Road ID

Bob Collins

Active Member
We have a BNSF mainline that runs through town here in Rolla, MO. I saw an engine the other day that was doing some local switching and that looked to have seen better days. It was painted BN green and white, but the cab lettering, which looked to have been done with a stencil was FURX. That looked to me like something I might see on a grain hopper or tank car.

Questions: what do the letters represent and why on an engine switching the main line?

Thanks

Bob

Boy I sure have had a heck of a time getting back onto the Gauge after it went down. It wouldn't recognize my password and kept trying to give me a new one :cry:
 
F

Fred_M

Howdy neighbor. That loco was sold to First Union Rail. I have seen several ex BN locos wearing that logo here in Aurora. Rail Pictures has 188 pictures of FURX locos http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php . I guess BNSF deemed them surplus and sold them and now are leasing them back. There is a bunch of unused loco in the Springfield yard, but I can't get close enough for Pictures. The security there is real tight since they went to RC switchers. FRED
 

IAIS 604

Member
The new Iowa, Chicago and Eastern (ICE, ex-IMRL) was renting a good number of ex-BN FURX locos for a while while they got their feet on the ground. Now I'm starting to see more ICE painted locos on the rail.

I guess rental locos are good business!
 

railohio

Active Member
CSX is a big user of lease power in the East. They a have units from First Union (FURX), Alstom (GCFX), CIT (CEFX), and Helm (HLCX, HLGX). Supposedly there are some of the LMX B39-8s on the way this summer, too.
 
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