Speeding through the passenger station in Fullerton is Santa Fe train 891, the eastbound Super C. Known as the "World's Fastest Freight Train," the Super C was an all-piggyback train that traveled the 2200-miles (3500 km) between Los Angeles CA and Chicago IL in 40 hours – faster than Amtrak’s Southwest Limited. On this morning, the 891 is powered by a quartet of 19-month-old EMD SD45-2s, led by ATSF 5703. Before much longer, the 5703 would be sent to the shops in San Bernardino and emerge as the fourth of five Bicentennial engines, all SD45-2s, usually assigned to the hot and high-profile Super C. (n late 1987, this engine would be rebuilt into an SD45-2B (ATSF 5512), which would become BNSF 7506 when ATSF merged with the Burlington Northern in 1996. BNSF would later renumber it BNSF 6522, and then GN 6522 (the archaic reporting mark “GN” was used on locomotive es that were slated for retirement). This locomotive, while no longer on the BNSF roster, still exists. Plans for it, at this time, have not been made public. Click HERE to see ATSF 5703 in Bicentennial colors. (Fullerton, California – December 27, 1974)
