Nostalgia & History > Merger history of the BNSF?

I know that before the BNSF there were names like Burlington, Northern, and Santa Fe. I'm not sure how many other names there might be un-recorded somewhere under that moniker. I also don't know who ate who, and when, or why, although I recall the ATSF being eaten by something that I think called itself the BN at the time.

I'm sure someone could write a book on this subject. I'm sure there ARE books on this subject. I'm more interested in the Saturday Morning version where the editor has four column inches to fill.

So who wants to do a short article on:

== The BNSF: Who Ate Whom, And When ==
==                         And Why                     == 

Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Chicago Burlington & Quincy, Spokane Portland & Seattle, Colorado &Southern and Ft Worth & Denver become Burlington Northern. Burlington Northern and St Louis San Frisco become Burlington Northern.

Burlington Northern and Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe become Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Burlington Northern Santa Fe becomes BNSF. That's where we are today.

Posted from Windows Phone OS 7



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/15 22:31 by fbe.

fbe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Chicago
> Burlington & Quincy, Spokane Portland & Seattle,
> Colorado &Southern and Ft Worth & Denver become
> Burlington Northern. Burlington Northern and St
> Louis San Frisco become Burlington Northern.
>
> Burlington Northern and Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe
> become Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Burlington
> Northern Santa Fe becomes BNSF. That's where we
> are today.
>
> Posted from Windows Phone OS 7
And BNSF is a horrible name as is CSX.  In my mind I still call them Burlington Northern Santa Fe; and the other one Is the Chessie Seaboard Railroad.  We Americans are getting too lazy and we use too many acronyms and many of our citizens cannot speak or write correct English.  As a country we are supposed to be better educated overall; however many of our forefathers did not have the formal education that we have; but they spoke, read, and wrote proper English and could put a lot of us today to shame.

ClubCar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> >
> > Posted from Windows Phone OS 7
> And BNSF is a horrible name as is CSX.  In my
> mind I still call them Burlington Northern Santa
> Fe; and the other one Is the Chessie Seaboard
> Railroad.  We Americans are getting too lazy and
> we use too many acronyms and many of our citizens
> cannot speak or write correct English.  As a
> country we are supposed to be better educated
> overall; however many of our forefathers did not
> have the formal education that we have; but they
> spoke, read, and wrote proper English and could
> put a lot of us today to shame.

Although I agree with your premise that too many Americans are somehow unable to speak or write correct English, I disagree that use/overuse of acronyms is a cause or symptom of that.  Many acronyms have been used for a long time such as CIO, WPA, NAACP and NFL.  Even in the railroad world, fans and railroaders frequently used the acronym rather than saying the whole name.  The D & H is an example which the Delaware & Hudson used on its logo.
 

Here's a link to BNSF's corporate history.  At the end of this document is a list of all of the railroad companies which merged into BNSF's major predecessor railroads.

BNSF History and Legacy

A few years ago TRAINS magazine had a "map" of all of the mergers.

fbe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Chicago
> Burlington & Quincy, Spokane Portland & Seattle,
> Colorado &Southern and Ft Worth & Denver become
> Burlington Northern. Burlington Northern and St
> Louis San Frisco become Burlington Northern.
>
> Burlington Northern and Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe
> become Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Burlington
> Northern Santa Fe becomes BNSF. That's where we
> are today.
>
Not quite, fbe.  The Chicago, Burlington and Qunicy, Northern Pacific,
Great Northern and Spokane Portland and Seattle became Burlington
Northern.  Burlington Northern and Frisco became Burlington Northern,
Burlington Northern and Colorado and Southern became Burlington
Northern, Burlington Northern and Fort Worth and Denver became
Burlington Northern, Burlington Northern purchased the Atcheson, Topeka
and Santa Fe and became the "Big New Santa Fe."  

It seems odd, but true, that the BN swallowed the SLSF before it swallowed
its forme Burlington subsidiaries.

Nick Tharalson, 
Marion, IA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/15 08:55 by ntharalson.

.
> >
> > Posted from Windows Phone OS 7
> And BNSF is a horrible name as is CSX.  In my
> mind I still call them Burlington Northern Santa
> Fe; and the other one Is the Chessie Seaboard
> Railroad.  We Americans are getting too lazy and
> we use too many acronyms and many of our citizens
> cannot speak or write correct English.  As a
> country we are supposed to be better educated
> overall; however many of our forefathers did not
> have the formal education that we have; but they
> spoke, read, and wrote proper English and could
> put a lot of us today to shame.

CSX and BNSF are the only two railroads that I know of go by initals only.
It takes too much breath to say BNSF the way you do.I call it BENS-F.

Uncle Joe,Seffner,Fl.

 

retcsxcfm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> .
> > >
> > > Posted from Windows Phone OS 7
> > And BNSF is a horrible name as is CSX.  In my
> > mind I still call them Burlington Northern
> Santa
> > Fe; and the other one Is the Chessie Seaboard
> > Railroad.  We Americans are getting too lazy
> and
> > we use too many acronyms and many of our
> citizens
> > cannot speak or write correct English.  As a
> > country we are supposed to be better educated
> > overall; however many of our forefathers did
> not
> > have the formal education that we have; but
> they
> > spoke, read, and wrote proper English and could
> > put a lot of us today to shame.
>
> CSX and BNSF are the only two railroads that I
> know of go by initals only.
> It takes too much breath to say BNSF the way you
> do.I call it BENS-F.
>
>No no no. It's pronounced B-N-S, you leave off the F.

Been Nothing Since Frisco
Big New Shiny Frisco
 

Frisco1522 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Been Nothing Since Frisco
> Big New Shiny Frisco

The strategic incompetence of the Frisco guys made the BN into even more of a Bungleton. Gaskins drastically improved the grain business, transforming it into the gold standard by which all railroad freight businesses should be measured, but it was impossible to undo the absurd abandonments, capacity reductions and spin-offs perpetrated by the yay-hoos from Friscoland.

Then new management rescued it and it became the Big New Santa Fe.

Best regards,

Rob L.

rob_l Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Frisco1522 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Been Nothing Since Frisco
> > Big New Shiny Frisco
>
> The strategic incompetence of the Frisco guys made
> the BN into even more of a Bungleton. Gaskins
> drastically improved the grain business,
> transforming it into the gold standard by which
> all railroad freight businesses should
> be measured, but it was impossible to undo the
> absurd abandonments, capacity reductions and
> spin-offs perpetrated by the yay-hoos from
> Friscoland.
>
> Then new management rescued it and it became the
> Big New Santa Fe.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Rob L.

Perhaps they should just call it that or some variation; BNSF isn't very creative.

retcsxcfm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CSX and BNSF are the only two railroads that I
> know of go by initals only.
> It takes too much breath to say BNSF the way you
> do.I call it BENS-F.
>
> Uncle Joe,Seffner,Fl.

CN.