BNSF News - Sioux Falls Site For Grade Crossing Safety Record

City officials join BNSF Railway to close 69th Street and mark 5,000th crossing closure across BNSF network

Officials from the city of Sioux Falls, the state of South Dakota and BNSF Railway today celebrated the closure of the 5,000th grade crossing on BNSF's rail network, setting a new national record for grade crossing closures and safety improvement.

At a ceremony near the crossing and in view of the new 69th Street overpass currently under construction, officials watched as railroad crews pulled out the old crossing surface that allowed vehicles to cross the railroad tracks on 69th Street in Sioux Falls. Removing the surface was the last step to permanently closing the 69th Street crossing and to eliminating the opportunity for any future grade crossing collisions.

"Safety is a top priority at BNSF," said Lyn Hartley, BNSF Director of Public Projects. "We have learned over time that one of the best ways to address grade crossing safety is to reduce the number of at-grade crossings. To the great credit of Sioux Falls city leaders, they recognized that the ideal solution between trains and motorists was to close this crossing and build the 69th Street overpass."

Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether said, "We are a forward thinking city in Sioux Falls always looking for opportunities to grow. However, public safety always remains as our primary goal in our quest to have the highest quality of life possible. This provides us a safer, more efficient way for vehicles to cross the tracks."

BNSF has worked cooperatively with states and communities across its 28-state network to close 5,000 crossings since the BNSF crossing closure program began in 2000. Combined with other safety initiatives, the grade crossing closure program has helped to reduce grade crossing collisions on BNSF's 32,000 mile network by 70 percent since 1995. BNSF has one of the lowest highway-railroad grade crossing collision rates in the rail industry and continues to work with the states and communities it serves to further improve grade crossing safety.

See Also: BNSF Crew Haulers Honored At Summit / Top-Scoring BNSF Locomotive Engineers Recognized With Top Gun Awards / BNSF Named Finalist As CivilianJobs.com Most Valuable Employer For Military / Railroad Photography - Saturday Afternoon At Oro Grande / BNSF Shareholders Approve Sale To Berkshire Hathaway / The BNSF Honors Three Shortline Railroads For Partnership Excellence / The Cajon Pass Railroad Museum - The Birth Of A Dream

HO Scale BNSF Items: Athearn HO Scale SD75M Locomotive - Santa Fe / BNSF / Athearn HO Scale Center Fow Hopper Car - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale 50ft Sieco Box Car - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale Iron Horse Express Electric Train Set - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale SD60M Locomotive - Burlington Northern Santa Fe / Athearn HO Scale SD60M Locomotive - Burlington Northern / BNSF

BNSF Crew Haulers Honored At Summit

Source: BNSF (Press Release)

Crew hauler successes in 2009 and opportunities for 2010 were the focus of the recent Fifth Annual Crew Transportation Supplier Summit.

Held in Fort Worth, Texas, the summit helps improve alignment in safety, service and efficiencies. Participants included representatives of BNSF's primary contract crew haulers; Outsource Administrators Inc., the third-party company that manages the crew haulers; and BNSF.

Greg Fox, vice president, Transportation, and Paul Bischler, vice president and chief services officer, addressed the group as part of the summit.

The summit also celebrates the successes of the past year. Awards were given to the supplier with the best safety record and the BNSF divisions with the lowest incident ratio and most improved safety performances in 2009.

* Randall West, president and chief operating officer of RailCrew Xpress (RCX), was presented the Supplier Safety Performance Award for 2009.
* Stephen Dawson, UTU safety coordinator, accepted the award for the California Division for lowest incident ratio.
* Pat Engebrecht, UTU safety coordinator, received the most improved award for the Powder River Division.

See Also: Top-Scoring BNSF Locomotive Engineers Recognized With Top Gun Awards / BNSF Named Finalist As CivilianJobs.com Most Valuable Employer For Military / Railroad Photography - Saturday Afternoon At Oro Grande / BNSF Shareholders Approve Sale To Berkshire Hathaway / The BNSF Honors Three Shortline Railroads For Partnership Excellence / The Cajon Pass Railroad Museum - The Birth Of A Dream

HO Scale BNSF Items: Athearn HO Scale SD75M Locomotive - Santa Fe / BNSF / Athearn HO Scale Center Fow Hopper Car - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale 50ft Sieco Box Car - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale Iron Horse Express Electric Train Set - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale SD60M Locomotive - Burlington Northern Santa Fe / Athearn HO Scale SD60M Locomotive - Burlington Northern / BNSF

AAR Reports A Slight Shift In Carload Declines During February

Source: BNSF (Press Release)

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is reporting that U.S. freight railroads saw a 1.5 percent decline in carloads compared with the same month last year and a decline of 15.6 percent compared with the same month in 2008.

However, according to the March AAR Rail Time Indicators Report, 14 of the 19 major commodity categories that AAR tracks saw higher carloads in February compared with the same month in 2009. Carloads of coal, the single highest volume commodity carried by rail, were down. Excluding coal, U.S. rail carloads in February 2010 were up 7.2 percent compared with February 2009.

U.S. rail intermodal traffic, which covers the movement of truck trailers and shipping containers by rail, was up 10.1 percent in February compared with the same month last year, but down 10.6 percent for the same month in 2008.

"Rail traffic trends over the past few months, especially when you take out coal, are consistent with a slowly recovering economy," said John Gray, AAR's senior vice president of Policy and Economics. "Other economic indicators taken as a whole seem to be saying the same thing. Is a sustained recovery a sure thing? No, not yet, but prospects are certainly much brighter now than they were four or five months ago."

Record snowfalls on the East Coast last month made rail operations difficult and affected many rail customers' ability to originate or receive loads. The last week of February was the highest-volume week for U.S. rail carloads since December of 2008 - likely at least partly the result of "catch-up" traffic following the storms.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, U.S. rail carloads in February fell 0.1 percent compared with January 2010, while seasonally-adjusted U.S. intermodal traffic was down 3.6 percent in February compared to the prior month.

"Adjusting for seasonal issues that cause peaks or valleys in traffic - such as end of year holidays and the fall grain harvest - allows us to see more clearly the strength or weakness of the underlying demand for rail traffic," Gray said. "Over the past six months, the upward trend in seasonally adjusted rail traffic indicates an increase in underlying demand."

The Rail Time Indicators report, available at www.aar.org, comprises detailed monthly rail traffic data framed with other key economic indicators to show how freight rail ties into the broader U.S. economy.

See Also: Top-Scoring BNSF Locomotive Engineers Recognized With Top Gun Awards / BNSF Named Finalist As CivilianJobs.com Most Valuable Employer For Military / Railroad Photography - Saturday Afternoon At Oro Grande / BNSF Shareholders Approve Sale To Berkshire Hathaway / The BNSF Honors Three Shortline Railroads For Partnership Excellence / The Cajon Pass Railroad Museum - The Birth Of A Dream

HO Scale BNSF Items: Athearn HO Scale SD75M Locomotive - Santa Fe / BNSF / Athearn HO Scale Center Fow Hopper Car - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale 50ft Sieco Box Car - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale Iron Horse Express Electric Train Set - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale SD60M Locomotive - Burlington Northern Santa Fe / Athearn HO Scale SD60M Locomotive - Burlington Northern / BNSF

Top-Scoring BNSF Locomotive Engineers Recognized With Top Gun Awards

Source: BNSF (Press Release)

BNSF locomotive engineers who score in the top 5 percent of network simulator training are being honored with the Top Gun Award in recognition of their performance.

The Top Gun Program was started this year, said Shane Merritt, manager of locomotive engineer training and field simulation, Technical Training Center (TTC), in Overland Park, Kan. The award recognizes engineers who excel when they complete training on a BNSF network simulator (NetSim).

An estimated 4,000 Year "A" locomotive engineers will receive training on the simulators at about 80 locations in 2010. During NetSim training, engineers complete two 75-minute runs and one 20-minute "unusual conditions" training run. Based on the territories where they operate, engineers may complete runs that include non-mountain grade, mountain grade and/or distributed power and positive train control. Scores are based on individual train handling and rules compliance. Locomotive engineer instructors provide engineers with a briefing on the track chart, timetable and paperwork similar to the documents they receive in the field, such as Form As and Form Bs.

This year, Merritt said, engineers' performances are being tracked against their peers' NetSim scores. Engineers who score in the top 5 percent receive a "Top Gun Award" certificate from the TTC, presented to the employee by his/her road foreman of engines.

"I believe we have the best engineers in the industry," Merritt said. "This is one way of acknowledging the best of the best."

See Also: BNSF Named Finalist As CivilianJobs.com Most Valuable Employer For Military / Railroad Photography - Saturday Afternoon At Oro Grande / BNSF Shareholders Approve Sale To Berkshire Hathaway / The BNSF Honors Three Shortline Railroads For Partnership Excellence / The Cajon Pass Railroad Museum - The Birth Of A Dream

HO Scale BNSF Items: Athearn HO Scale SD75M Locomotive - Santa Fe / BNSF / Athearn HO Scale Center Fow Hopper Car - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale 50ft Sieco Box Car - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale Iron Horse Express Electric Train Set - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale SD60M Locomotive - Burlington Northern Santa Fe / Athearn HO Scale SD60M Locomotive - Burlington Northern / BNSF

BNSF Named Finalist As CivilianJobs.com Most Valuable Employer For Military

Source: BNSF (Press Release)

CivilianJobs.com helps veterans look for civilian employees. The MVE for Military helps military-experienced job seekers identify the top employers to target for civilian careers. MVEs are selected annually based on those employers whose recruiting, training and retention plans best serve military service members and veterans.

About 30 companies were named as finalists; CSX is the only other railroad named to the list. Other finalist companies include Amazon, Army Air Force Exchange Service, Chesapeake Energy, Con-Way Freight, General Electric, Northrup Grumman, USAA and Walmart.

"I would like to express my appreciation to all of the companies who submitted Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military 2010 surveys," said Bill Basnett, vice president, Operations, CivilianJobs.com. "This is our second year conducting the MVE for Military survey and we are pleased to have a 30 percent increase in surveys submitted for 2010. The submission responses show us that despite recent economic challenges, corporate America values the highly skilled talent and leadership ability that veterans bring to a company when hired."

The Most Valuable Employers (MVE) for Military 2010 was open to all U.S.-based companies. The finalists were selected based on surveys in which employers outlined their 2010 recruiting, training and retention plans that best serve military service members and veterans. Winners will be selected from the pool of finalist companies and will be announced May 2, 2010. Both winners and finalists will be recognized on the CivilianJobs.com Web site as well as in the May issue of Civilian Job News, CivilianJobs.com's world-wide military base newspaper.

See Also: Railroad Photography - Saturday Afternoon At Oro Grande / BNSF Shareholders Approve Sale To Berkshire Hathaway / The BNSF Honors Three Shortline Railroads For Partnership Excellence / The Cajon Pass Railroad Museum - The Birth Of A Dream

HO Scale BNSF Items: Athearn HO Scale SD75M Locomotive - Santa Fe / BNSF / Athearn HO Scale Center Fow Hopper Car - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale 50ft Sieco Box Car - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale Iron Horse Express Electric Train Set - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale SD60M Locomotive - Burlington Northern Santa Fe / Athearn HO Scale SD60M Locomotive - Burlington Northern / BNSF

Railroad Photography - Saturday Afternoon At Oro Grande

Story & Photos By: Ken Hulsey

Many a travel book has been written about America's historic transcontinental highway, Route 66. The interstate, which at one time, traversed the country from Chicago to Los Angeles in very much the same way as the Santa Fe railroad did. Alas Route 66, and the Santa Fe, are gone, for the most part, memories of a by-gone era in American Transportation.

The highway itself, being replaced by Interstate 40, in the west, and the Santa Fe merged with the Burlington Northern.

Remnants of these items of good old Americana can still be found for those who look hard enough, as today's photo gallery will illustrate.

Back in the 1970s, Trains Magazine published a very interesting photo spread entitled, "Railroad Photographs Without Trains". I was reminded of that classic magazine piece this past weekend, when I decided to kill two birds with one stone, and combine my quest to find a Valentine's Day present for my lovely wife, with a little train watching/photography.

One of my favorite haunts for antiques, my wife and I love old stuff, is the very quaint "Antique Station" in Oro Grande, Ca. I can normally find the perfect gift for my special little lady there, and as a matter of luck, the BNSF/Union Pacific main line runs right past the shop.

Oro Grande is located on what used to be Route 66, a stretch of road that now serves as the 'back way' into Barstow from Victorville.

Now on any given day, while shopping, at least a half dozen trains will pass this location, so I figured that this would be a great spot to capture some great railroading action shots.

I parked my car and crossed the highway to the rail line and then began my wait. I waited, and I waited.


Some 30-minutes passed before I spotted my first train, two actually, a BNSF stack-train on the track closest to me, and a Union Pacific on the adjacent trackage. Both were going the same direction, south, and both were pacing each other.

As the two trains came closer, the Union Pacific train slowed, and the BNSF freight quickly overtook it. This was a big disappointment, because I had hoped to catch them both in a photograph, but as luck would have it, I could only get a good shot of the first one to me.

I captured one shot as the train passed by the Oro Grande sign, just before it passed by some set out gondola cars, then another as it passed beyond them, headed south.


As I mentioned before, remnants of the pre-BNSF days were quite evident in Oro Grande on this unusually warm February day as this old worn-out Burlington Northern logo on the side of a set out gondola illustrates.

As I waited for another train, or trains, I snapped several pics of rolling stock near the TXI Riverside Cement plant.

Old meets new. An old Burlington Northern car coupled to a BNSF car.


The afternoon proceeded on, without any sign of action, which was odd for this local, so I took photos of what was available.

I soon got bored with my wait, so I decided to get my shopping out of the way, that was the main reason that I was visiting Oro Grande this day......honestly.

Of course, while in the store, five, count em, five trains passed by. Four UP mixed trains, and another BNSF stack-train.

I didn't rush my shopping though, I take finding the perfect gift for my wife very seriously, besides, trains always pass by this local often, so I would be certain to catch some after I was done.....or so I thought.

Again I took a position beside the tracks and waited.

Cue the sound of crickets if you will.

Nothing.

Again getting restless, I staked out an excellent place for a dramatic railroad action shot, this time adjacent to the curve alongside the cement plant. From this vantage point, I could get a great shot of trains headed south or coming north.

Only one problem, none showed up.

Again feeling artistic a took a few snaps of some assembled rail and ties along the trackage.


It was beginning to get late so I headed back to my car. While on my hike back, I took a photograph of the "Derail" switch on a very old siding.

I also noticed that several of the spikes on the main-line were falling out. I thought that this may make for an interesting photograph as well.

One shot, that may have been interesting, would have been of the discarded spray-paint cans I found along the tracks, with the graffiti laden freight cars in the back-ground. Unfortunately, I couldn't line up both subjects to my satisfaction, and I didn't want to move the cans closer to the rail-cars. Knowing my luck, a CHP officer would come by at exactly that moment and think that I was tagging the hoppers.

Now, many people would think that I had a rather boring Saturday afternoon, just hanging around the train tracks, but honestly I had a ball.

Granted, not many trains came by, but I feel that I got some great photographs anyway. Plus I was able to scout out some great spots for future photographs, and you know that the next free day I get, that's where I'll be.

"Railroad Photographs Without Trains" can sometimes be as artistic as ones with them.

For me, it was a great Saturday afternoon at Oro Grande.

See Also: Railroad Photo Gallery - Santa Fe FP45 Locomotives #95 & #98 / Railroad Photo Gallery - Union Pacific GP40-2 1368 (Ex Rio Grande)

Other Railroad History Articles: * The History Of Burlington Northern Steam Power?* Railroading On DVD! - Southern Pacific Cab Forward Collection* Why Is The CSX Intermodel Yard In Atlanta Named 'Hulsey'?......And Does Anybody Know?* The Diesel Railroad Locomotive - From Box Cabs And The SD40 To The SD70 And Gensets* Railroad History - Fun Facts - The Modern Era (1980-Present)* Railroad History - Fun Facts - The Post-War Era (1945-1980)
See Also: Tickets Now On Sale For The Return Of Santa Fe Locomotive 3751 To San Diego / The Cajon Pass Railroad Museum - The Birth Of A Dream / Santa Fe Locomotive 3751 To Return To San Diego In May 2010!

See Other HO Scale Santa Fe Items: Athearn HO Scale FP45 Locomotive - Santa Fe (Red & Silver Warbonnet) / Athearn HO Scale F45 Locomotive - Santa Fe (Blue & Yellow Warbonnet) / Athearn HO Scale F7A/F7B Locomotives - Santa Fe / MTH HO Scale 2-10-0 Russian Decapod Locomotive - Santa Fe / Bachmann HO Scale Rail King Electric Train Set - Santa Fe / Athearn HO Scale EMD GP38-2 Locomotive - Santa Fe / Athearn HO Scale PS-2 Covered Hopper - Santa Fe / Athearn 50ft Ice Reefer Box Car - Santa Fe (Scout) / Athearn HO Scale Cupola Caboose - Santa Fe / Athearn HO Scale GP60M Locomotive - Santa Fe / Athearn Genesis F45 HO Scale Locomotive - Santa Fe / Bachmann 2-10-4 Texas HO Scale Locomotive - Santa Fe / Bachmann 4-8-4 Northern Locomotive - HO Scale - Santa Fe / Proto 2000 Diesel EMD F7A-B Set Powered - HO Scale - Santa Fe / Bachmann HO Scale FT Locomotive - Santa Fe / Walthers HO Scale F7 Locomotive - Santa Fe

Athearn HO Scale SD75M Locomotive - Santa Fe / BNSF

The EMD SD75M is a series of diesel-electric locomotives produced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in 1994. The series was a response to General Electric's Dash 9-44CW. By bumping up the output of the 16-710-G3 engine from 4000 to 4,300 horsepower (3,200 kW), the SD75 was a reality. The unit is recognized from the SD70 by the added bulge below the inertial air-intake on the right side of the unit. The "M" in the model designation is the style of the cab, in this case the North American style cab. The SD75I had a "WhisperCab" in EMD speak. Both models use the HTCR-II radial truck and are mounted on the 72 feet 4 inches (22.05 m) frame. This model only sold 76 units and was not as popular as the SD70. The biggest buyers of this model were the Santa Fe, now Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

Mainly built for a special request from ATSF/BNSF, the SD75M's are slightly more powerful than SD70M's, having horsepower ratings between 4,300 hp (3,200 kW) & 4500 hp. They are almost identical to SD70M's, but can be distinguished by looking for an equipment blower duct on the right side. SD70M's have a blower duct on the left side only (like most EMD's), but SD75M's have a blower duct on both sides of the locomotive.

See Also: BNSF Shareholders Approve Sale To Berkshire Hathaway / The BNSF Honors Three Shortline Railroads For Partnership Excellence / The Cajon Pass Railroad Museum - The Birth Of A Dream

BNSF Shareholders Approve Sale To Berkshire Hathaway

Source: BNSF (Press Release)

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (BNSF; NYSE:BNI) shareholders today voted overwhelmingly in favor of the company's acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Berkshire; NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B), securing a path for BNSF Railway to continue to build upon its position as one of America's premier freight transportation companies.

In all, preliminary results show that approximately 70 percent of BNSF issued and outstanding shares not owned by Berkshire or its affiliates were voted in favor of the transaction, above the 66-2/3 percent required. Additionally, holders of at least a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of BNSF voted in favor. Both of these votes were required under Delaware law to adopt the merger agreement and were reported at a shareholder meeting held today at BNSF headquarters in Fort Worth. Representatives of Innisfree M&A Incorporated tabulated the votes and acted as independent inspectors.

"Tomorrow begins the first century of ownership of BNSF by Berkshire Hathaway. I'm looking forward to every day of it as our railroad does its part to ensure the future prosperity of the country," said Warren E. Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway chairman and chief executive officer.

"We are at an important milestone in our 160-year history," said Matthew K. Rose, chairman, president and chief executive officer of BNSF. "This is a vote of confidence in BNSF and the future of freight rail, and it demonstrates how well our business model is aligned with our new parent company. By providing cost-effective and energy-efficient transportation that also benefits the environment, we are moving the goods that are crucial to consumers and our economy as our nation powers its way out of the recession."

The merger is expected to close on February 12.

Over the long term, the nation's demand for transportation is destined to grow. As the most environmentally friendly form of surface transportation, rail is more fuel-efficient for moving freight than using the nation's crowded highways. If just 10 percent of the freight that currently moves by truck were diverted to rail, fuel savings would exceed 1 billion gallons per year and annual greenhouse gas emissions would fall by more than 12 million tons. And as the nation's demand for transportation continues to increase, rail is an obvious solution to meet this challenge.

As a leader in environmental stewardship, BNSF can move a ton of freight an average of 470 miles on a single gallon of diesel fuel. As the rail industry's intermodal leader, each BNSF intermodal train can take 280 or more long-haul trucks off the nation's crowded highways.

See Also: The BNSF Honors Three Shortline Railroads For Partnership Excellence / The Cajon Pass Railroad Museum - The Birth Of A Dream

HO Scale BNSF Items: Athearn HO Scale Center Fow Hopper Car - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale 50ft Sieco Box Car - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale Iron Horse Express Electric Train Set - BNSF / Athearn HO Scale SD60M Locomotive - Burlington Northern Santa Fe / Athearn HO Scale SD60M Locomotive - Burlington Northern / BNSF

The BNSF Honors Three Shortline Railroads For Partnership Excellence

Source: BNSF (Press Release)

BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) recognized three shortline railroads for their tremendous success and partnership over the past year with a BNSF Shortline Achievement Award at this year's 14th Annual Shortline Conference on Oct. 19, 2009 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Plainsman Switching Company (PSC), Yellowstone Valley Railroad (YSVR), and Burlington Junction Railway (BJRY) were chosen because of their ability to increase the volume and development of new customers and for being good stewards in their communities.

"BNSF is proud to recognize these three shortline railroads," said Pete Rickershauser, BNSF vice president, Network Development. "Each shortline has greatly exceeded the standards in customer focus, resourcefulness, operational flexibilities, and a local presence in their communities. The end result has been growth business benefitting all involved supply chain stakeholders. BNSF hopes their roles will continue to expand and our relationship will continue to grow."

The relationship BNSF has with these shortline railroads and the growth of both businesses are significant components to receiving a BNSF Shortline Achievement Award. PSC restored confidence in rail service to Lubbock, Texas by attracting new rail-served businesses to the area. PSC handles major commodities such as cottonseed, cotton oil, grain, aggregates and machinery. In 2008, PSC handled more than 8,500 cars.

YSVR has been successful in developing new customers in the natural gas, crude oil, and frac sand markets, while operating in the sometimes extreme weather conditions of Eastern Montana. These new endeavors combined with YSVR's long-standing relationships with agriculture industry customers, help create the outstanding performance YSVR and its dedicated employees have recently achieved.

BJRY, based in the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois, has enjoyed 12-percent volume increases year over year. Started as a single rail operation in 1985, BJRY now has six locations, having recently acquired eight new customers through transloading. BJRY is proud of their 24-year streak of no lost-time injuries among their employees.

Operating on about 19,000 miles of track across the United States, nearly 200 BNSF shortline partners keep hundreds of communities and businesses connected to its mainline.

A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE:BNI), BNSF Railway operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, with about 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. The railway is among the world's top transporters of intermodal traffic, moves more grain than any other American railroad, transports the components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough low-sulfur coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the United States. BNSF Railway is an industry leader in Web-enabling a variety of customer transactions at www.bnsf.com.