Bnsf 3838

[dredick]

This unit was spotted in Emporia, Indiana on January 6th where it is now apparently based as I keep seeing it parked next to the elevator every morning.

What caught my eye on this is that it is still wearing the Bluebonnet paint, but has BNSF lettering on it.

What's even more surprising is that it is not listed at The Diesel Shop's BNSF roster page.

[44 toner]

Hmm, nice rebuild.

[Erick_Cantu]

I'm still trying to figure out why railfans keep referring to the blue and yellow warbonnet as 'yellowbonnet' and 'bluebonnet,' both schemes exclusive to F-units.

I have inferred that BNSF 3838 is indeed listed on the diesel shop's roster under a combination of its old number and new number. Data for ATSF 1321 shows it was renumbered 3831 when it entered the BNSF roster, yet is listed as BNSF 1321 on the diesel shop's roster. Since 'BNSF 1329' is listed in the roster as a GP7u, and BNSF 3838 was once ATSF 1329, it doesn't take much extrapolation to say that it's listed under the wrong number (perhaps a transition before the renumber to 3838, but no rosters show such numbers for these locomotives, implying that they were renumbered almost as soon as the merger hit).

At any rate, BNSF 3838 was built in December, 1952 with serial #17699. It was delivered as ATSF 2838 and has also carried the number ATSF 1329.

See the following:

http://www.thedieselshop.us/BNSF.HTML

http://www.trainweb.org/emdloco/17600.htm

http://www.trainweb.org/emdloco/17700.htm

I wouldn't trust the diesel shop for any post-merger numbers as it would appear that they slapped "BNSF" in front of the last ATSF number and called it good.

[dredick]

I'm still trying to figure out why railfans keep referring to the blue and yellow warbonnet as 'yellowbonnet' and 'bluebonnet,' both schemes exclusive to F-units.

I have inferred that BNSF 3838 is indeed listed on the diesel shop's roster under a combination of its old number and new number. Data for ATSF 1321 shows it was renumbered 3831 when it entered the BNSF roster, yet is listed as BNSF 1321 on the diesel shop's roster. Since 'BNSF 1329' is listed in the roster as a GP7u, and BNSF 3838 was once ATSF 1329, it doesn't take much extrapolation to say that it's listed under the wrong number (perhaps a transition before the renumber to 3838, but no rosters show such numbers for these locomotives, implying that they were renumbered almost as soon as the merger hit).

At any rate, BNSF 3838 was built in December, 1952 with serial #17699. It was delivered as ATSF 2838 and has also carried the number ATSF 1329.

See the following:

http://www.thedieselshop.us/BNSF.HTML

http://www.trainweb.org/emdloco/17600.htm

http://www.trainweb.org/emdloco/17700.htm

I wouldn't trust the diesel shop for any post-merger numbers as it would appear that they slapped "BNSF" in front of the last ATSF number and called it good.

Well apparently it is now an ex-BNSF unit as I e-mailed the webmaster of The Diesel Shop and he told me that it was sold to the CI&W railroad, which fits since the CI&W runs through the Anderson/Emporia/Lapel area, so that's why it's not on the BNSF roster there anymore.