Burlington Northern EMD SW1000 448 by Craig Garver
Via Flickr:
Burlington Northern EMD SW1000 448 at Tacoma, Washington, August 12, 1979. Photographer unknown. Scanned from a 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 negative owned by Digital Rail Artist. This engine was part of a second order of Burlington SW1000's, CB&Q 9322-9336, but were delivered as BN 427-434 between November, 1970, and January, 1971. When EMD introduced the 645 line, there was only one switcher on the market: the 1500 hp SW1500, built around the V12. Production lasted until 1974, with 808 built. In 1968, EMD introduced a 1000 hp version built around a V8. Production lasted until 1972, with just 119 built. Southern Pacific was a true believer that a modern switcher would pay for itself in just a few years, and snapped up 240 SW1500s. Few other class ones were that sold on the economics. Sales to other class one railroads were lackluster: Penn Central, 84 Southern, 48 Kansas City Southern, 42 Pittsburgh & Lake Erie, 40 Louisville & Nashville, 30 Reading, 20 Great Northern, 10 Sales of the SW1000 were mostly to shortline and industrial operators. There were very few class sales: Burlington, 12 Denver & Rio Grande Western, 10 At the time of the BN merger, EMD had another 15 SW1000s under construction for the Burlington but those were delivered as BN power. The choice of buying several more small orders between the recessions of 1969-1970 and 1973-1975 is curious, and even more so when considering some orders skipped basic options like MU and even classification lights!