BNSF Retired/Stored Locos

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I thought I read in Trains magazine that BNSF had either retired or stored all locomotives older than SD40-2s, or had put them into their “Surge Fleet” to be used only when demand was high.

I ask because I have seen an old SD9 (#6131) in BN green working the branch to the Coors factory in Golden, CO, near the Colorado Railroad Museum. I’ve also seen an SD9 in BNSF Heritage colors shoving a cut of cars back and forth in the BNSF yard north of downtown Denver.

I’m assuming the second one is an SD9, I really wouldn’t know an SD9 from an SD7 or other early high-nose SD models. The first one had “SD9” painted on it near the front, the second one I saw from a distance…

2

BNSF also has an SD9 in their old BN Green shoving cars at their yard in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Easiest way to tell a 7 from a 9 is in the classification lights; if they are in the middle of an access panel between it’s a 7, the 9’s classification lights are near the outer edges of the nose.

3

at the yards here in Springfield Missouri BNSF also uses chopped nose SD('s for yard work. speaking of the stored locos, there are usually a large ammount of C30-7’s stored here. sometimes 20-30 of them

4

To my understanding the SD9 is a major player in the BNSF plan as yard units.