Its amazing that by the late 60s and 70s, the railroads didn't seem to care about clean locomotives anymore like they did in the 50s, when the locomotives and cars looked brand new for years. Still a classic picture, but the train itself has lost a lot of class by its appearance.
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The second and third cars, in Big Sky Blue, are ex-Union Pacific ACF-built coaches acquired by GN, while the BN Green coach is an ex-CNW
P-S built "400" coach, which could be either from GN, NP or CB&Q. All three roads bought such coaches from CNW, which were made surplus by the deployment of Bi-Levels equipped for long distance service. When BN rebuilt the original CB&Q Budd Bi-Levels with push-pull and head-end power, all three roads' ex-CNW coaches were brought to Chicago and used in the ex-Q Chicago-Aurora commuter service.
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To me this picture is more interesting with the mixed consist and weathered locomotive paint then if the equipment was in publicity shot shape. As I look at this image the more I become aware of how much the train and the surroundings have the same weathered feel, the same color tone. Jim, you have presented a a side of the BN I could never imagined.
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