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BN 5710

BN GE U33C 5710 was built as Great Northern U33C 2540 in April of 1969. The 2540 was a part of GN's second and final order of U33C's numbered 2539-2544 and delivered just about a year before the BN merger. All of GN's U33C's were delivered in Big Sky Blue paint and assigned to Havre, MT. My notes show that I never saw the GN 2540 before the BN merger.

After the March 1970 BN nerger the BN 2540 was renumbered BN 5710 and I did first see the 5710 at Auburn, WA the morning of 6-13-71 in a power set of 5710/6623/725/752 (U33C/F45/F7B/F7A). The still Big Sky Blue 5710 would lead these units across Stampede Pass later in the day.

The 5710 was later repainted to BN green and I took my first photo of it on 2-3-77 leaving Seattle, WA southbound on Amtrak's Empire Builder with BN 5710/AMTK 536/AMTK HC1911 (U33C/SDP40F/Heater car)

This was during a time BN was substituting BN power for banned Amtrak SDP40F's on passenger trains though it appears that some of the big SDP's were being used as trailing units.

Four months later I roster shot the 5710 at Interbay, WA on 6-6-77.

Note that sister U33C 5708 is trailing the 5710, former GN 2538. I did not photograph the 5710 again until I saw it in a Pasco, WA deadline 9-4-82. It was stored with numerous other GE BN U33C's.

All of the U33C's from GN's second order were retired in July of 1984. (the first order of GN U33C's were retired in 1983) The 5710 along with all the other ex-GN U33C's were scrapped.