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Dear Uncle Warren...

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Dear Uncle Warren...
Posted by azrail on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 1:47 AM

As you know, BNSF will turn 20 next year. Isn't it time to ditch that wedgie thing that you call a logo (Which seems to have been copied by YRC trucking) and bring out something new. Or maybe join the retro logo craze and bring back a variation of the circle-cross.

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Posted by K. P. Harrier on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 8:30 AM

The “wedgie thing” that BNSF calls a logo looks harmonious as an image representation for BNSF, in my opinion.  What does NOT look harmonious is to see Santa Fe power, blue and yellow or the warbonnet scheme, running around in Washington, Idaho, Montana, and the likes.  Even today BN green in Southern California doesn’t project a harmonious image.  But, orange and black (NOT green), and the wedge, does!

I think railroaders and railfans need to accept that BNSF is neither the AT&SF nor the BN, and the wedge seems to project that fact quite well

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K.P.’s absolute “theorem” from early, early childhood that he has seen over and over and over again: Those that CAUSE a problem in the first place will act the most violently if questioned or exposed.

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Posted by Deggesty on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 11:29 AM

K.P., I agree. I miss the component roads (and their emblems and color schemes) of the BNSF (I lived at the north end of the AT&N for almost nine years and enjoyed knowing the men whom I met there), but they have been folded into one road, which is, as you say, the real thing now.

Johnny

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Posted by jeffhergert on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 1:28 PM

I agree, somewhat, with the original poster.  I can't say I miss the old roads, and I've never been a fan of the AT&SF's warbonnet, but I must say I liked Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway better than BNSF Railway.  I liked their logo, even if it was reminicscent of the AT&SF, better than the wedgie or swoosh.  It seems more appropriate on a tennis shoe.

It may all be one road now, but I bet in ATSF country you still hear a lot of employees, especially old heads, still calling it the Santa Fe.  I know in BN territory, many of them still just say BN.  (I mean when informally referring to their railroad.  It's BNSF when a conversation is governed by the rule book.)

Jeff 

 

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Posted by zugmann on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 1:49 PM

I never cared for the plus sign logo.  It was too busy, along with the name BurlingtonNorthernSantaFe (take a breath).

I think the BNSF and swoosh are pretty cool, myself.  But I'm an eastern guy with no connections to either of the roads.  I do like their engine interiors better than ours.

PS.  We call them "the BN" out here. 

 

PPS. Now only if they could ditch the silver underbodies on their engines.  Looks OK new, but quickly looks horrible with a little dust, oil and grime.

 

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by Paul of Covington on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 2:54 PM

   I just pronounce it something like "BUNSUFF."

_____________ 

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Posted by mudchicken on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 4:10 PM

BN = Big Nuthin...

Then again most people in Colorado still haven't got the news there was a merger back in 1996. Get rather annoyed looking at new documents showing BN or Burlington Northern, especially when referring to former ATSF property.

one of Chico's Orphans

 

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by Murphy Siding on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 4:22 PM

     Up until they passed away 10 and 12 years ago, the elder owners of our company always refered to the railroad as The Burlington.

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Thursday, October 23, 2014 7:18 AM

The current BNSF logo looks like it was designed as a unified entity, as opposed to grafting "Burlington Northern Santa Fe" onto the old ATSF herald.  It presents an image of "This is who we are!" rather than "This is what we used to be".

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by diningcar on Thursday, October 23, 2014 10:16 AM
Big New Santa Fe was circulated after the merger when Santa Fe executives took over.
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Posted by jimnorton on Thursday, October 23, 2014 2:11 PM

I'd be alright with the current logo if it was partnered with a caption.  If BNSF won't tell what BNSF stand for at least tell us what you do.  "Everywhere West" is still appealing.

 

Jim Norton

Huntsville, AL

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Saturday, October 25, 2014 10:55 AM

    I kind of like the variety of colors we see on the BiNSifF.  pumpkin orange,  warbonnet pink, Cascade green, and an occasional Greinstein green.

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Posted by Mookie on Saturday, October 25, 2014 12:53 PM

Murphy Siding

    I kind of like the variety of colors we see on the BiNSifF.  pumpkin orange,  warbonnet pink, Cascade green, and an occasional Greinstein green.

 

the black and white; the gray & blue; & the red, black & yellow...

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by Leo_Ames on Saturday, October 25, 2014 3:09 PM

I'd rather see the BNSF name go away rather than the logo. Time for a proper railroad name instead of a four letter ancronym to no where. 

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Saturday, October 25, 2014 4:43 PM

Mookie

 

 
Murphy Siding

    I kind of like the variety of colors we see on the BiNSifF.  pumpkin orange,  warbonnet pink, Cascade green, and an occasional Greinstein green.

 

 

 

the black and white; the gray & blue; & the red, black & yellow...

 

 

 Are you talking about those colors on the railroad as a whole?  I'm saying I see that just on the BNSF locomotives coming through.  We don't see much foreign power.  Other areas must hoard those.

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Posted by cefinkjr on Monday, October 27, 2014 6:35 PM

Leo_Ames

I'd rather see the BNSF name go away rather than the logo. Time for a proper railroad name instead of a four letter ancronym to no where. 

I'd let 'em use my "Northern" for nothing.  They can even have my logo.

Chuck
Allen, TX

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Posted by Mookie on Monday, October 27, 2014 7:08 PM

Murphy Siding
 
Mookie

 

 
Murphy Siding

    I kind of like the variety of colors we see on the BiNSifF.  pumpkin orange,  warbonnet pink, Cascade green, and an occasional Greinstein green.

 

 

 

the black and white; the gray & blue; & the red, black & yellow...

 

 

 

 

 Are you talking about those colors on the railroad as a whole?  I'm saying I see that just on the BNSF locomotives coming through.  We don't see much foreign power.  Other areas must hoard those.

 

 

 This weekend we saw - CSX (several), NS - several, a CP and one KCS.  Don't see much CP or CN, but the rest are all here.  UP still handles local traffic, so we see them quite often. 

We are an equal opportunity locomotive town!  Smile, Wink & Grin

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by aricat on Monday, October 27, 2014 7:43 PM

I remember in the 1990's British railfans were arguing amongst themselves about which railway was better; GWR,LMS,SR, or LNER. I think this is still a hot topic. All these pre-nationalization companies were cared about far more than the nationalized entity known as British Railways ever was by railfans. 

I visited Galesburg Illinois last summer and I knew which trackage was Santa Fe and which was Burlington even with a common name and paint job. I will always remember both Burlington and Santa Fe. They were my favorite railroads.

Keep BNSF as is; it works for CSX and NS. BNSF might consider legacy paint jobs too.

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Posted by tree68 on Monday, October 27, 2014 7:52 PM

aricat
Keep BNSF as is; it works for CSX and NS. BNSF might consider legacy paint jobs too.

While CSX apparently stands for Chesapeake (and Ohio) Seaboard (Coast Line) and X was a placeholder for ????, NS still stands for Norfolk Southern, which is their official corporate name.

Back when Esso/Standard was looking to rebrand itself, it turned to a computer to generate possible names, which gave us Exxon.

But I do like the idea of actually having names, versus just letters.  Even IBM stands for International Business Machines.

At one time I designed a model railroad (pipe dream only stage) I called the America NorthEastern (ANE), which would have been roughly analogous to the real Conrail, even though that wasn't my intent.  In fact, ANE was totally fictional - there wasn't a real placename on the railroad.

 

LarryWhistling
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Posted by BaltACD on Monday, October 27, 2014 10:22 PM

tree68
 
aricat
Keep BNSF as is; it works for CSX and NS. BNSF might consider legacy paint jobs too.

 

While CSX apparently stands for Chesapeake (and Ohio) Seaboard (Coast Line) and X was a placeholder for ????, NS still stands for Norfolk Southern, which is their official corporate name.

 

 

 

The company line on CSX

C = Chessie (system)
S = Seaboard (system)
X = the multiplication symbol to indicate much more than just CS.

 

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by Sunnyland on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 8:47 AM

I'm OK with the wedge, but it's not the coonskin.  I call BNSF-Big New Super Frisco or Been Nothing Since Frisco, after some railfan friends told me about those names.  Or I can imagine the SF is from the SLSF name, apologies to the ATSF.  But I never rode any of their trains, so don't have a connection to them like many do.  But of course I have a strong connection to SLSF from my parents.  I see BNSF engines around all the time since they have kept Lindenwood Yards where Dad worked open and running.  And I call them Basniff.  Easier to say and friends know what I mean. 

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Posted by Boyd on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 12:29 AM

Other possible names:

Eastern and Western. A railroad name that says it all. 

Or: Eastern Eureka and Western. Letter names EEW! A fitting name for the next derailment of a garbage train. 

Modeling the "Fargo Area Rapid Transit" in O scale 3 rail.

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Posted by Leo_Ames on Thursday, October 30, 2014 3:57 PM

Great Western Railway

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Thursday, October 30, 2014 7:05 PM

Bring back the old

Atlantic & Pacific RR ?  Was that precessor for some AT&SF routes ?

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Posted by zardoz on Thursday, October 30, 2014 10:07 PM

BaltACD

 

 
tree68
 
aricat
Keep BNSF as is; it works for CSX and NS. BNSF might consider legacy paint jobs too.

 

While CSX apparently stands for Chesapeake (and Ohio) Seaboard (Coast Line) and X was a placeholder for ????, NS still stands for Norfolk Southern, which is their official corporate name.

 

 

 

 

 

The company line on CSX

C = Chessie (system)
S = Seaboard (system)
X = the multiplication symbol to indicate much more than just CS.

 

 

I thought that maybe it meant that the RR is x-rated.

 

x of course indicates 'excellence'.Whistling

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