist with other red & silver units and the highest speed priority trains were to get the red & silver units. That lasted until the first evening when a dispatcher had to make up a train consist to move the freight and needed power to do it.
 

Triplex

Active Member
Actually, all third-generation Warbonnet power (GP60M, GP60B, B40-8W, C40-8W, C44-9W, SD75I) was delivered in that scheme. The only power I can think of offhand that was repainted into the Super Fleet colors are FP45u's. For some reason, the other cowls (F45u's and SDP40F's) remained blue/yellow. RailPictures.Net Photo » Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (ATSF) EMD F45 It was easy for Santa Fe to make this distinction, because only widenose engines were to receive red and silver, and wide noses were just coming into regular use. Standard-nose modern power (GP60, B40-8 ) was delivered in blue/yellow and remained that way to the end of Santa Fe.
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
Actually, all third-generation Warbonnet power (GP60M, GP60B, B40-8W, C40-8W, C44-9W, SD75I) was delivered in that scheme. The only power I can think of offhand that was repainted into the Super Fleet colors are FP45u's. For some reason, the other cowls (F45u's and SDP40F's) remained blue/yellow. RailPictures.Net Photo » Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (ATSF) EMD F45 It was easy for Santa Fe to make this distinction, because only widenose engines were to receive red and silver, and wide noses were just coming into regular use. Standard-nose modern power (GP60, B40-8) was delivered in blue/yellow and remained that way to the end of Santa Fe.

Your right, I forgot that some of the power units (Fp45u's) were repainted into the red & silver while the rest of the "superfleet" was new power delivered in red & silver. I meant all of the red & silver warbonnets. At any rate, Santa Fe came down with an edict that dispatchers wre not to mix the 2 color schemes in a single consist and not to use red & silver units except on the priority freight service. The edict lasted less than 12 hours before the dispatchers had to ignore it to get the freight moving if I remember correctly.
 

Triplex

Active Member
At least shortly after they were delivered (I can't say about ATSF's last years), GP60Ms, GP60Bs and B40-8Ws were often found only mixed with each other. Not all the time, but often. This made Santa Fe the last Class 1 to run matched A-B-B-A sets.
 
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