NP-GN-CBQ-SPS AND THE 1970 MERGER

[NP Eddie]

This is a multipart question---are you ready?

1. Which of the pre-merger roads did not own an E-unit?

2. Which of the pre-merger road(s) did not own Budd RDC's?

3. Which of the pre-merger road(s) owned FP-units?

4. Was there a Northern Pacific SD-45 that physically carried the number of NP 3636?

 

All in fun--good luck to all.

 

Ed Burns of Anoka, MN

[CAZEPHYR]

NP Eddie

This is a multipart question---are you ready?

1. Which of the pre-merger roads did not own an E-unit?

2. Which of the pre-merger road(s) did not own Budd RDC's?

3. Which of the pre-merger road(s) owned FP-units?

4. Was there a Northern Pacific SD-45 that physically carried the number of NP 3636?

 

All in fun--good luck to all.

 

Ed Burns of Anoka, MN

The list below is the EMD list for the Northern Pacific SD45 units.  I am not sure how accurate it is but if it is correct, they only were numbered to 3629

	07.66	31951-31954	SD45	NP	3600-3603	4	.	.
7978	04.67 to 05.67	33025-33040	SD45	NP	3604-3619	16	.	.
7094	04.68 to 05.68	33900-33909	SD45	NP	3620-3629	10

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Answers as I know them:

1.  NP never owned an E unit

2. That would be CB&Q and SP&S

3. Only NP

4. Only SD45 of which I'm aware that was numbered 3636 belonged to UP.  EL had an SDP45 with that number.

[Andrew Falconer]

A question about the BN merger is

How quickly did the BN repaint all the viable NP-GN-CB&Q cabooses in BN cascade green?

Andrew Falconer

[Andrew Falconer]

How long after the 1970 merger were Northern Pacific Bay-Window Cabooses repainted and/or retired?

Andrew Falconer

[NP Eddie]

Andrew:

My quick answer is that I don't know. I never worked in the Car Department office, so I would have no way of knowing which cabooses were or were not repainted. All cabooses (and locomotives) not pending immediate retirement were re-numbered to a BN number. I suspect that the steel cabooses were repainted, but from 1987 to 1990 I worked as Roadmaster;s Clerk in the Northtown Hump Tower. I saw a silver C&S caboose, complete with the large "Burlington" emblem on each side. The "C&S" (to indicate ownership) was on each side of the cupola. The NP, GN, CBQ, SPS, or BN Historical Societies may be able to give you a better answer. 

The 1970 merger was a whirl of meeting new people and moving from one office to another so I could hold days.

Ed Burns

[Stourbridge Lion]

Ed - Welcome to trains.com!

[NP Eddie]

Andrew:

My answer is that that 15 (fifteen) NP bay window cabooses made it to the BN merger. All were wooden (no steel ones) that were converted from 1903 built boxcars. They were former NP 1500 series, then NP 10500 series, and finally BN 11251-11265 series. I remember one or two at Northtown before the 1970 merger.

My reference is: "Burlington Northern Railroad Cabooses, 1970-1995" by Robert C Del Grosso, published in 2006 by Great Northern Pacific Publications page 62. One picture on that page shows a green caboose in retired status and the other picture shows one in NP caboose (dull) red. 

 

My gut feeling is that all wooden cabooses from the various roads were scrapped within several years after the 1970 merger. 

A suggestion is that you find the NP Historical Society web page and see if they did an article on NP wooden cabooses. I know that did an excellent article on NP steel cabooses.

Ed Burns of Anoka, MN

[Andrew Falconer]

I took a look at RailPIctures and seached Burlington Northern 1970-1979.

There were some former GN wood cabooses repainted all red, GN Big Sky Blue Extended-Vision Caboose, NP Green & Yellow extended-vision cabooses, and CB&Q silver extended vision cabooses still in operation in the 1970's. Could not find any older NP cabooses in photos of the BN in the 1970's.

Andrew