BNSF Burlington - Northern Santa Fe is the second largest freight network after Union Pacific in the west of the USA. According to Wikipedia, BNSF has 44,000 employees, 32,500 miles (52,300 km) of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide rail links between the western and eastern United States. This picture is from Placentia in southern California where the southernmost of these west to east main cargo corridors run through. This was a roughly 50 wagons long intermodal train hauled by four General Electric Evolution series machines bound towards the mountains and the east headed by no 7818, which is a General Electric Evolution series type ES44DC machine built in 2010.
Picture 28.10.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.
This is the same train as in the title photo of this page. BNSF 8082 is a General Electric Evolution series ES44C4 locomotive.
Picture in Placentia southern California 28.10.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.
The third locomotive of the same train as above was the no. 7390, a further GE Evolution series ES44DC. DC stands for direct current electricity for the traction engines.
Picture in Placentia southern California 28.10.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.
The fourth locomotive of the same train as above was the no. 5018. It is a General Electric C44-9W, a so called Dash 9, built in 2004. The type was a precursor of the Evolution series machines. Note the older style BNSF logo at the front, a further development of the old Santa Fe railroad logo.
Picture in Placentia southern California 28.10.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.
BNSF no.3809 is a General Electric built locomotive of the Evolution series type ET44C4, here seen as one of the five locomotives that was hauling a really long intermodal train from the mountains towards the Pacific coast at Placentia, southern California in 28.10.2016 as Ilkka Siissalo took this photo.
BNSF no.8257 and an unidentified similar General Electric Evolution series locomotive are hauling here an unexpectedly short container train from the mountains towards the Pacific at Placentia 28.10.2016 as Ilkka Siissalo took this photo. 8257 is a General Electric Evolution series type ES44C4. Here they are just emerging under a new bridge by the Orangethorpe Avenue. This and some other close by road crossings used to be still in 2010 level crossings which caused a lot of irritation and traffic jams especially during morning rush hours. These new bridges are a welcome improvement, although within a mile still several level crossings exist in 2016.
Just one of the ca. 50 container wagons of a BNSF train. Compared with Europe, US cargo trains are often huge and slow and carry loads up to 8-9x as much as a European cargo train would. Picture in Placentia California 28.10.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.
A BNSF cargo train is blocking a street in downtown Seattle. The locomotive in the left, only partly visible, is BNSF 5278, a General Electric C44-9W "Dash 9". The green one no. 9210 is still in the colours of BN, Burlington-Northern. It is an EMD built type SD70ACe. Picture in Seattle 13.3.2006 by Ilkka Siissalo.
These are the next two locomotives of the same heavy cargo train as above. FURX (First Union Rail) 7262 is an SD40-2 built by EMD. BNSF 5027 on the right is a General Electric Dash 9, type C44-9W built in 2004. FURX is a locomotive leasing company, which explains why one of their machines is in a BNSF train. Picture in Seattle 13.3.2006 by Ilkka Siissalo.
One more picture of the same train as in the two pictures above, showing the whole four-pack of locomotives... Picture in Seattle 13.3.2006 by Ilkka Siissalo.
...and this was the heavy cargo of the train: timber. Picture in Seattle 13.3.2006 by Ilkka Siissalo.
BNSF locomotive 7530 is a General Electric built type ES44DC built in April 2007. Here it is seen brand new in October the same year in Seattle. Picture in Seattle 25.10.2007 by Ilkka Siissalo.
Another heavy grain train pulled by BNSF locomotives no. 5121, 5048 and 4020 is passing the train shown in the picture above. All these three locomotives are General Electric type C44-9W models also known as "Dash 9" built in 2003 and 2004. Picture in Seattle 25.10.2007 by Ilkka Siissalo.
BNSF 3422 is an old shunter still in the green colours of former BN, Burlington Northern. It is an EMD model SW 1500 built in 1969. Picture in Seattle 25.10.2007 by Ilkka Siissalo.
The same old shunter as above, but seen from the other side. Picture in Seattle 25.10.2007 by Ilkka Siissalo.
