# prototype mergers



## Jimbooregon (Nov 28, 2017)

How long after a merger would one typically see rolling stock in the old company paint schemes? I want to mode Burlington Northern in the 70's and would like to know if I could use 40 foot boxcars from Northern Pacific and Great Northern in my consists....thanks for the help.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I am not sure about this but I thought 40 footers were done by early 60s. Maybe earlier.

Paint schemes can last years.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Nope, 40 footers lasted well into the 1990's....in fact, they're still around....

You should be able to run the fallen flag cars behind the BN locomotives into the mid 70's, if not even later.....


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## Jimbooregon (Nov 28, 2017)

Great, thanks. And the locos maybe the first year or so?


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I still see BN green locos once in awhile. I would say paint schemes may not be changed for years. Many times the road numbers are patched on engines and rolling stock.


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## ebtnut (Mar 9, 2017)

Concur w/Mopac - Locos usually aren't repainted until they come in for major shop work. They may or may not get patched out for road names or numbers depending on the RR policy. And yes, there were 40-footers running around into the 1990's.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Santa Fe and Burlington Northern merged to become BNSF in 1995 and BN painted cars are still pretty common today. I shot this in September 2017:


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Or this Frisco car in September 2017 (merged with BN in 1980)


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

mopac said:


> I still see BN green locos once in awhile. I would say paint schemes may not be changed for years. Many times the road numbers are patched on engines and rolling stock.


I'm not expert on the BN/BNSF loco fleet, but I'm not sure there's anything left for a while now that isn't at least renumbered BNSF even if in original paint still. But that would have taken a few years to accomplish on such a large railway.

Union Pacific merged with Chicago & North Western Railroad in 1995 as well, and there was a couple of "unpatched" CNW locomotives still kicking 10 years later. About 2004 or 2005 one of the last untouched CNW units led an NS train here in Canada and brought out a bunch of the local railfans.


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

I have seen blue and yellow GPs patched with BNSF numbers working at grain elevators. Only the number and name on the short hood is patched. The long hood still reads Santa Fe. I would think that since these rarely leave the elevators they will never be repainted.


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