# Great Northern/Burlington and Denver/Rio Grande ever really meet in real life?



## loco-motive (Jan 24, 2020)

Hi all,

My layout is not prototypical and it primarily consists of Great Northern and Burlington Northern trains.

I am considering adding a D&RGW locomotive in the mix. Any instance where these may have met in the real world?

Like I said, my layout is not prototypical and it spans decades but when I let things get too loosey goosey, it starts to bug me.

Thanks for your input!


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Well, when you compare the route maps for Great Northern and D&RGW, it appears that they didn't come close to each other.......but it's your railroad layout, so anything is possible.....hope this helps.....


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

Here is the way I run my layout. It is somewhere in the north east US. New Haven runs through it regularilly as do other NE lines. Did these cross in real life, maby not but if my area of land did really exist then it might have been at that point they met. Besides to enlarge my layout every time I circle the outer ring the town in the middle is a different location. The factories are different. Increases the options of what is able to be done. Depending on the session we may have 1-5 different towns going. Just circle the outside 3 times to get to the next. So essentially many lines may meet.


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## flyingtomg (May 7, 2013)

If you're talking Burlington Northern, they met here in Denver. 70's - early 90's.

For the years before that, CB&Q (and its subsidiary C&S) were all over northern Colorado while D&RGW went south and west into the mountains.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

Besides, D&RG had beautiful paint schemes, especially the passenger trains!! So put 'em on your layout!!


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Fire has got the right idea, if it looks good, run it.
D&RG sure did look good.

Magic


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

I think C, B & Q could connect them.
Remember BN was CB&Q, NP, GN, SP&S. Then with ATSF became BNSF that we have today.
Probably left out some road.


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## NorthwestPennsyGuy (12 mo ago)

rogruth said:


> I think C, B & Q could connect them.
> Remember BN was CB&Q, NP, GN, SP&S. Then with ATSF became BNSF that we have today.
> Probably left out some road.


you must be thinking of the frisco


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

There is always the explanation that the GN leased the D&RG unit and there is always the possibility that it actually happened.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

I’m no where near BNSF territory, but they come through Michigan all the time to/from Powder River, Wyoming. I’ve seen in Metro Detroit all sorts of things, from BNSF to SP, saw a patched still green BN unit once. I used to see patched Wisconsin Central units coming out of Port Huron. I’ve seen photos of Conrail locomotives in SoCal and even in Mexico. It’s not an every day occurrence, but things travel for reasons I cannot explain.


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## NorthwestPennsyGuy (12 mo ago)

OilValleyRy said:


> I’m no where near BNSF territory, but they come through Michigan all the time to/from Powder River, Wyoming. I’ve seen in Metro Detroit all sorts of things, from BNSF to SP, saw a patched still green BN unit once. I used to see patched Wisconsin Central units coming out of Port Huron. I’ve seen photos of Conrail locomotives in SoCal and even in Mexico. It’s not an every day occurrence, but things travel for reasons I cannot explain.


i saw an Norfolk Southern SD40 here in seattle once there was also a ferromex locomotive on the same trains


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