GN lives on the BNSF

Pretty darn weird if you ask me.
http://www.locophotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=108889

Yet, cool.

 

Very interesting. I'd like to find out more about this unit.

 

I've seen pics of this one and I think a few others before. Not sure if they're real, but like the caption/notes said it is to avoid conflicting numbers. I thought I read about this somewhere too, its the BNSF version of UP's "UPY" units. With only four letters allowed in a reporting mark, BNSF-Y won't work so they got historicly creative.

 

I assure you, this unit is very real, I saw it working the hump last week at Northtown Yard.

 

It appears that the horn is sitting on top of the engine room vent. No?

Embedded photo from LocoPhotos.com. Photo by Larry Larson. Click to enlarge.

 

Odd ball number for that class.But oh well. BNSF would have just renumbered it.Sorry folks but I do believe the more plausible explination is shop forces at Northtown playing a joke. The pics I have found show the conductors side in BNSF.

 

Not only does the UP use the UPY mark for Yard units, they have been known to renumber a soon to be retired unit WPXXXX to make room for a new unit. Typically just sprayed on but some actually get stencilled.



As for BNSF/GN 1914, it looks like there are a few SD38s that have been remarked for GN and will soon be sent to become GenSets. At least someone took the time to add mostly "proper" markings to it:

 

Dang, just too cool!! Rocky lives! lol

 

1914 is an SD39, not an SD38.

And it's former ATSF, so the GN marking is offensive.

If they're converting them to Gensets, then what happens to the slugs?

 

The unit was reletered to GN because the SD40-2's were being renumbered into the 19xx series. it was changed to GN so that BNSF 1914 was open for a renumbered SD40-2. It is indead read and was around for all of 6 months working the hump.