KCS de Mexico

The following topic came up in a Spanish class I am auditing: To what degree do the KCS and the KCS de Mexico run as a combined system, and to what degree is the combined system "bilingual?"

I would assume that KCSM would use the native language of whatever territory its operating in. Mexican crews do not operate in the US, American crews do not operate in Mexico. Two different railroads.

Why not contact the company with regards to your question of language (notice their site is be-lingual): http://www.kcsouthern.com/

i hate to disagree with you buddy because i work in laredo tx we talk spanish in the yard and we deliver into mexico and they deliver into the us ......the kcs owns of but our paycheck still come from mexico..

Thanks for letting me know, I wasn't sure how far the crews worked across the border.

i work for UP out of Houston but ive worked down in brownsville and i ve had to go down to the international bridge in Brownsville and deliver a train (up engines and 100 cars) right up to the foot of the bridge.....deal with customs agents and hand over train to KCSM. They brought their engines over the bridge and tied-in to the UP engines and off it went into Mexico.
same thing coming from Mexico: had to p/u train coming back into US, but customs agents with sniffer dogs do a roll-by @ 4mph and they run train thru a radiation detector @ bridge.........
speaking spanish would help since you are dealing with KCSM crew who speak nothing but.............
looks like a good system/interchange between UP & KCSM down there in Brownsville....smooth easy job!!!!

Speaking of Brownsville, back in the day, once we got to the International Bridge, when we saw the crew waiting for the train, we would send it over, in run 1, or 2, and get off, on "our" side of the bridge. We couldn't go over, and they didn't want to cross to our side, on foot. Occasionally, they would come over in a garrish taxi, but as long as we didn't have an alertor, let it roll, and walk away, was the way it was done.

yeah Golden arm, some old head told me thats the way they use to do it...put it in 1 and let it go across!!!??? some excitement , huh!!!!

I'll be in Texas over the summer and I was wondering if KCS de mexico units come into Texas often?

atsf sp wrote:I'll be in Texas over the summer and I was wondering if KCS de mexico units come into Texas often?

Hell, it's common for them to be as far east on the KCS system as Mississippi!

Would it be best to see them at Laredo, Texas?

I've seen ferromex, TFM/KCSM units in atlanta all the time, but i think that atlanta might be a destination for non-stop intermodals from mexico..

I have observed KCSM or predecessor TFM engines handling BNSF trains, as a trailing unit, by my home.

If KCS owes BNSF some "horsepower hours" (the unit of measure for locomotive exchanges) and a KCSM engine is handy, guess what will be tendered in interchange?