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BN 9201
BN 9201 was the second of 50 EMD SD60M's purchased for coal service and assigned to Glendive, MT when built in January of 1990. The first 50 numbered 9200-9249 were followed by an additional 50 for a total of 100 SD60M's. The first 50 were noteworthy for having three piece windshields while the final 50 had the more standard two.
On a drive to the 1995 NPRHA Convention in Glendive, MT from the airport in Billings, MT I caught the 9201 leading a westbound coal empty at Terry, MT passing under the ex-Milwaukee Road bridge 7-13-95. Leading the train is 9201/9215/8078/7093 (SD60M/SD60M/SD40-2/SD40-2).
And returning to Billings westbound after the convention I saw the same coal train headed eastbound, now loaded east of Terry, MT on 7-15-95! Motive power was unchanged.
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Just a few months later BNSF was created. The BN 9201 was soon renumbered to BNSF 9201. Once BNSF ordered new SD70ACe's to be delivered in the 9200 series the SD60M's needed to be renumbered before the new units arrived in 2008. The 8100 series was available so the BNSF SD60M's used that number series, the BNSF 9201 was renumbered BNSF 8101.
On 4-17-11 I photographed the BNSF 8101 on the Lakeside Sub between Pasco and Spokane at Tokio, WA (east of Ritzville, WA), still in BN green.
ust a week later I was back on the Lakeside Sub and the BNSF 8101 was westbound at Connell, WA 4-23-11, this time a rear end roster.
Three years later in 2014 BNSF retired the first nine SD60M's (8100-8108) and the Norfolk Southern picked them up and quickly repainted them and put them in service, the BNSF 8101 became NS 6808 and actually looked pretty sharp. Here are photos from rrpicturearchives:
The last photo was taken in 2017.
The ex-BN SD60M's only lasted five years on the NS. In 2019all eight were retired and scrapped but one. The 6808 (ex-BN 9201) was purchased by the Buffalo and Pittsburgh RR, repainted and renumbered to BPRR 3892 and again, looked pretty sharp. A photo from rrpicturearchives:
On 5-18-20 the 3892 was leading a train that derailed at East Aurora, NY
The SD60M was damaged but repaired and returned to service. Railpictures has a nice photo of it from 6-13-21 looking pretty nice.
Although far from former BN rails, good to know that the ex-BN 9201 survives and is still in service today.