A Once Common Sight... An overcast afternoon in Merrill, MS finds us trackside along CN’s Beaumont Subdivision for run-though BNSF coal load CN C704. These coal sets are loaded at the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and are delivered to the Mississippi Export Railroad in Evanston, MS via CN to be unloaded at the Victor J. Daniel Power Plant near Helena, MS. In charge of the 135 car train is BNSF EMD SD70MAC 9669, wearing the Burlington Northern “Executive” paint scheme. For many years, Burlington Northern motive power was a common sight on these coal trains, but recent years have seen the majority these units placed in trail/storage due to newer power, lack of PTC etc. To my knowledge, this is the first Executive MAC leader on one of these trains since at least 2015, making this a real treat and flashback to a once common sight.
