Re: Burlington [CB&Q], BN, BNSF

Mark Mathu · 2003-10-01T01:10:14+00:00

The Burlington Route (CB&Q) was a railroad formed in the 1800s by the mergerof small railroads in the upper midwest, some which traced their roots backto 1849. It took its name from Burlington, Iowa on the Missisppi River.Over time the CB&Q grew into an expansive system stretching from Kentucky tothe Rocky Mountains, and ultimately to the Gulf Coast through a subsidiaryline.As early as 1901 the CB&Q had seeked to merge with several other largenorthern railroads, and that goal was finally accomplished when theBurlington Northern (BN) was formed by the merger of the Burlington Route,Great Northern, Northern Pacific and Spokane, Portland and Seattle in March1970. The railroad was based primarily in the northwest United States,stretching from Chicago to Seattle. If I recall correctly, the BN was thelargest railroad in the U.S. at the time of the merger but I can't recall ifthat was measured in miles of track, value of assets, or tons of freighthauled.The Burlington Northern Santa Fe was formed in the latest round of railroadmergers in 1995 when the Burlington Northern merged with the Atchison, Topekaand Santa Fe Railway, a similarly large railroad which was based primarilyfrom Chicago to Los Angeles.Here's more on some of the predecessors of the BNSF:If you modeled the proper transition era (1970+ or 1995+) you could veryplausibly include two of the paint schemes. But not all three together.There may have been some CB&Q freight cars which keep their paint until 1995(if so, they'd be very rare and none that I've seen), but none of theBurlington Route locos keep their paint scheme nearly long enough to see theformation of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

Oct 01, 2003 21 Replies

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What a wonderful collection of web links - thank you!

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I think I am going to move in that direction. We have one Proto 2000 F7A CB&Q engine. I have always liked the color scheme. My thinking is to assemble a six car, Walthers BUDD, passenger train comprised of the CB&Q inventory. I'll run it in from hidden staging, have someone make a ceremonial lap around the entire RR, create some priority issues for freight trains to take a siding, and then disappear back into the hidden staging.

Our engine collection consists of a variety of ATSF, BN, BNSF, and SANTA FE diesels. But, I must say that I am eyeing the forthcoming Atlas SD24 CB&Q diesel. I just enjoy that color scheme. I might have it simply 'appear' from an engine house as a vintage hold over from a bygone era, perform a branchline run, and then return to its [engine shed] where I can light it inside and allow viewing through the windows. That could be kind of neat.

I really and truly appreciate all of the wonderful input concerning the CB&Q and its absorption into the BNSF. It has been highly educational and quite intriguing to see how these RR's disappear and then, of course, re-appear in new colors under new management.

Thank You! Matt and Kathleen

Re: Burlington [CB&Q], BN, BNSF

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