You are here: Home > Burlington Northern Section > BN 6616

BN 6616

BN 6616 was the third unit of 12 new EMD F45's ordered by the Great Northern and was originally planned to be GN 443. The BN merger intervened and the F45 was numbered 6616 instead and delivered in Cascade Green during July of 1970. It was immediately placed in service on trains between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest being assigned to Havre, MT.

On 11-15-70 I saw a westbound BN train arrive at Seattle's Interbay yard with units 6471/6616/6458.

My first photo of the 6616 was also at Interbay 6 years later on 8-7-77.

Note how low the number is on the rear of the cowl. A few years later I photographed hotshot BN #3 near Index, WA on 10-17-79 being led by the 6616/6478/6506/5650 (F45/SD45/SD45/U28C) on the former Great Northern where the 6616 would have no doubt been seen as GN 443 if not for the merger.

On this side the number is at the normal height.

On 5-1-80 I photographed the 6616 once more on the former Great Northern at Skykomish, WA in the company of BN 1770, former GN GP9 697.

Five years later the lease ended and the 6616 along with the other 11 F45's were retired and returned to the lessor 8/85. These 12 F45's were picked up by the Chicago South Shore in Indiana but they never turned a wheel in revenue service on the CSS who returned them to NRE 7/86. The 6616 and the others were sold for scrap to Pielet Bros 11/86.