Last month’s Trains magazine’s feature on future mergers stated that BNSF and CPR were historic rivals. I have read up on both and somehow missed this. I presume that there might have been rivalry in the James Hill days and perhaps some recent bad feelings when BNSF tried to merge with CN. But does anyone else have insight on a “rivalry” that is more than just any ordinary Class I business rivalry?
It may have historical roots.
CP’s dynamo, W.C. Van Horne, was a protege of Milwaukee Road’s S.S. Merrrill. CP’s financier, George Stephen, had consulted with Milwaukee Road’s Merrill and Alexander Mitchell in Milwaukee, prior to Van Horne’s appointment. Stephen told Hill that the visit related to other issues. Well, within a few months, Hill was asked to bring Van Horne to Winnipeg, for a “visit.” Very soon after Van Horne left Milwaukee Road to assume the presidency of CP, Hill resigned from the CP Board.
Thereafter, CP was in regular conflict with Hill.
Van Horne’s successor, Wm. Shaughnessy, was also a Milwaukee Road veteran, also a Merrill protege. Rogers, et al, all Milwaukee Road people.
There was a natural antipathy between the CP people and Hill at least in part due to historical antipathy because CP was in large part a Milwaukee Road spin-off insofar as founders were concerned. These were people who looked to S.S. Merrill, not J.J. Hill, as an authentic railroader for inspiration. Best – Michael Sol
The BN has utilzed a lot of reloads. This includes potash and lumber from CP origins just North of the border is SK, AB and BC.
CP+UP=Union Pacific Railroad.
Allan.
BNSF sees CP as the greatest threat to BNSF’s captive Northern Tier rail shippers. The recent South Dakota spat in which the State insisted that DM&E, Dakota Southern, et al have access to the “core lines” had to gall BNSF management, since it allows CP access to BNSF’s terrritory by proxy for grain shipments.
On the other hand, BNSF has effectively bottlenecked and embargoed any NAFTA rail traffic from the I-15 corridor with it’s discontinuation of service between Great Falls and Helena, blocking any CP/UP connections down that corridor and forcing CP’s California bound traffic down the more congested I-5 corridors.
There may also be a suspicion that CP is playing a role in the DM&E’s PRB extension.
James J Hill wanted the CPR to build south of Lake Superior and use his St.Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba. Stephen and Smith were his former partners with the SPM&P before they started the CPR. This was before Van Horne came along. Later on the GN invaded CPR territory in southern British Columbia.
CPR also had the Soo Line in GN territory between the Twin Cities and the Twin Ports and out into Montana.
I recall that CP retined interest in the IMRL. If I remember correctly, that was retained even after Washington sold to DME. This could hurt BNSF in many ways. Firs is the extension to Powder River Coal.
I did not agree with Trains article about the next round of mergers. If the above is true, CP DOES have a connection to KCS. This would make the true NAFTA railroad. Now CP even has a better connection to the east, with the new rights on NS. Western coal, and other goods from Mexico and the Gulf region could head to eastern markets with the new rights + D&H.
KCS+BNSF+NS+CN=??? … North American Rail???
CSX+UP+CP=??? … hmmm National Pacific???
thats how its gona go down