BNSF 25th Anniversary locomotive

[basementcalling]

Now here is a real "merger" unit. Photo courtesy of TSG multimedia.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

Shop Scenes Saturday. UP merger unit is about ready to be released to go to North Platte for paint. Merger unit is WP locomotive, MP cab, and UP hood. Salt Lake diesel shop. March, 1986. Photo by Warren Johnson.

[CBQ Fan]

How many units actually got painted in the vomit bonnet scheme? 

[Nick Lorusso]

How many units actually got painted in the vomit bonnet scheme?

Just 1 lonely SD70MAC

[learmoia]

  But hey, weirder things have happened....I'm not arguing against the fact that what you are saying actually took place.  People were crazy long before Twitter.    I do think the impact of such a pillow fight to the corporate image was virtually nothing, and would have zero influence on this.

As I recall at the time, BNSF was running circles around UP/SP/CNW
--To the point that UP canceled the steam program for a summer and STB put a hold on margers until UP got it's sh*t together. 

On a corporate level.. Nobody cares what the locomotive looks like until trains are running on time and customers are getting their cars.

On a rail fan level, it was fun to watch BNSF.. I remember they would slap "BNSF" on just about anything and call it good enough.  It seemed like it wasn't until the H2 scheme came out that they started to aggressively RE-paint stuff.  (I'm sure it was earlier tho.. but rail fanning in Oklahoma from 1994 to 1998 and East Dubuque-La Crosse 1998-early 2000s).. there was alot of Blue/Yellow and Green/Black running.. Half painted and Primer gray locomotives.. Up to and including SD9s leading trains..

This was my favorite from the early days..


~Ian

[CBQ Fan]

Just 1 lonely SD70MAC

Poor thing!

[nkalanaga]

I didn't see it, living in eastern Kentucky, but from pictures, the early BNSF had a lot in common with the early BN, paint-wise.  Renumber the units, but don't bother repainting, so one could see almost anything.

[Ike the BN Freak]

I didn't see it, living in eastern Kentucky, but from pictures, the early BNSF had a lot in common with the early BN, paint-wise.  Renumber the units, but don't bother repainting, so one could see almost anything.

However BN had all the predecessor locos painted to BN colors in 7 years. Here we are 25 years later and BNSF still has BN and ATSF painted units out there

[nkalanaga]

The BN probably had better finances, at least in terms of paint budgets, so could paint them sooner.  Also, many of the BN's inherited locos were old enough they NEEDED to be repainted!

Modern paint lasts longer, so there's no need to be in a hurry, and modern stockholders are more worried about short-term profits.  Not a big deal now that Warren Buffett owns the railroad, but it could have been an influence in the early years.

Or maybe the management just doesn't see the need to repaint them.  After all, railroads aren't as concerned about "public image", appearance-wise, as they were 50 years ago, and even then the public wasn't much interested in freight railroads.  Before then, the public was much more aware of the freight trains, and the railroads tried to keep their attention.

[learmoia]

https://www.facebook.com/MetraRail/


Jason

 

[cv_acr]

From the article:

BNSF says the other nine units will have the same scheme.

Sorry to disappoint those wanting NP and GN etc. heritage schemes...

[learmoia]

What we wanted:
[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
Warbonnet was beyond my ability.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
Did C&S ever have it's own diesel scheme?, or was it always based on CB&Q

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
I added the SP&S text so you'd know it wasn't Milwaukee Road..

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

Using Trainiax Line Drawing as a basis..
Cool site: http://trainiax.net/

[muktown128]

Wow - Very nice.  Those would have been pretty cool schemes and so much better than what they are doing.  Maybe change the lettering/logos a bit on some of these heritage schemes, but every one of those paint schemes in terms of color and striping is a winner with me.

[jpwisc]

The BN probably had better finances, at least in terms of paint budgets, so could paint them sooner.  Also, many of the BN's inherited locos were old enough they NEEDED to be repainted!

Modern paint lasts longer, so there's no need to be in a hurry, and modern stockholders are more worried about short-term profits.

BN finances weren’t superior to BNSF, you hit on it in the second part. BNSF is more accountable to shareholders. Fancy paint schemes don’t mean any extra revenue for the company. These 25th anniversary units aren’t even paint, they are vinyl graphic that can be peeled off as soon as the trademark requirements are met.

The full repaints will never happen under Carl Ice. He and Matt Rose were in agreement that BNSF is about the future. Heritage units are a waste of resources for BNSF. IIRC they donated $50k to the train layout in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago with the stipulation that the only BNSF engines they ran were H3.

[Nick Lorusso]

Already have 2 units getting prepped for the 5828 & 6111

[nkalanaga]

learmoia:  The C&S always used CB&Q/BN paint schemes, with subletters for identification. 

According to "Burlington Northern Locomotive Directory 1992", Robert C. Del Grosso, The C&S (and FW&D) were merged into BN on Dec 31, 1981, so anyone modeling the 1970s can have those units, if they want some variety.