Near or far, BNSF locomotives stand out wherever they are

Highlighting our commitment to safety, service, innovation, people, communities and our heritage.

Date
Jul 17, 2023

Read Time
2 min.



An all-BNSF consist leads a Norfolk Southern train over Elk Creek at Lake City, Pennsylvania. Photo by Mike Hauk.
An all-BNSF consist leads a Norfolk Southern train over Elk Creek at Lake City, Pennsylvania. Photo by Mike Hauk.

Near or far, BNSF locomotives stand out wherever they are

We’re proud of our beautiful orange locomotives, all 7,500 of them. Each has an important job to do as they move customers’ freight across our 32,500-mile network, which is in the westernmost two-thirds of the United States as well as three Canadian provinces. 

Another photo of an all-BNSF consist, this one at Shawsville, Virginia, taken by David Fillman.
Another photo of an all-BNSF consist, this one at Shawsville, Virginia, taken by David Fillman.

But it’s also common to see other railroads’ locomotives combined with ours, or to see our locomotives operating on other railroads’ networks elsewhere in the country 

A trio of BNSF locomotives on Norfolk Southern’s Neuse River bridge in New Bern, North Carolina, was captured by Jon Celotto.
A trio of BNSF locomotives on Norfolk Southern’s Neuse River bridge in New Bern, North Carolina, was captured by Jon Celotto.

When a BNSF train reaches an interchange point, say Chicago, but the rail cars’ destination is beyond that point, we may not swap out locomotives before the train continues its journey. This arrangement – called run-through power – increases efficiency between railroads and allows expedited delivery schedules for our customers.   

Brian Exley caught this intermodal train at Annandale, New Jersey, with a BNSF locomotive in the lead.
Brian Exley caught this intermodal train at Annandale, New Jersey, with a BNSF locomotive in the lead.

Sometimes our orange locomotives can be found in non-BNSF territory because they are part of a “pool,” an arrangement between railroads to share locomotives.

An intermodal train with BNSF locomotives in the lead. Photo taken near Bryan, Ohio, by Chris Wehman.
An intermodal train with BNSF locomotives in the lead. Photo taken near Bryan, Ohio, by Chris Wehman.

The train photos in this article all show BNSF locomotives being operated as part of other railroads’ trains on their networks.

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