Inch by inch, brick by brick, enshrouded against the deep walls of the many old warehouse and factory buildings set within downtown Burlington, an old face in a familiar place cautiously inches forward in the city it was named after, searching for the necessary headroom needed to complete this evening's set-out. The cascade green and white of former giant Burlington Northern, colors that at one time ruled the rails through this town until a September 1995 merger with then western rival Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, still dress this venerable EMD SD60M which has tastefully assumed the foremost position on tonight's Galesburg based L CHI6631 04I local, serving as a little reminder to those days gone by. The old BN may have lost most of its relevancy, but years later following a rebranded company image and the addition of SF to its name, today, the orange and black successor is forced to take a back seat to this rough, but still proud, veteran as the six-axle trio hustle against the fading light to complete their required work before resuming the westward journey over the Ottumwa Subdivision through the dead of night with 38 cars for Eddyville, IA. Eastbound counterpart 664 would show up just a short while later and would pull around to the yard for a meet before 1457 finally exited town. Situated directly beside the Mississippi River, the small yard here in town is home base for road switcher R CHI468, which works both sides of the water, and is also the interchange point for small shortline operation Burlington Junction Railway.
Not
just heritage schemes, not just commemorative schemes - this album is devoted to some of the world's most interesting paint schemes, past or present.
