Great Northern 325

Great Northern 325 is a restored SDP40 diesel locomotive originally owned by the Great Northern Railway. It was built in May of 1966 as the last of six SDP40s ordered by Great Northern to replace their aging passenger locomotive fleet. ^[1]

History

The Great Northern railway believed that passenger trains were the window through which the public viewed them. Despite interstate highways and passenger jet service, the GN felt passenger trains still viable even with many railroads abandoning service.

Averaging over twenty years old, GN's aging passenger locomotive fleet was costing more to keep in good repair. In May 1966 the GN purchased six 3000-hp SDP40s for the Western Star and connecting trains to Vancouver, BC and Portland, OR. They were numbered 320-325, used EMD's new improved 645 diesel engine, and were painted in "simplified" orange and green Empire Builder colors. Havre, MT was their assigned maintenance base. Around the same time, the railroad's own shops created ten steam heat cars which allowed freight locomotives to substitute on passenger trains. Finally, in 1967 the GN purchased eight 3600-hp SDP45s for the Empire Builder, which were numbered 326-333.

The SDP40, passenger version of the SD40, contained a Vapor-Clarkson steam generator in an extended long hood that is flat instead of tapered. Vents are present along the side of the steam generator area. The SDP40s were built especially for the GN, and the GN was the only US railroad that purchased the SDP40 model. Only 20 were built, six of GN and 14 for NdeM (National Railways of Mexico).

In 1967 the Great Northern embarked on a corporate re-imaging program. Working with St Paul design firm Lippincott & Marguiles, they modernized their logo, adopted the Helvetica typeface for lettering, and corporate colors blue, grey and white - known as Big Sky Blue. The SDP45s were delivered in blue, and all the SDP40s except 323 were eventually repainted.

Change came again in March 1970, when the Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Chicago Burlington & Quincy and Spokane Portland & Seattle merged to form the Burlington Northern. The new corporate logo and colors of green, black and white - known as Cascade Green - were designed by the same design firm who had created Big Sky Blue and are very similar. In fact they kept the Helvetica typeface. In the merger, GN 320-325 became BN 9850-9855. Those numbers derive from the Burlington's practice of numbering passenger locomotives. More change arrived in May 1971, when BN transferred its passenger train operations to the newly-formed quasi-Government National Railroad Passenger Corporation - Amtrak. Although BN sold a number of passenger cars to Amtrak, they retained the SDP40s and SDP45s. The steam generators were removed and, re-designated model SD40 by the BN, the SDP40s were again renumbered - this time to 6394-6399. 9855 became 6399 on April 15, 1974.

One SDP40 - former GN 323 which never wore Big Sky Blue - was distinguished by being painted in the "Bicentennial" red/white/blue scheme as BN 1976 from 1975 to 1978, in celebration of the United States's 200th birthday. Former GN 325 was the leading locomotive in a head on collision and was only surviving locomotive and later became similarly distinguished in 1989 when BN repainted it with a white cab front and large logo on its nose. This variation of Cascade Green, designed for increased visibility and safety, has been nicknamed the White Face paint scheme. The ex-GN SDP45s were retired in the mid-1980's, during a purge of all V20-powered F45, SD45 and SDP45 locomotives. GN 333/BN 6599 alone survived, in modified form, as a road test of an experimental four-axle self-steering radial truck design. In 1995, the Burlington Northern and the Santa Fe merged to create the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, later known simply as BNSF. Two SDP40s, GN 321 and 322, were already gone. 322 was wrecked and scrapped in 1984, and 321 sold to Montana Rail Link (it survives today as their rebuilt "SDP40-2XR" 290). GN 320/BN 6394 was owned by BNSF for a year before being scrapped in 1996. That left GN 323-325 to be renumbered BNSF 6325-6327 in 1998.

BNSF 6326 and 6327 became the final two locomotives on the BNSF to have started life as passenger units. 6326 (GN 324) is actually still on their roster, but has been stored out of service for many years. Interestingly, its identification has been changed to GN 6326 to make way for new locomotive purchases. That left 6327 as the last active passenger unit, until it was retired in June 2008 after 42 years of service and then only due to a surplus motive power situation. It was en route to Galesburg, IL when the retirement order came down. By the time it was moved to Topeka, KS for disposition, it had already been earmarked for donation to MTM.

In May 2009, the BNSF Railway formally donated SDP40 6327 to the Minnesota Transportation Museum. ^[2]

Historical significance

The locomotive is the last active passenger unit used by a class 1 railroad, a survivor of a head on collision (leading locomotive), and only one of six SDP40s built for the Great Northern.

GN 325 in service painted in the Big Sky Blue scheme

Present-day operations

After it was donated a few cosmetic adjustments were made to the locomotive, though it retained BN whiteface, it was renumbered 325 and its headlight restored above the cab (it was moved to the nose, the only SDP40 to have this done), the BNSF patches removed, and American flags added below the cab windows .Now labeled 'MNTX 325', the SDP40 runs regularly on the Minnesota Transportation Museum's Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway.

In 2016 it was featured at St. Paul Union Depot, during the building's 90th Anniversary. It was chosen based on its regular appearance at the depot as a passenger locomotive in regular service, MTM's triple-combination mail car was also displayed with the 325.

In the future, it is planned to restore the 325 into GN's 'Big Sky Blue' paint scheme.

References

External links

• Minnesota Transportation Museum Where GN 325 is on display and operated.