On our trips from Chicago to NM and back this week (and last) we saw an awful lot of BNSF power parked along the mainline in Missouri and Kansas. Sent from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk
This term refers to those units already on order, when the BNSF merger took place, which were factory painted like a warbonnet but received a big red BNSF instead of Santa Fe on the long hood.
Thanks @digimar52 ! I'd have never guessed that. Ends up that I've seen a few then. I shot this at Darling, AZ on 06/09/1997 on a trip west my wife and I made.
Easy now. I've seen some former real bonnets that merely had "BNSF" and a new number painted on the cab sides. But I've also seen some that clearly had their flanks spot painted and BNSF stenciled on. That pic you posted certainly looks factory, but some roundhouse repaints could have been slicker than others.
Yes that's right. "Fakebonnet" has originally been coined to describe factory painted units (Dash 9, SD75M, SD75I), As far as I know all of which were delivered in 1997. At the same time some of ATSF Super-Fleet units (GP-60M and C40-8W) got a similar treatment by the railroad shops. Not all looking as neat as the one @r_i_straw pictured above. But I have never heard of a special name for those units - maybe fake-fakebonnets
But I have never heard of a special name for those units - maybe fake-fakebonnets I thought of the same term! The other identifier I read is "catfish" to describe certain NS units. I live in NS country and still don't fully get it. The nose stripes look like catfish whiskers, but I can't distinguish much of any difference between the stripes on one unit versus another. (GE Dash 9-44CW #9576, Columbia, SC, 01/27/2018)
I passed through Columbia, SC last weekend to revisit the spot where I took the above photo and the big green metal locomotive servicing building seen behind the 9576 has been completely erased, as has a giant nearby fuel tank that's been there probably since dieselization. These have been removed by NS very recently. Both are seen in the screenshot below. Not sure what's up, but fewer locomotives are present as well. Traffic is booming.
I'm guessing so. It's kind of weird though, because a number of local turns originate in Columbia, along with a Macon, GA train in each direction and an Enola, PA northbound. The Enola train's southbound counterpart became so enormous that it recently began to terminate in Charlotte, NC. I'd have thought that enough fueling, sanding and stocking of units would still be required in Columbia to retain these facilities. Unfortunately, PSR has most of Columbia's trains now running at night, so I don't railfan like I used to. The tangerine and blue CNJ unit (that I've never seen!) has cycled back and forth through Columbia on Charleston <=> Spartanburg/Greenville trains for a week now, always at NIGHT in BOTH directions.
Dang, how the mighty have fallen... Those MAc's were beautiful when brand new, rolling coal down the mains out of the Powder River Basin.
Found an oldie. The image data says it was taken November 6, 2006 at 4:18 AM. A little too much daylight for that. Must be an error. I don't do much train chasing at that hour anyway.
The car trailing has the appearance of a passenger car outline. Either an officials special or a track geometry train?
No, a blurry image taken moment later reveals one of these. Could not see the number very well but this one was making the rounds about the same time.