Nostalgia & History > How it gets done,,,

Winters have been and always will be hard on railroads, some just aren't as hard as the next. Case in point, in the mid-1980s or so, the Burlington Northern ran this hot intermodal thru La Crosse with the BN #1902 leading a newer B39-8! To me it seemed like the GP9 was telling the LMX, "follow me young man and I'll show you how it gets done"!

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I like it, Jim - bet it sounded GREAT!

Thanks for sharing that gem,

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

Looks like that "hot" train is being used to move some precast concrete bridge members on the two flats behind the power. Could be a really good idea if there is a bridge problem somewhere.

rrartist Wrote:

> Winters have been and always will be hard on
> railroads, some just aren't as hard as the next.
> Case in point, in the mid-1980s or so, the
> Burlington Northern ran this hot intermodal thru
> La Crosse with the BN #1902 leading a newer B39-8!

If the data on Charles Biel's BN photo archive site is correct, you really threaded the needle with that consist. BN 1902 was supposedly retired in October 1987, the same month the first LMX units came aboard.

> To me it seemed like the GP9 was telling the LMX,
> "follow me young man and I'll show you how it gets
> done"!

Evidently the "lummox" wasn't listening. While 1902 itself wouldn't work for BN for much longer, the last BN-heritage GP9 was stricken from the roster in 2008. The lease on the LMX units was allowed to expire in 2001.

BN 1902 became Fort Smith Railroad 1902, and later went to the New York & Greenwood Lake where it apparently still works as their 1268. It's entirely possible that the B39-8 is still earning an honest living somewhere, too, despite the obstacles that a 4000hp 4-axle locomotive faces in "cascading" down to shortline work the way hundreds of GP9's have.