Western Railroad Discussion > ATSF 666 soon to be renumbered

Senior management has requested ATSF 666 be renumbered to BNSF 599. Unit currently in Barstow, Calif with traction motor problems. Unit due next fra inspection at Kansas City in July, where it
will probably go for renumbering.(Mid America)
Get your pictures before its too late.

Fear of seeing the devil too great out west huh?
Larry

I got my good pic of it with all warbonnet consist pulling the coil steel emtys at sandcut last year. 666 the devil train.

"Wow to you, oh Earth and Sea, for the devil sends the beast with wrath, because he knows the time is short...
Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast for it is a human number, it's number is Six hundred and sixty six."
Revelations ch, xiii b. 18.

"666, the number of the beast
666, the one for you and me "


-Iron Maiden "The Number of the Beast", 1982


Up the irons!

In the interest of being "equal opportunity" does that mean BNSF also has to re-number the BNSF 777? What about numbers that others might find offensive or be sensitive to such as "911", "1122" (date of the Kennedy assassination), "128" (date of Space Shuttle Challenger explosion), etc. Puh-lease.

I received the following from a BNSF engineer who prefers to remain anonymous:

"ATSF Dash 9-44CW 666 will get renumbered. Apparently BNSF has gotten
some letters about the 666 being the number of the Devil and it makes
some crews uncomfortable running “The Beast”. The engine has had
pictures of the devil drawn on the consol, it has had scripture about the
beast written inside the cab, and it has had the name “Beast” written
inside the cab and on the nose at one time or another. The engine is
scheduled to get the number BNSF 599 at Kansas City as soon as it becomes
available to do so. When this engine came out in 1993, there was some
speculation that it might not get the number 666, but the ATSF didn’t not
have any problem with it. In fact, it has been one of the best
performing Dash 9s of the 600 class. The UP re-numbered their GP40 666
soon after it was painted due to some pressures from crews and others
just prior to the ATSF getting the 666 on the property."

Well, if it's that offensive, BNSF might as well just scrap it. The hard-core fans will always know what the 599 _used_ to be.

WSC, feeling especially irritable this Monday afternoon

I will never forgert the first time I had this engine. Lone engine on a single engine baretable train. Somebody had placed a cow? scull on the nose along with a snake. The enginear said that the first time he had the unit they hit a pickup truck with it, and to top it off the road foreman rode with us to give the enginear a check ride. There was plenty of drawings and scripture on the console, along with #of kills IIII/ IIII/ IIII/ III written in the bathroom wall.

Ridiclus that it will be renumbered though.

Brian

Seen lurking at the Commerce facility a few weeks ago. Paint job is still looking good!
JB

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I dont see the name 'Christine' painted anywhere? Maybe they ought to burn the loco at the stake, just like things were when the bible thumpers were running the country a few hundred years ago...

I observed CSXT666 E/B on TOFC train, 31 October, 2001 at Fostoria, Ohio. This was Halloween!No cowskulls or snakes noted as adornments!I was scared s--tless and immediately left for Boston to be exorcised by Cardinal Lay.Probably never return to Fostoria.Terrible trama, still.From: Trying To Manage Amidst Tea Leave, Bat Wing, Frog Eye, etc. Lovers. Jeez!

When I was registering a car nine years ago in Connecticut, the plate at the top of the stack at the motor vehicles bureau was 666-HUZ. The next plate below it was in the 700s. The clerk told me that dozens of people had refused to accept the 666 plate. I took it, and nothing bad happened to me; in fact, nine months later, I got a much better-paying job!

Got my shot of the ATSF 666 on a westbound stack train approaching Grants, NM in March 1997 -- a shot I'll likely include in a future slide show about superstitious and/or "significant" numbers. I'm not sure if I have ATSF 911, and I need to check my log for the CalTrain 911 from my visit there in 2000; I know I still need the CSXT 666.

What if the sign of the devil is really 999? :)
No wonder the EJ&E hasn't renumbered their 666 yet

Chitownjeff

My one shot of the ATSF 666:

http://www.trainorders.com/media/image/show.php?id=3463

John

To add to the color comentary....I had several 16x20 photo's of SF and other locomotives decorating my classroom when I was teaching in SoCal. At a 'Parents Nite' I noticed several parents taking particulare attention to the shot of "Old 666"....To the point that a couple of ladies made the sign of the cross as they turned away. One of the Dad's told me he worked for BNSF and that there were a number of people on his crew who attributed various bad-luck stories to something connected with that engine.
I am glad that I captured the "El Diablo" several times as it passed thru our area. I hate to see an evil spirit retired....somehow '599' just doesn't have the same impact.
AL

I thought the best unit was Satan Fe #666. This one says 'Santa Fe', so it must be a case of mistaken identity.

When I was in college in Cleveland, OH in the
mid-90's, Norfolk Southern used to deliver
new GE's to Santa Fe from Erie, PA via the
former Nickel Plate line. Many times I'd see
new red and silver units roll past my dorm
room window on NS trains 303 and 305, but rarely
was I ever in a position to shoot them. One of
the few times I was, the unit being delivered
was none other than ATSF 666.

Heard a story once about one railroad's crews
who were superstitious about their locomotive
#5050. They figured it gave them only a 50/50
chance of surviving the trip...results to the
contrary, of course, but why let facts get in
the way of a little healthy paranoia?

Trying finding a "13th floor" at a major Las Vegas Casino.

nor does the Empire state building,or the Sears tower,or the John Hancok building.Niether di tha World Trade centers.
windle

Mmmmmmm, no offense, but who really gives a rat's you-know-what? Last time I checked, railfans, hard core or not, don't generally occupy the cabs of locomotives nor do they have much input into how railroads are operated.

I could care less about a locomotive numbered 666. If anything, I would find using it amusing and a novelty. But if it's causing some employees grief, then let it go. Big deal. Sounds like the locomotive is an attractive target for inappropriate graffitit, so maybe it's best that it get renumbered. Maybe they should start painting over the "Margaret Morgan has a deep ass" scrawled in the bathroom of every BNSF locomotive. Nah, now that would be going too far... ;-)

It is one of the cleaner looking warbonnets around, renumbering surely would ruin that and repainting - now that's the devil's work!!
Another veiw from Commerce on 5/10/2002
Kevin Vollmer

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Who is Margaret Morgan? and how do they know she has a deep ass.

That I tell you is the biggest question on the Mind of BNSF employees everywhere, at least on the
Former BN side of the railroad.