Rumor has it that BNSF might renumber it’s SD60M’s from the 9200 series down into the 8100s, just below the SD75Ms in the 8200 series. I don’t know that the rumor is 100% true? I just heard someone over at locophotos.com today mentioning this. I guess this is to make room for SD70ACes that are supposed to be delivered next year, though BNSF could save the trouble of patching their SD60M by simply placing new SD70ACe’s in the 9100s, 9000s, or 8300s through 8500s. Most of the SD60Ms are still in BN colors, and look good considering they are over 16 years old, and renumbering would ruin their pristine BN look since BNSF will likely just blank out their existing numbers on the long hood and place the new road number on the cab. It would look better if they placed the new number on the long hood in place of the old. So, I recommend you to take pics and vids of SD60Ms still in their BN road numbers while you can!
According to http://www.dieselshop.us/BNSF.HTML they WILL be renumbered into the 8100’s.
What I don’t understand is why BNSF doesn’t just renumber them (the SD60M’s) to 400-499, and renumber 8200-8301 (the SD75M’s and SD75I’s) back to their original 200-301 slot. That would free up allot of slots for SD70ACe’s.
That would make sense. Those roster numbers have been vacant since the merger.
Locomotive numbering schemes are dependent upon whoever is in charge managing the locomotive fleet. Each time the person holding the job changes, the new nit wit wants to change the scheme his predecessor use, just so he (or she) can leave their mark. Just territory marking, common to most animals.
…Never mind the morons in the operating department power desks building trains on paper who won’t recognize the things regardless of what number they give-em unless it’s close to the locomotive class that is the most similar.
Being they already butchered the paint on the former ATSF units, this is retribution![}:)] Let’s get rid of most of that Cascade Green garbage that isn’t already in FURX lettering.[}:)][}:)][}:)]