You are here: Home > Burlington Northern Section > BN 7907
BN 7907
BN SD40-2 7907 was built by EMD in June of 1979 as the C&S 7907, one of a group of C&S sublettered SD40-2's numbered 7869-7923. All of these SD40-2's were intended for coal service but did see some general freight service as well. After 1980 the C&S sublettering was removed making them fully BN units.
I never saw or photographed the 7907 but I did find one photo of the BN 7907 on rrpicturearchives by Chuck Zeiler taken on 7-12-82 leading a coal train in Illinois.
Less than two years later on 6-14-84 the BN 7907 was leading an eastbound coal train just out of Motley, MN (east of Staples) about 01:00 AM headed for Superior, WA when rounding a curve and starting down a long straight stretch came face to face with a westbound empty coal train headed towards Staples. Unable to stop both struck head on at a combined speed of 70 MPH. All six units from both trains were destroyed and three crewman killed and three more injured. A lap order had been issued to both trains by a dispatcher in error with the result being two trains on the same track at the same time. For the record, these are the two trains involved and locomotives destroyed:
BN 7907 East 7907/5136/7899 (SD40-2/C30-7/SD40-2)
BN 6760 West 6760/6765/7241 (SD40-2/SD40-2/SD40-2)