BN at its best!

I thought BN was kind of boring when they knocked out my favorites like the GN, NP and SP&S but looking back they were kind of neat compared to today's BNSF "All Orange, all the time." Here we see the last of the F unit fleet running out the clock doing helper service on Marias Pass, Montana.

 

Neither rain, nor sleet or dark of night will keep railfans from their appointed tasks. Here I went out during a snowstorm to take photos of a railroad! BN Geeps are coming down the hill past the Greenwood Cemetery approaching Indian Canyon Bridge on the west edge of Spokane.  Yikes!

 

Many years ago I used to attend the Railfan's weekend at Essex, Montana in October to shoot the BN in very scenic locations. One of which was the 2 Medicine Bridge that has the famous barn between this bridge and US 2 and 1 mile east of East Glacier station. This was a 1/2 mile walk in on some famers cattle grazing property. Oh well, no bulls were in the area.

 

This time the  4 F units were on the point as helpers as the grade approaches 2 percent on Marias Pass and they need the muscle to keep moving the train.

Another Marias Pass shot this time with EMD GP60 #3155 and one of the GE B units without a cab. This location allows the backdrop to be very nice for train pictures.

 

Mostly forgotten by railfans were the original AC units that BN had on the property.  My oldest son Jerry Jr. was a brakie for the original westbound trek to Pasco, Washington and I was lucky to catch them on the eastbound return passing through Spokane, Washington. Everything since then has been based on the success of their design.  I really miss the BN today!