KCS KCS Special Load - Mississippi Power

Mississippi Power Gulfport Plant Generating Unit #3 destroyed its main power transformer a week or so ago. A replacement transformer was shipped Saturday on CSX from Atlanta through Montgomery and Mobile to Gulfport, where it was transferred to KCS this morning. After the tri-weekly KCS northbound departed for Jackson, the special load was moved up to North Gulfport, where it is being unloaded as I type, and also blocking the main. The transformer must be unloaded before 9 this evening when the KCS engineer hits 12 hours....that's him snoozing in 4002's cab.










The rear idler car was parked across the road.

 

I was told by the MS Power onsite supervisor that the transformer, at about 150 Tons, was to be slid off the car this afternoon onto cribbing. A crane and lowboy are to arrive tomorrow morning at first light to lift and transport the unit about 5 miles to the plant.

What is sad is that KCS has an industrial spur directly to and into the power plant. However, there is a trestle about a quarter mile from where I took the photos that KCS does not trust with the load. Needless to say, MS Power is not happy with KCS over this matter. The kludgey unloading process and transport is costing them a bunch of money.

 

Ownership of the industrial spur, and therefore the trestle is something that I hadn't thought about. The industrial park was originally owned and developed by the county economic development commission 40+ years ago, with each lot being sold (or leased) to the various companies that moved in. As far as ownership of the rail spur, I had assumed it was owned by the various railroads that have operated there, i.e. IC, Mid-South, and now KCS. But now that you ask, I have to admit that I have no clue....

I'll try to answer that question. I would assume that if KCS owned the trestle, they would replace it, or at least beef it up so they wouldn't lose that 5 miles of revenue. In the meantime, KCS continues to serve the complex with one, and only one(!) very old GP-10 Paducah Rebuild, and a caboose.

 

Different question.......Why are idler cars placed on either side of a load like this? I see occasional heavy loads go by, some have idler cars, and some do not. Is there an FRA reg that defines when idler cars are required?

BTW, CSX brought this particular load from Mobile by itself behind an old B40-8. For that matter, it may have come all the way from Atlanta that way...?

 

Is the current KCS paint scheme white? I thought it was grey? Are there many white units?

 

You are correct, the KCS current paint scheme is grey. This GP38-2 was built in January 1974, and is probably in its original paint scheme. We have a few others in white that are assigned to Gulfport. KCS assigns some of their older locos to this branch to live out their lives in peace and low work loads...sorta like old race horses being put out to pasture.