Passenger Trains > New BNSF Logo on Metra Coaches

The new BNSF logo has started to appear next the doors on the ex-CB&Q gallery cars still serving for Metra. My train this morning had recently shopped coach 783 with the logo. Looks nice against the stainless steel.

---

Yuck

To someone who knows nothing about railroads it is ugly and meaningless.

To someone who knows nothing about railways, the old Santa Fe logo is meaningless as well...............

A question: since this is a Metra operation, with Metra/Amtrak crews (as an aside, aren't UP crews [former CNW seniority district] the only private Class One crews currently operating Metra trains? Are, are all Metra trains operated by crews of the former host RR's? I don't know the operation up there at all...so forgive my ignorance, here.

THE PRIMARY QUESTION: why would "BNSF" logos be applied to Metra coaches? Aren't they now owned by Metra? Is this just some way of honoring the former CB&Q heritage of these cars? It is an unusual move. Since I'm on a "passenger car kick" right now...do you have a picture of the entire car? Am glad to see vintage equipment like this restored to modern standards and operated in contemporary commute service. While the humpback Hawker-Siddley cars that made their debut on GO years ago seem to be in vogue on many operations...I like the stainless steel look.

The cars in the 700 and 800 series are owned by the West Suburban Mass Transit District which leases them to the BNSF. BNSF in turn is paid by Metra to provide service. Back when the BN's E-units were running, the same arrangement was in place for them. There is a placque on each car denoting this.

And as far as the average commuter is concerned, all of us that ride on the BNSF and purchase a monthly tickey by mail are well aware of who BNSF is as we make the checks out to BNSF and not Metra. Several of my coworkers have commented that the new logo looks better than the old one. Of course they are not railfans so what do they know? ;-)

As for changes, a Chicago radio station once sold a line of t-shirts with that said "Change is the only constant"

kevink Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The cars in the 700 and 800 series are owned by
> the West Suburban Mass Transit District which
> leases them to the BNSF. BNSF in turn is paid by
> Metra to provide service. Back when the BN's
> E-units were running, the same arrangement was in
> place for them. There is a placque on each car
> denoting this.
>
> And as far as the average commuter is concerned,
> all of us that ride on the BNSF and purchase a
> monthly tickey by mail are well aware of who BNSF
> is as we make the checks out to BNSF and not
> Metra. Several of my coworkers have commented that
> the new logo looks better than the old one. Of
> course they are not railfans so what do they know?
> ;-)
>
> As for changes, a Chicago radio station once sold
> a line of t-shirts with that said "Change is the
> only constant"

There is another saying that "Change is assured, but PROGRESS is not".

I understand it a little better now. BNSF crews run the Metra trains on the BNSF lines just as UP crews run the Metra trains on the UP's former CNW lines.

Would I be wrong in assuming that there are actually METRA TE&Y crews on the former Rock Island portions of their system?

Too bad there is not BNSF painted power on the trains on their lines...as with the E-units. Oh...scrap that idea. Had they retained the Warbonnet Scheme, it would have been cool. METRA...BNSF...what's the difference? Just letters and Mod Squad paint schemes. Now...I'm running for cover!!!

Metra was originally set up as a funding agency, which is he way it works with BNSF and UP. But the Rock and the Milwaukee were bankrupt and about to dissolve, so Metra had to step in and buy them. Metra crews operate those trains.

AFAIC, a BNSF logo on a public passenger car is pretty friggin cool. Now if only they were Superliner III's. ;-)

I guess CXS, NS are also meaningless--shape up sonny...

I didn't realize that any of thse compass-direction-Mass Transit Districts still existed; thought they rolled them all up into PACE and METRA years ago.

Isn't it true that the vintage CB&Q gallery cars aren't compatible with the rest of the METRA fleet, because the chassis are heavier and HEP connections differ ?

How many sets of ex-MILW district Budd cars are there now ?

Which engines run with what, or doesn't it matter ?

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Isn't it true that the vintage CB&Q gallery
> cars aren't compatible with the rest of the METRA
> fleet, because the chassis are heavier and HEP
> connections differ?

I believe that this is no longer true. The newest cars that have just arrived, the BNSF-vintage cars, and all those in between, appear to be used interchangeably. As I understand it, the BNSF cars still in use were rebuilt to the same electrical system as the others. One trivial BNSF incompatability is the horns, some of which are removed due to low clearance on some even-numbered (south) tracks at Union Station.

> How many sets of ex-MILW district Budd cars are
> there now?

I don't think it really could be said that there are "sets" of these Budd cars (numbered in the 7200-7300 series for coaches and 8200 series for control cars). In order to meet ADA requirements and to use the most modern control cars on each train, the Budd cars usually show up in ones and twos among other newer cars (7400 and 8400 Morrison-Knudsen/Amerail cars and 6100 and 8500 Nippon-Sharyo cars). A typical consist on the Milwaukee North might include (from east to west) an 8500, an 8400, a 7200, another 8500, a 7400, an 8200, a 7200, and a locomotive.

> Which engines run with what, or doesn't it matter?

It doesn't much matter. Any given unit will stay on one line (or one group of lines) for a while simply because interchange between them is somewhat limited and there is no reason to trade them around at whim. But other than the the F40Cs (twelve ex-Milwaukee and two ex-Northwest Suburban Mass Transit District), which ran almost exclusively on Milwaukee-heritage lines, the other classes of Metra locomotives generally can be used on any line. The F40-PH2M units are more common south of Union Station but are not absent elsewhere. The one exception is that the MP36s are slightly too heavy for one former CNW bridge; they therefore are not used on any of the current UP-operated lines in order to preserve complete interchangeability among all UP-assigned equipment.

>all of us that ride on the BNSF and purchase a monthly tickey by mail
>are well aware of who BNSF is as we make the checks out to BNSF and not Metra.

Interesting. What does the ticket say? Do Metra/UP riders similarly pay to UP? Your tickets are still good on all lines, yes?

Metra/Electric rider

(And wondering why this evening outbound, after a delay north of Hyde Park, we backed up through a crossover from Track 1 to Track 2, ostensibly to pass a stuck train, met a South Shore train at the 55/56/57th St. platform but this train pulled out at the same time we did, pacing us briefly until it slowed and we overtook it and around 67th we switched back to Track 1. About 14 min delay for this fun.)

Metra monthly tickets look the same no matter which line you ride. There is some cryptic printing across the top "TBM FBN". The first part is pobably Ticket By Mail. Not sure what the FBN stands for. Tickets are good for any Metra line within the zone purchased for.

kevink Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The new BNSF logo has started to appear next the
> doors on the ex-CB&Q gallery cars still
> serving for Metra. My train this morning had
> recently shopped coach 783 with the logo. Looks
> nice against the stainless steel.

While I'm not a big fan of the new logo, I have to agree that it looks nice against the stainless steel.

Dave

RuleG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> kevink Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The new BNSF logo has started to appear next
> the
> > doors on the ex-CB&Q gallery cars still
> > serving for Metra. My train this morning had
> > recently shopped coach 783 with the logo.
> Looks
> > nice against the stainless steel.
>
> While I'm nto a big fan of the new logo, I have to
> agree that it looks nice against the stainless
> steel.
>
> Dave
>

I agree. Though I made a gratuitous slap at the BNSF's new image (I just wish they'd kept the warbonnets, and called it "Santa Fe"...but since the Super Fleet was Mike Haverty's idea, and he and his boss, Robert Krebs and he had a big falling out...i.e., the RR wasn't big enough for both these larger-than-life personalities...I understand to some extent why it happened)...I do respect the BNSF operation and have friends who are BNSF employees.

It IS good to see the logo of a Class I against stainless steel, in actual revenue passenger service...

kevink Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Metra monthly tickets look the same no matter
> which line you ride. There is some cryptic
> printing across the top "TBM FBN". The first part
> is pobably Ticket By Mail. Not sure what the FBN
> stands for. Tickets are good for any Metra line
> within the zone purchased for.


From BN - To BN ?

No, meaning the distance zone.