T.G.'s Photography Blog

In December 2006, at the east end of BNSF's Lindenwood Yard, I found a trio of locomotives that piqued my interest. The trio featured BNSF 643 (an ex-Santa Fe Warbonnet), BNSF 6934 (an SD40-2), and Wisconsin Central (WC) 3026, the heritage map anniversary locomotive. BNSF 643 is the lead locomotive on an eastbound/northbound manifest train at Lindenwood Yard. BNSF 643 (a C44-9W) was built in 1994 for the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) as ATSF 643. The locomotive was patched sometime after the Burlington Northern (BN) and Santa Fe merger. As of November 2019, BNSF 643 was still wearing its Warbonnet paint scheme , even though it was considerably more worn and faded. BNSF 643, BNSF 6934, and WC 3026 are eastbound along the River des Peres, at Sublette Ave. Built as ATSF 5191 in 1981 by Electromotive Division, BNSF 6943 was renumbered and repainted sometime after the BNSF-SF merger. The locomotive is an SD40-2, which is one of EMD's most popular freight locomotives ...

On February 10, 2007, I was railfanning along TRRA's Merchants Subdivision in North St. Louis. While near North Market Street and North 1st Street, I spotted a train to the north coming south off the Merchants Bridge near Bremen Avenue. The green color of the locomotive in the far distance indicated to me that a former Burlington Northern locomotive was leading the train. Southbound at North Market Street The train came south approaching North Market Interlocking featuring a colorful lash up featuring FURX 7227 (ex-BN), BNSF 159 (ex-Santa Fe), and BNSF 7129. The train is a transfer run from TRRA's Madison Yard in Venice, Illinois, to BNSF's Lindenwood Yard in southwestern St. Louis, Missouri. FURX 7227 (ex-BN), BNSF 159 (ex-ATSF), and BNSF 7129 pass Grossman Iron & Steel. First Union Rail (FURX) 7227 is an SD40-2, built by Electro-Motive Division (EMD) for Burlington Northern (BN) in 1980. After working for BN, the locomotive became FURX 7227 before being sold to Norf...

Back on a hot summer evening in June of 2008, I was up chasing trains in North St. Louis. While hanging out on Branch Street I heard a train coming north on the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA) Merchants Subdivision. It turned out I was lucky enough to catch a BNSF manifest freight train being led by an ex-Santa Fe (SF) Warbonnet locomotive and a Canadian National (CN) cowl unit.  North Market Interlocking I first photograph the train as it rolled north through the TRRA's North Market Interlocking. The interlocking is listed as being at milepost 5.0 of the Merchants Subdivision, per a TRRA timetable. It is located between Branch Street, to the north, and North Market Street, to the south. North Market Interlocking is a junction where BNSF Hannibal Subdivision and a short NS line (now unused) interchange with the TRRA's Merchants Subdivision. The NS line connects on the west side of the interlocking, while the Hannibal Subdivision connects on the east side of th...

BNSF 662, BNSF 4954, and BNSF 5442 - Fort Scott Sub. BNSF 662, BNSF 4954, and BNSF 5442 lead a train north on the Fort Scott Subdivision in the Marais Des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge . This photograph was taken along Stillwell Road, about halfway between Lacygne, Kansas, and Pleasanton, Kansas, and just to the west of Trading Post, Kansas. Lacygne is milepost 62.5 and Pleasanton is milepost 74.0 on the BNSF Fort Scott Subdivision .  BNSF 662, BNSF 4954, and BNSF 5442 All three of the locomotives on this train were built by General Electric and are the same model/type, C44-9W.  BNSF 662 is a former Santa Fe Railway locomotive that at the time of the photograph was still painted in the Warbonnet paint scheme . BNSF 662 was built in September, 1994; BNSF 4954 was built in December, 1998; and BNSF 5442 was built in July, 2000. BNSF 4954 and 5442 are painted in BNSF's Heritage II paint scheme. BNSF Fort Scott Subdivision The BNSF Fort Scott Subdivision runs betwe...

Argentine Connection - Flyover at Santa Fe Junction BNSF 7711, BNSF 670 (an ex-Santa Fe Warbonnet), and BNSF 4308 lead a double-stack train east over the Argentine Connection flyover at Santa Fe Junction, in Kansas City. The train will soon be passing by Kansas City Union Station, as it makes its way east toward Rock Creek Junction. At Rock Creek Junction the train will get back onto BNSF rails, and travel east across the Marceline Subdivision to Fort Madison, Iowa. The Argentine Connection's tracks, as well as the tracks between the flyover and Rock Creek Junction, are owned by the Kansas City Terminal Railway (KCT). The photograph was taken from State Line Road, which is on the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas. The view of the photograph, from this perspective, is showing the portion of Santa Fe Junction located in Kansas City, Missouri. Highline Bridge The lower bridge is the eastern approach to the upper deck of KCT's Highline Bridge...

BNSF 643, BNSF 6943, and WC 3026 - Hannibal Subdivision BNSF 643, BNSF 6943, and Wisconsin Central 3026 lead a BNSF manifest freight train east near Sublette Avenue. Painted in a "map" scheme, WC 3026 is WC's 10th anniversary unit that also celebrated Wisconsin's sesquicentennial anniversary of statehood. BNSF 643 is a former Santa Fe locomotive that is still painted in Santa Fe's Warbonne t paint scheme. Photo take: December 24, 2006, at St. Louis, Missouri.

BNSF 7826 - Madison, IL A grain train, lead by BNSF 7826 and an unknown BNSF unit (in a rapidly fading Santa Fe Warbonnet paint scheme), is seen here sitting along State Street. The train is sitting on TRRA tracks, just north of TRRA's Madison Yard. Here is another image of this same train, taken from a an almost-straight-on perspective. Photo taken on: November 25, 2011, at Madison, Illinois.

BNSF 900 - UP's Dupo Yard BNSF 900, still in its Santa Fe Warbonnet paint scheme, is seen here sitting in Union Pacific's Dupo Yard. The Warbonnet scheme was originally used on Santa Fe's passenger trains. After the Santa Fe ended it's passenger service the scheme was sidelined, but the scheme made a come back in the 1980s/1990s before being sidelined again after Burlington Northern's and Santa Fe's merger. Photo taken: November 2, 2005, at Dupo, Illinois.

BNSF 643, BNSF 6934, and WC 3026 - Chouteau Avenue BNSF 643, BNSF 6934, and Wisconsin Central 3026 lead train east at Chouteau Avenue. The train is rolling eastward on BNSF's Hannibal Subdivision, and is heading toward TRRA's Grand Interlocking , where it will roll onto TRRA's Merchants Subdivision. BNSF trains on the Hannibal Subdivision use the TRRA's Merchants Subdivision between Grand Interlocking and North Market Interlocking . Painted in a "map" scheme, WC 3026 is WC's 10th anniversary unit that also celebrated Wisconsin's sesquicentennial anniversary of statehood. BNSF 643 is an ex-Santa Fe engine that is still painted in the Warbonnet paint scheme, even though the engine has been patched. BNSF 6943 is an SD40-2 that is painted in BNSF's Heritage I paint scheme. Photo taken: December 24, 2006, at St. Louis, Missouri.

BNSF 643 - Lindenwood Yard BNSF 643 sits on the point of a manifest train that is waiting to depart BNSF's Lindenwood Yard. Meanwhile, another BNSF train is slowly making its way along side BNSF 643's train. BNSF 643 is a former Santa Fe locomotive that is still painted in the Warbonnet paint scheme. While the locomotive still had its Santa Fe paint scheme, it had been re-lettered as a BNSF locomotive. Lindenwood Yard is BNSF's primary yard in the St. Louis area. BNSF also has a smaller yard located in North St. Louis, along the Hannibal Subdivision. Lindenwood Yard sits on the southwestern edge of the City of St. Louis, along Interstate 44. The yard is a former Frisco Railway yard. Photo taken: December 24, 2006, at St. Louis, Missouri.

BNSF 614 - Ottumwa Subdivision - Lockridge, IA BNSF 614 (a GE C44-9W), still in its Santa Fe Warbonnet paint scheme , and BNSF 1018 (a GE C44-9W) lead a train of corn syrup tank cars east on the BNSF Ottumwa Subdivision. The train is round a curve alongside Highway US 34, on the east side of Lockridge, Iowa. BNSF 614 BNSF 614 was built in 1994, for the Santa Fe Railway by General Electric, and is a C44-9W. The locomotive was built just a year or so before the Burlington Northern Railroad and the Santa Fe Railway began their merger, which was officially finalized in late 1996. The locomotive still has Santa Fe lettering on the sides, but the front of the cab has been re-lettered with BNSF. About the image The original image was capture on a 35mm transparency, which was then copied and converted to digital using a Canon DSLR combined with a Sigma macro lens. Lighting for the copy slide setup was provided by a single flash connected to the camera via an off-shoe cord.  ...

BNSF 614 and BNSF 1018 - Mount Pleasant, IA BNSF 614 (GE C44-9W), in the Santa Fe Warbonnet paint scheme, and BNSF 1018 (GE C44-9W) lead a train of corn syrup tank cars east at the Goodyear Road overpass. BNSF 614 BNSF 614 was built in 1994, for the Santa Fe Railway by General Electric, and is a C44-9W model. The locomotive was built about a year or so before the Burlington Northern Railroad and the Santa Fe Railway began their merger, which was officially finalized in late 1996. The locomotive still has Santa Fe lettering on both of its sides, but the front of the cab has been re-lettered with BNSF. At the time of the photograph, the BNSF was officially named the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, but is now officially named the BNSF Railway. About the image The original image was captured on a 35mm transparency (Kodak Ektachrome) using a Canon A2E film camera and a 70-200mm Canon lens. The image was converted to digital using a copy-slide set up. I took...

BNSF 870 BNSF 870, a patched Santa Fe locomotive in the Warbonnet paint scheme, leads a freight train west on BNSF's Cuba Subdivision, at Pacific, Missouri. BNSF 870 was built as Santa Fe (ATSF) 870 in April of 1993. The locomotive is a General Electric built C40-8W. Cuba Subdivision The Cuba Subdivision runs from the western end of BNSF's Lindenwood Yard (milepost 7.2), in St. Louis, Missouri, to Springfield Yard (milepost 239.7), in Springfield, Missouri. The line was formerly owned by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, which was merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad. When the Burlington Northern and the Santa Fe railroads merged in 1996, the line became part of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, which is today named the BNSF Railway. From St. Louis to Springfield, the line runs on a southwesterly directiton, into the Ozark Mountains. It closely follows Interstate 44 between the two cities. Much of the line is hilly and the maximum speed limit on ...

ATSF 96 - East St. Louis, IL Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) 96, an EMD FP45, sits idle on one of the locomotive servicing tracks in the Chicago, Missouri, and Western Railroad (CM&W) yard. ATSF 96 is a cowl locomotive, which features a full width body behind the cab. Today this rail yard is operated by the Kansas City Southern. ATSF 96 was painted in Santa Fe's Warbonnet paint scheme. This image was scanned from a Kodak T-Max 400 negative and post processed in Adobe Photoshop, along with Nik Software's Dfine2 (to reduce the grain in the sky). The negative was originally developed in Kodak D-76 film developer. Photo taken: 1989, at East St. Louis, Illinois.