# 150 BNSF Locos Sit Idle



## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

This rail yard is 10 miles east of my home.

http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/local/article_d5dd510f-4e7a-57e5-b872-3c33bb706a04.html

Click on the photo, it comes up a bit bigger.


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## FRED On Board (Jan 2, 2014)

It's now nearly 18 months later from the news story and I can report that nearly anywhere in central Texas, the BNSF roads are busy with BNSF unit trains of coal hoppers, grain hoppers and intermodal container strings...Two engines at the head and one or two at the rear...When I say busy, most days at frequent intervals of an hour or less in both directions...My reference is mainline activity as observed in the greater Austin area and the Rosenberg / Brenham metropolitan and rural areas.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

I recently drove past those idle locos, and they're still there. But, as Fred said, rail activity here in the heart of coal country is flourishing...maybe not as active as it was, but still quite active.

I think the railroads just wound up with too much power, and decided to set a bunch aside rather than scrap them. I do wonder what their long-term plans are for these units...will they just become roadside rust displays?


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## FRED On Board (Jan 2, 2014)

Fire21 said:


> I recently drove past those idle locos, and they're still there. But, as Fred said, rail activity here in the heart of coal country is flourishing...maybe not as active as it was, but still quite active.
> 
> I think the railroads just wound up with too much power, and decided to set a bunch aside rather than scrap them. I do wonder what their long-term plans are for these units...will they just become roadside rust displays?


Well, as pure speculation, but peppered a wee bit in consideration of BNSF ownership of the last 8 years, it may be that there are considerations of "on the books" depreciation schedules for income tax purposes...I don't think the future for this remarkable collection of idle locos is destined for the scrap yard but rather smaller Class-2 railroads and Class-3 shortlines who are apt to consider used equipment. 

Having said that, I have witnessed lash-ups of BNSF motive power with UP, KCS and an older CONRAIL loco over the past several weeks...I have no clue what managing arrangements are at-work to create these mixed road lash-ups...Some months earlier a lash-up of BNSF units with a CP unit caught my eye...The BNSF units that I see are nearly always late GE and less frequently EMD SD60 or 70 units for the unit trains but also in the Rosenberg area at least one BNSF and ATSF (Blue-Yellow war bonnet paint) lash-up of EMD GP switching units for frequent local runs of smaller (shorter) mixed freight consists.

Thanks for the interesting photo and speculative inquiry, Fire21.


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