CB&Q

The CB&Q ceased to exist on March 2nd 1970 merging with the Great Northern, Northern Pacific and the SP&S to become the Burlington Northern. It took BN until 1977 to re-paint all the locos in pre merger colours into BN green.

Chris Packman

Thanks Chris!

And the Frisco came into the BN fold in 1980, IIRC.

"Paul - The CB&Q Guy" (Modeling 1960's In HO.)

Hi Paul,

Could you please confirm my belief that the CB&Q were known to run consists that contained many of their own 'named' cars. If correct, did these trains also have *some* foreign rolling stock?

I have a single CB&Q, E6A engine, a half dozen CB&Q cars, and a Kato CB&Q business car. I was considering the idea of running this train on a schedule in the same way I will handle the ATSF "Super Chief". Each train would come through the layout [from one hidden staging area to the other hidden staging area] once each operating session for some interest.

Would this proposed use of my CB&Q train items be *reasonable* ???

Thanks!

FYI, CB&Q had NO E-6 diesels. They had the only E-5s, plus E-7/8/9.

Ooops ... I meant an E7A. Thanks for catching that error.

Well I have seen photos and videos with the occasional foreign road passenger car in the consist, such as a SP sleeper, or a D&RGW baggage/mail car. I think this was probably more common in the latter days of railroad ownership of the passenger trains, 1960's era, pre-Amtrak. This was also the time when, I believe it was the Empire Builder from Chicago to the Twin Cities was combined with another train and you had a mixture of cars from the Burlington and the Great Northern running together. Again, I don't recall the exact details and my books, etc. are still packed away in the basement since the move to this house.

In the 1950's the Pennsy and the NYC would run basically what was a cross-country sleeper from the east coast, New York I believe to Chicago, to a connection there to be combined into the California Zephyr, IIRC. Those two railroads would alternate sending their sleeper each day, in other words, one day NYC would send theirs to Chicago, and the next day it would be Pennsy's turn.

Sure, I suppose. I hesitate to use the term, "It''s your layout, do whatever you want", but it seems if you're not trying to model the prototype exactly, then I personally see nothing "wrong" or ghastly off the wall with it. I'm thinking of it like some moving scenery to add a bit of spice to your train running.

You're welcome. Wish I had a better memory for all of this stuff. I usually recall just enough get by and when I need the details I can check my references or go online to ask people who seem to remember all of it in detail.

"Paul - The CB&Q Guy" (Modeling 1969 In HO.)

Thanks Paul. This helps a lot. It will allow me to selectively include the CB&Q into our planned layout.

The CB&Q handled the Empire Builder from Chicago to St. Paul. The cars were all painted in GN colours. Since the train traveled over the SP&S as well each railroad owned a proportion of the cars reflecting their share of the mileage. The ownership was stenciled in small letters on the end of the letterboard as the centre was stenciled 'Empire Builder'. CB&Q also handled GN's Western Star, NP's Mainstreeter and North Coast Limited between Chicago and St. Paul.