Western Railroad Discussion > Burlington, IA Amtrak, Alco, F-units

Burlington, IA is the root of the Burlington Route, and still the "B" in BNSF. It is where the BNSF crosses the Mississippi River on the ex-CB&Q route over a recently-reconstructed bridge. The Burlington Junction Railway putters along also at rivers edge on the southernmost 3.5 miles of the originally-Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad, abandoned by Rock Island. Happily, they are still using one of the last Alco locomotives built. Two other small BJRY operations are at Ottumwa and Mt. Pleasant, IA. Nearby, at West Burlington, is the silent old originally-CB&Q shops.

Photo 1 - The 1960's - modern Amtrak depot with umbrella platforms welcomes passengers to Burlington, IA, with the old "The Burlington" hotel in the background. 

Photos 2 and 3 - Amtrak Train 6 rolls across the Mississippi after the depot stop at Burlington on 9/20/15, led by the "Heartland Flyer's Big Game Train" unit No. 189, and two PV's on the rear. In the first view, a tugboat can be seen parked at the shoreline. In the second, a big paddlewheel riverboat is visible under the bridge.

There's mooore...



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/15 16:50 by highgreengraphics.

---

---

---

Photo 4 - Here is BJRY 701 shuffling an empty center-beam car at their car shop in Burlington. This high-cab height Alco Century 415 was built in 1968 with the Hi-ad trucks for Columbia & Cowlitz, B/N 6018-01, and left in 1996. It went to OCEX as 701 in early 1996, then to Spirit of Oregon Dinner Train as 701 in mid-1996, to Mount Hood Railroad 701 in late 1996, finally to BJRY in 1998, where it still serves.

Photo 5 - Switching at the waterfront with 701, with "The Burlington" hotel dominating the background.

Photo 6 - The look of the C-415 has some in common with the appearance of the highway suspension bridge in the background which also spans the Mississippi, here switching close to their car shop.

There's mooore...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/15 16:52 by highgreengraphics.

---

---

---

Photo 7 - At the Burlington, IA waterfront, the BNSF bridge across the Mississippi is visible in the background as the C415 switches the interchange yard.

Photo 8 -Switching with the C-415 at the interchange yard with a peek at small GE BNSF local power and a coal train rumbles past in the background.

Photo 9 - Occasionally, the 701 is called upon to do heavy work, here with a long string of Potash Corporation POTX covered hoppers that were heavily populating the interchange yard, the prime mover must be in good shape as even under load, unlike typical Alco products, it does not smoke at the stack too much. The EMD green-and-white unit to the left is SSRX 1651, an SD38-2, one of only 4 built in Canada by GM-DD. It was originally Northern Alberta Railway 402, then CN 5701 then renumbered 1651, then PRLX 1651 before becoming SSRX 1651. It reportedly came from Georgia, and was on its way to Cargill.

There's mooore...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/15 13:22 by highgreengraphics.

---

---

---

Photo 10 - On 10/20, 415 poses with the highway suspension bridge over the Mississippi in the background.

Photo 11 - Okay, just because it's so cool, another 3/4 shot of BJRY 701 at Burlington, near the interchange yard also on 10/20.

Photo 12 - Amtrak No. 6 is stopped on the far side of the depot platforms at Burlington, IA on 10/20.

There's mooore...

---

---

---

I will be going by there on DEC 17 inroute to Florida.

Uncle Joe,Seffner,Fl.

Photos 13 and 14 - The once-proud West Burlington Shops where CB&Q did so much great work followed by successor BN, made it into the BNSF era but just barely, it is now still next to the busy main line, but silent.

Photo 15 - The only locomotives parked there outside, two old rotary snowplow F-9 power units. A watchman came out and indicated other goodies were parked inside the facility, but he would not say what they were!

There's mooore...

---

---

---

Photo 16 - No mistaking the classic EMD F-unit lines under that mineral red, F-9A BN 972570 was built in 3-56 as NP 7011D, then NP 6704C when converted to a passenger unit in 4/1966, then became BN 9818, then BN 784, converted to this function and appearance at Livingston, MT 12/4/1981. It was assigned to Amtrak when numbered BN 9818 for a period beginning 5/1/71. Wonder how many times this passenger motor led the Mainstreeter or North Coast Limited, or later, the North Coast Hiawatha?

Photo 17 - Equally as attractive in second place is F-9A BN 972571, built in 9/54 as NP 7003A, then BN 812, converted to this function and appearance at Livingston, MT also released on 12/4/1981. This one even has the fuel tank skirt intact, at least on this side.

Photo 18 - Still a proud prow on BN 972570, you wonder what the future might hold for these two units.

There's mooore...



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/15 07:30 by highgreengraphics.

---

---

---

Photo 19 - The welcome sign by the front door of many eras, you can tell it was made in the BN early wide-cab era, as on the left is depicted BN 9200, and on the right is 4-8-4 5635 as a nod to the shop's past. Then, in time, the "Railroad" was removed from the bottom of the sign and replaced with "Santa Fe" stick-on lettering that weathered faster than the original lettering. And the top line was added to rhyme with the new bottom line. And the Cascade Green frame, painted over for BNSF, is peeling revealing the BN green again. 

Photo 20 - Okay, this is not Burlington, this is Galesburg, IL on the way from Burlington, the view out the windshield right off the freeway was disturbing to me. All those Warbonnets on the deadline that we used to chase now silent, and even newer Ginsteins that were BN's last corporate image, waiting for a traffic upturn that does not seem likely. I did not even bother to go into town to see them closer, knowing how hard it is to get into the yard there anyway...

- Sigh - Happy Burlington railfanning! === === = === JLH



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/15 13:25 by highgreengraphics.

---

---

Hope you enjoyed your visit! I find Burlington to be a very interesting place, with both a rich railroad history and a lot of unique vantage points to shoot trains. Come back sometime!

Lincoln, Burlington

good tour    wish bnsf would  rebuild some f's and keep them



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/15 11:13 by dan.

Thanks for posting all of the interesting photos from Burlington.
The steam boat in Photo 3 is the American Queen.
The two rotary power units in Photos 15-18 hopefully will be donated to museums rather than scrapped.
ALLEN

Interesting stuff.....!!  Thanks for posting.

Interesting indeed, didn't realize the C-415 was still runnning around, looking very well kept as well. Also interesting to see the F9's, had heard about them but there's that thing about pictures and words,
Here's CLC 701 on a previous assignment, with an ex-SP C415 behind it:

+ Guess I did know about it but forgot, good to see photos of it either way:
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3732133,3732133#3732133



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/15 18:35 by TCnR.

---

wonder how many are left

does anyone manufacture a decent looking C415 in ho scale?

the hi-ad trucks make the aaaallll the difference in the world from just being a cool looking locomotive to a VERY ESTHETIC locomotive ...

robert162 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> does anyone manufacture a decent looking C415 in
> ho scale?

Bowser is about to.

Two of the 10 former SP's high cabs, the 2406 and the 2407, one of them is trailing in the last picture.

Is this the last operating (revenue) C415?

highgreengraphics Wrote:
->
> Photo 9 - Occasionally, the 701 is called upon to
> do heavy work, here with a long string of Potash
> Corporation POTX covered hoppers that were heavily
> populating the interchange yard, the prime mover
> must be in good shape as even under load, unlike
> typical ALCO products, it does not smoke at the
> stack too much. The EMD green-and-white unit to
> the left is SSRX 1651, an SD38-2, one of only 4
> built in Canada by GM-DD. It was originally
> Northern Alberta Railway 402, then CN 5701 then
> renumbered 1651, then PRLX 1651 before becoming
> SSRX 1651. It reportedly came from Georgia, and
> was on its way to Cargill.
>
Those fresh clean Potash cars were built in Hamilton, Ontario Canada by National Steel Car. 
Lots more of them coming in the current order of 700.