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12/23/2024
 
 
 
 
 
Owner: Burlington Northern
Model:EMD SD40-2Built As:BN 6704 (SD40-2)
Serial Number:74660-5Order No:74660
Frame Number:74660-5Built:12/1974
Other locos with this serial:  BN 6704(SD40-2) BNSF 6704(SD40-2) BNSF 1837(SD40-2)
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BN 6704
Title:  BN 6704
Description:  BN 6704 shares the engine tracks with a pair of C&S/AT&SF switchers.
Photo Date:  7/31/1976  Upload Date: 6/30/2017 8:13:42 PM
Location:  Denver, CO
Author:  Ron Hawkins
Categories:  Roster
Locomotives:  BN 6704(SD40-2)
Views:  324   Comments: 0
BN SD40-2 8016
Title:  BN SD40-2 8016
Description:  Burlington Northern Railroad SD40-2 8016 at Cicero, Illinois on an unknown day in September 1980, Kodachrome by Chuck Zeiler. This locomotive was built in March 1978 (c/n 776055-27) by Electro-Motive Division. Between January 1, 1977 and March 1980, the BN acquired a total of 487 new SD40-2's, including 50 built in Canada to meet the demand. Number 8016 is seen here at Cicero backing west toward the engine house at Clyde, about a mile in the distance. Roughly a half hour before this photo was taken, this locomotive set was coupled to the now derailed freight train that pulled through the arrival tracks, and the following is my best guess as to the events that transpired next.

The train was too long for the track he arrived on, or he overran his stopping point. Either way, the train was parted, and he pulled ahead, a switch was thrown behind, and he proceeded to back the front half of his train into an empty arrival track adjacent to the one he arrived on.

Now I'm no professional railroader, but I've seen many a backup move in my time, and in my opinion, the hogger showed a bit of enthusiasm in his reverse move. That, coupled with the bad condition of the yard tracks, probably contributed to the scene you see here. I had just walked over from the north side to the south side of the Laramie Avenue bridge as the reverse move began, complaining to myself that I should have started shooting on this side instead of the other side, where the passenger triple track main was located. As I arrived on this side (the south side), the bridge began to shake, not too alarming as heavy trucks crossing the bridge would also cause the bridge to shake. But there was considerable noise very unlike a heavy truck, and I soon found myself witnessing a derailment happening literally under my feet. My impulse was to run off the bridge, as there was the possibility of errant freight cars hitting the bridge support, and I would have joined in the derailment. Just as I got my feet into Run 8, there was the PSSSHHH sound of the emergency brakes setting up, and everything came to a halt in a cloud of dust. Behind me, I heard the turbos settling down to idle. I'm not sure if the hogger set the brakes or if an air hose parted, but I do recall the turbo sound still whining in a power setting after everything came to a stop, then winding down.

The hogger is inspecting his handiwork as he backs his power to the engine house, and he's likely putting his story together. Note that his class lights are lit, that's a nice touch. Almost part of this derailment was the lighting tower behind the boxcar that picked the switch, and a yard office, so it could have been worse. Note the Conrail units parked in the pocket track next to the tower in the upper center of the photo. Also, in the upper right side is a yard track that has been taken out of service, apparently for some time, as the frog has been removed. This was a yard track off the hump at Cicero, and usually, the cabooses were routed to this track when an arriving train was humped and sorted. I got a couple of interesting photos of cabooses on that track.
Photo Date:  9/1/1980  Upload Date: 1/23/2009 10:41:39 PM
Location:  Cicero, IL
Author:  Chuck Zeiler
Categories:  Roster,Yard,Wreck
Locomotives:  BN 8016(SD40-2) BN 6704(SD40-2)
Views:  1769   Comments: 5
BN 6704 messing around
Title:  BN 6704 messing around
Description: 
Photo Date:  4/15/1992  Upload Date: 1/10/2004 6:29:54 PM
Location:  Livingston, MT
Author:  David J Conway
Categories: 
Locomotives:  BN 6704(SD40-2)
Views:  652   Comments: 0
Westbound stacks
Title:  Westbound stacks
Description:  A westbound stack train, one of several that morning, passes Berwyn
Photo Date:  1/6/1996  Upload Date: 7/31/2014 3:17:46 AM
Location:  Berwyn, IL
Author:  Tom Beckett
Categories:  Winter,Action
Locomotives:  BN 6704(SD40-2) BN 6369(SD40-2)
Views:  374   Comments: 0
Helpers
Title:  Helpers
Description:  four SD40-2s await their next shove over Marias Pass...
Photo Date:  10/28/1996  Upload Date: 2/12/2009 4:44:06 PM
Location:  Essex, MT
Author:  Mark Herren
Categories: 
Locomotives:  BN 6704(SD40-2) BN 8086(SD40-2) BN 7192(SD40-2)
Views:  733   Comments: 1
BN 6704
Title:  BN 6704
Description:  BN 5055 at Argo, late on a winter afternoon
Photo Date:  1/5/1997  Upload Date: 12/11/2019 2:45:55 PM
Location:  Seattle, WA
Author:  J Fischer
Categories:  Roster,Winter,Yard,Track,Action
Locomotives:  BN 6704(SD40-2)
Views:  164   Comments: 1
BN 6704
Title:  BN 6704
Description: 
Photo Date:  5/7/1997  Upload Date: 6/18/2012 7:22:41 AM
Location:  Washburn, IL
Author:  Sam Botts
Categories: 
Locomotives:  BN 6704(SD40-2)
Views:  205   Comments: 0
BN 6704
Title:  BN 6704
Description: 
Photo Date:  5/7/1997  Upload Date: 6/18/2012 7:28:11 AM
Location:  Washburn, IL
Author:  Sam Botts
Categories: 
Locomotives:  BN 6704(SD40-2)
Views:  268   Comments: 0
BN 8132
Title:  BN 8132
Description: 
Photo Date:  10/26/1997  Upload Date: 4/6/2014 3:24:51 AM
Location:  Tulsa, OK
Author:  Joel Armstrong
Categories: 
Locomotives:  BN 8132(SD40-2) ATSF 1572(SD39) ATSF 249(SD75M) BN 6704(SD40-2)
Views:  658   Comments: 0
BN 8132
Title:  BN 8132
Description: 
Photo Date:  10/26/1997  Upload Date: 4/6/2014 3:24:52 AM
Location:  Tulsa, OK
Author:  Joel Armstrong
Categories: 
Locomotives:  BN 8132(SD40-2) ATSF 1572(SD39) ATSF 249(SD75M) BN 6704(SD40-2)
Views:  490   Comments: 0
BN 6704
Title:  BN 6704
Description:  SD40-2 in paleface scheme
Photo Date:  9/1/2000  Upload Date: 12/26/2009 2:28:29 PM
Location:  Seattle, WA
Author:  Brian Ambrose
Categories:  Roster
Locomotives:  BN 6704(SD40-2)
Views:  403   Comments: 0


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