|
The Burlington Northern Railroad was formed in 1970 out of a merger of
railroads that had a long association-- the Great Northern (GN), the
Northern Pacific (NP), the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy (CB&Q, or
"Burlington"), and the Spokane, Portland, and Seattle (SP&S). Three
of these systems all had their origin as ventures of
the early railroad tycoon, James J. Hill. As such, they have often
been known as Hill lines. in 1980, the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway
Co. (Frisco) was also acquired and merged into the BN. The
combined BN system became one of the largest railroads in the country, with
extensive routes throughout the plains states and the Northwest.
Agriculture and coal accounted for the majority of its traffic, with a
burgeoning intermodal market on the transcontinental lines. In 1995, in
the new climate of mega-mergers, the BN merged with the Atchison, Topeka,
and Santa Fe, forming what is now the BNSF
Railway. Its system now serves essentially the entire
western two-thirds of the US.
From a railfan perspective, the BN offered an interesting variety
of equipment to watch, particularly a large stable of GE diesels (the
"U-boats") in an era when EMD was the dominant locomotive builder. BN
was one of the few railroads that continued to order cabless booster units
(B units), and it experimented with other innovations such as fuel tenders
on long-distance routes. Personally, for reasons that I can't quite
identify now, I never particularly liked the BN. This is strange,
considering it was the main road that served my old hometown (Boulder).
I was very focused on the D&RGW during most of BN's existence, which
probably explains it. Most of my BN photos were taken when I was
hoping to photograph something else. Now I find myself wishing
I'd been more "broad-minded" back then. I miss the solid
green-and-black consists of second-generation diesels (though the current
rainbow of colors on the BNSF is a joy to watch, especially considering
other railroads' uniformity). I was also limited on my geographic exposure
to the BN. Most of my photos were taken somewhere along Colorado's
Joint Line. Later, after the formation of BNSF, I was able to
photograph BN equipment in other locales. So, here is my humble offering of BN photos.
I wish there were more; I'm glad for what there is. |
|
Random Shots |
 |
BN used a lot of SD9's in local and switching service, keeping them in
service long past their typical lifespan. This pair is switching the
intermodal facility in Denver on 11/20/1990. |
 |
The BN was the major user of the Joint Line between Denver and Pueblo, even
though it was only a tenant, leasing trackage rights from the owners D&RGW
(later SP and UP) and the AT&SF. Here a southbound train is rolling
along above I-25 in Castle Rock. Two
leased gray LMX Dash 8-40B units, No. 8525 leading, bracket a typical
BN SD40-2 on the head end. Date circa 1994. Leased power was
commonplace during the 1990's. |
 |
Three of the BN's four SD60 MAC test units are on the point of this coal
train-- an SPL coal train, that is-- descending the Moffat line west of
Denver in July 1994. Southern Pacific was evaluating the AC traction
capabilities of these units. These were unusual units, having
wide "safety" cabs, AC traction motors, and a unique paint scheme. |
|
Colorado Springs- 1994 |
|
On a business trip to the Springs in September '94, I made a couple of side
trips to photograph the busy railroad action. Among other things, I
bagged this selection of BN trains-- one at each end of the city, and one in
the middle. |
 |
This southbound train was captured near Fountain at a grade crossing.
C30-7 No. 5051 is on the point. |
 |
Here's the going-away shot of the above train. SD40-2 No. 8176 is
sandwiched between two C30-7's. (9/15/1994) |
 |
Now, this is what is called a "grab shot"... You're out looking for
trains when the gates come down and one rolls by, but you're too deep in
traffic to do anything about it. SD40-2 No. 6257 is rolling northbound
past Nevada street. And no, I didn't have a telephoto lens at
the time. |
 |
That evening, I photographed a northbound manifest freight in the northern
part of town. SD40-2 No. 7090 leads the parade.
(9/15/1994) |
 |
The three matched EMD units are followed by a pair of GE's. No. 5138
was rebuilt as a C33-7 in 1992. The shadows wrought havoc with the
exposure...
(9/15/1994) |
 |
One more shot of this train as it roars by. Note the masonry holding up
the bridge.
(9/15/1994) |
|
More Action around Colorado Springs- 1995 |
|
The following September meant another trip to the Springs, and
I made a few short excursions to catch the action. Huge changes had
taken place. By this time the BNSF merger had occurred (just a
few months prior). Additionally, BN's SD70MAC fleet was starting to
make its presence felt on coal trains. |
 |
Several SD70MAC units lead this southbound coal train near Fountain.
That's Pike's Peak in the background, and Cheyenne Mountain in the near
distance. (Sept 1995) |
 |
The Joint Line is double-track south of Crews. The BN(SF) train is
southbound on the old D&RGW main-- the Southern Pacific main at this time.
One year later it would belong to Union Pacific. Times do change... |
|
One evening I drove out to the north end of Academy siding on the
joint line. There was a northbound BN(SF) coal empty sitting in the
siding. It was getting dim, but I decided to wait it out and see what
happened. |
 |
Looking south toward the waiting train. The north switch and signals
are visible in the foreground. |
 |
The first train past was this unit grain train led by
leased MPI SD45 No. 9025 and a brace of BN power. Headlights are off to
keep from blinding the crew of the train that's in the hole. |
 |
The BN units include this B30-7A No. 4054, and a pair of
SD40-2's. |
 |
After a while, I decided to go visit with the crew, since they were still
sitting there. The conductor was a nice guy, very talkative. He
had been with BN for several years, and
was enthused about the new paint schemes coming with the merger, and viewed
the whole situation as a positive development. Here he's posing in the
cab of his lead steed, an Oakway Leasing SD60. |
 |
Another look at the Oakway SD60. It's still dressed in EMD
demonstrator paint. One must look closely at the cab to know about its
true owners. BN was a big user of these Oakway units on the Joint
Line. |
 |
The second unit was this BN SD40-2, No. 7153. It's a typical BN unit--
the line had over eight hundred of these. |
 |
The next train to come down was a coal train behind three of the new
SD70MAC's. It was starting to get a bit dim for my film speed.
The crew of the northbound train got down and gave rollbys to each
southbound train. |
 |
Two more trains passed-- one with ATSF warbonnets, and one that was too dark
to even bother with photos. Finally, the northbound was cleared, the
switch threw, and they throttled up. Actually, they floored it.
By the time they got to my position, at the switch, they were already going
at least 30 mph! Not bad for a mile-long train, I thought, even if it
was empty. |
|
The next day
I tried again, south of the city. I
ended up at a grade crossing about halfway to Pueblo, south of the Nixon
powerplant. For a line that hosts 40 trains per day, you sure can go a
long time without seeing anything... |
 |
The only train I saw was a northbound coal empty, behind five SD70MAC's.
These guys were the future; the older SD40-2's and C30's were rapidly
disappearing-- especially on coal trains. Of course, within just a few
years, the SD70 was sharing the limelight with the new GE C44-9W's.
Not yet, though. |
|
Post-Merger: BNSF Days |
|
BNSF has a mindset that pays much respect to its corporate ancestors.
Its company website's history section was in stark contrast with that of
Union Pacific, for example (UP is belatedly remembering where it came from).
Additionally, for one reason or another, BNSF hasn't been in much hurry to
repaint its existing fleet of locomotives. Often, in fact, the new
initials were simply worked into the old paint scheme, be it from BN or ATSF
(both schemes). This has made it possible to easily see many
locomotives of the parent roads, a full decade after the merger. In
February 1996, less than a year after the BNSF merger, I photographed this
train in Fountain, CO. It's mostly BN, with one Illinois Central
locomotive working off mileage. |
 |
It was a manifest freight. Behind the black IC unit are two cabless
boosters-- evidently both versions of the B30-7A. |
 |
The lead unit was SD40-2 No. 8082. You can tell that the snow is still
falling. |
 |
Here's the IC unit, SD40 No. 6056. |
 |
A few minutes later, we intercepted this northbound train with ATSF No 5044
and BN GP50 No. 3110. She's wearing one of the later BN schemes, in which
the logo and the number have traded places, and the words "BURLINGTON
NORTHERN" are spelled out on the hood. Now it's becoming a little more
clear that a merger has taken place. |
|
Barely a year after the creation of BNSF, Union Pacific purchased
Southern Pacific Lines. As one of the conditions allowing the merger,
BNSF was granted trackage rights over several UP routes, including the line
between Denver and Salt Lake City via the Moffat tunnel.
In December 1997, we were in Fraser, CO, on a Ski
Train trip. While there, an eastbound BNSF trackage rights train
passed through. I recorded these images at the point where the train
started onto the 2% grade up to the Moffat tunnel. |
 |
The train had seven units, of highly mixed background. Three were BN
(a pair of SD40-2's and what appeared to be a C30-7). |
 |
Our lead unit today is another LMX B40-8, followed by a Santa Fe cowl unit
(F45u No. 5970). Two of the BN SD40-2's are next in line. |
 |
Here the head end is crossing the overpass at county road 72. Those
cowl units were rare in 1997-- this one was retired about ten months later. |
 |
The real shocker was this Soo SD60! The only one I've ever seen in the
mountains, No. 6020 is evidently working off mileage for her new owner (the
SOO having been merged into CN prior to this). To the left is SD40-2 No.
7935 and to the right is C30-7 No. 5587. |
 |
ATSF SD75I No. 223 is trailing today. If not for the Soo unit, this
one would be stealing the show. BNSF trains on this line are
nearly all manifests such as this one. |
|
Cascade Green began showing up in Santa Fe territory, too... |
 |
On
October 10, 1997, a pair of white-face geeps (GP50 No. 3120, GP40E No. 3552)
lead a westbound baretable movement near
Abo, NM (on the old AT&SF
mainline). |
|
|
|
|
Modern Miscellany |
|
There's still an enormous amount of BN equipment roaming the rails-- some
having been sold to leasing companies, and much still on the BNSF roster.
This is rolling history, and I photograph it whenever I can. |
 |
November 11, 2001, finds this local power arrangement next to the depot in
Grand Junction, Colorado. The BN GP50 is paired with an AT&SF GP30,
and have BN caboose No. 12517 for company. Both locomotives are now
marked BNSF, of course. BNSF, as an agent of the Utah Railway, was
allowed local trackage rights in this area after the UP/SP merger. |
 |
Who
says cabooses disappeared in the 1980s? Another look at wide-vision
hack, No. 12517. BNSF kept this car in Grand Junction
to protect the rear on locals. |
 |
Here's another look, from January 4, 2006. It's
coupled onto a string of tank cars, opposite the Amtrak depot (note the
"stub" train parked at right). |
 |
Covered
hopper car No. 461764, parked at the SWRR interchange in Rincon, NM on
8/15/2006. It's showing the grime from many years of service. |
 |
Three
BN covered hoppers wait in the interchange yard at Rincon, NM on 2/19/2007.
The car on the right matches the middle one in construction, but matches the
left-hand car (# 460922) in lettering scheme. It was nice to find three
green cars still in BN paint together in one place in 2007. |
 |
BN
had a huge fleet of highway trailers, in various lettering schemes. One
such 45' trailer in a basic scheme was in the Rincon yard on 2/19/2007.
The number placard reads BN0 467. |
 |
BN
(BNSF) SD40-2 No. 7147, on home rails in Denver on 7/29/2007. |
 |
A BN SD40-2, now owned by FURX,
a rail equipment lessor, is fourth on a manifest freight as it cuts
out some cars for an industry on the east side of Kingman, AZ (6/12/2004).
Many original BN units survived long after being sold off. Ironically,
this is a BNSF train, leasing an ex-BN locomotive.
|
 |
A
repeat of the above, only further east. FURX SD40-2 No. 7219 is the
trailing unit on a stack train, just west of the New Mexico-Arizona line.
Nice to see these working first-line trains in 2008. |
 |
 One
of the many... a 100-ton triple hopper, now wearing CTRN reporting
marks, spotted at Rocky, CO on 12/06/2008. |
Tribute
to the 
