BNSF donates ex GN SDP40 to Minnesota Transportation Museum
Category: Prototype
Posted by: Ben Ringnalda
Only lacking an official statement from the Minnesota Transportation Museum or BNSF, sources in the know report that BNSF and MTM have reached an agreement for the donation of BNSF 6327, former Great Northern SDP40 #325, to the St. Paul, Minnesota based museum.
An important donation as GN #325 was one of only six passenger SD(P)40's built for the GN in 1966 by EMD. They were used on GN's streamliners like, among others, the Western Star and the International.
They were modified SD40's with an added extension at the rear of the long hood to house a steam generator used to heat the train. This gives the units the typical squared off profile on the rear.
With the end of passenger trains on the GN and its successor Burlington Northern the SDP40's were released into freight service where they performed well. So well in fact, that GN #325 only just now sees retirement; after 42 years and then only due to a surplus situation.
The MInnesota Transportation Museum plans to operate #325 and hopes to bring it back in GN colors with current plans to repaint her in Big Sky Blue, the color these units wore the longest in GN service.
With this donation another important locomotive class in GN history has been saved and will live on to educate people on the age of passenger train travel.
Members of the GNRHS convention held in Havre, MT in 2003 will remember #325 as the ex GN unit they were allowed to tour through at the Havre Diesel Shop.
Inserted: 07/26/2008
An important donation as GN #325 was one of only six passenger SD(P)40's built for the GN in 1966 by EMD. They were used on GN's streamliners like, among others, the Western Star and the International.
They were modified SD40's with an added extension at the rear of the long hood to house a steam generator used to heat the train. This gives the units the typical squared off profile on the rear.
With the end of passenger trains on the GN and its successor Burlington Northern the SDP40's were released into freight service where they performed well. So well in fact, that GN #325 only just now sees retirement; after 42 years and then only due to a surplus situation.
The MInnesota Transportation Museum plans to operate #325 and hopes to bring it back in GN colors with current plans to repaint her in Big Sky Blue, the color these units wore the longest in GN service.
With this donation another important locomotive class in GN history has been saved and will live on to educate people on the age of passenger train travel.
Members of the GNRHS convention held in Havre, MT in 2003 will remember #325 as the ex GN unit they were allowed to tour through at the Havre Diesel Shop.
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