Last May while at Spokane, WA I photographed the southbound Kettle Turn
arriving at Parkwater late in the morning. The set of power had 5 units
including GP40M's 3013 and 3006, former CB&Q GP40's 171 and 629. I
photographed the 3006 from both ends as the power headed for the service
facility:
http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=103167
http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=103168
Recently I decided to do some research on the BNSF 3006 and came up with some
interesting info.
Built as CB&Q 629 2/68 it was repainted in the proposed BN green in August of
that year with a BN herald on the cab sides and a small "Burlington" below it.
Later SD45's and U23C's were also delivered in this scheme but without the BN
herald. The merger took a few years longer than expected to happen but from
what I understand the 629 was the first freight unit repainted into the
standard BN green and given the number 3029. It came into Seattle on 7-7-70 in
this scheme where I saw it at the ex-GN Interbay engine facility.
In 1988 BN chose a number of former Burlington GP40's to enter a rebuilding
program at MK and EMD. The 3029 went to MK and was released as the BN GP40M
3507 in December 1988. Some of the early GP40M's were painted in the older BN
scheme while later one came out in the newer "whiteface" scheme. BN 3507 had
the older scheme with stripes on the nose.
I first photographed the 3507 at Interbay 6-9-94:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1483553
The next year I photographed it again in Seattle on 7-31-95.
http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=99478
Later that year BN and Santa Fe merged and the 3507 was renumbered to BNSF 3006
in August of 1998.
I first photographed the BNSF 3006 at Kent, WA on 8-17-99 headed towards
Seattle.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1712764
And this brings me to the more current sighting of the former CB&Q 629 at
Spokane this past May. While it is nice to see many former Burlington GP40's
still in service today knowing the history of the BNSF 3006 made it just a bit
more special.
Brian Ambrose
Renton, WA
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