Do the power companies own the rail cars and carry their lettering? If so, does anyone know the lettering for Reliant (former Houston Lighting & Power)? I have noticed on the ones passing thru here (Navasota, TX) lately on the UP line have HITX or AATX. I wish I had paid more attention a couple of years ago, the trains used to stop just south of Navasota near where I worked. The reason I ask is that I want to model one of these trains...I am thinking I will purchase undecorated cars and decal them myself...trying to make them look like the trains I remember from a few years ago.
The most common cars to visit the former HL&P power plant are the UFIX trainsets, consisting of steel bathtub gons, either ACF "Coalveyor" cars or Berwick "Bathtubs" which are very similar cars. They are black with orange ends, and Atlas makes the Coalveyors decorated for UFIX in N, HO, and O. I'm not sure about the HITX or AATX cars, but I bet they are just newer aluminum bethgons that are slowly replacing the aging steel cars. (there are still a bunch of the UFIX cars out there, though!) I'll keep an eye out for them because they should pass by my area if they are PRB bound. I think I might have seen the HITX cars but I can't remember for sure.
I think the cars I've seen on UP's Choctaw sub are HIPX cars, silver with red ends. I'll have to research further where these go, but it wouldn't shock me to find out they go to Reliant. EDIT: Confirmed. I've found solid info that the HIPX gons are associated with both Caballo Mine and Jacobs Ranch coal trains heading to Reliant's Power Plant on the UP. As an interesting aside, check out the following post about a couple of these trains regarding the empty tonnage from Railspot... [ December 15, 2005, 04:24 PM: Message edited by: Doug A. ]
Okay, I was a complete idiot on this one. I make notes on the back of fuel receipts when I see trains of interest. AATX is Ampacet Corp - I saw a colorful covered hopper car a few weeks ago...which has nothing to do with coal trains...LOL anyway...now that I have the correct scrap of paper in my hand and not going on my failing memory... I knew HLPX was Houston Lighting & Power. After you mentioned HIPX (my bad on HITX). I looked it up, it is listed as "Houston Industries Inc/Houston Lighting & Power". The other letters I have written down are AECX "Associated Electric Coop" and AEPX "American Electric Power Service Assn". If I recall correctly, I have seen these mixed in the same trains with the HIPX cars.
Mr Navasota, if you go futher north towards Hearne, you'll see LCRA/LCRX and FPPX coal trains headed down the Giddings sub towards Halstead or La Grange. They own all their cars and maintain them, but a sub actually does all the work. Cities Public services in San Antionio owns all their cars. We ripped one of the CCDSA9's in half one night in Ft.Worth.
