BN How many States?

BoxcabE50 May 4, 2023

  1. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,560
    22,735
    653
    Does anyone have a complete list of all the States in which Burlington Northern operated, at their peak? Plus at least two Canadian (BC and Manitoba) Provinces..... Anyhow, this time frame would probably be just after the Frisco merger.
     
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  2. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

    9,896
    29,180
    148
    25 states and 2 Canadian provinces

    USA - 25
    Washington
    Oregon
    California
    Idaho
    Montana
    Wyoming
    Colorado
    New Mexico
    Oklahoma
    Texas
    Kansas
    Nebraska
    South Dakota
    North Dakota
    Minnesota
    Wisconsin
    Iowa
    Illinois
    Missouri
    Arkansas
    Kentucky
    Tennessee
    Mississippi
    Alabama
    Florida

    Canada - 2
    British Columbia
    Manitoba

    Don't think I missed any.

    BN Map.jpg
     
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  3. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,560
    22,735
    653
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  4. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    22,015
    27,411
    253
    Holy smokes! Look how densely BN saturated North Dakota!
     
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  5. Kurt Moose

    Kurt Moose TrainBoard Member

    9,814
    14,202
    147
    Lot's of branchlines back then!(y)
     
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  6. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

    10,677
    44,874
    142
    I learned that those parallel branches and others like them elsewhere in the midwest were built so that farmers would not be more than a day's wagon ride to a railhead. I can't recall if state regulators pressed for this or if the railroads thought it was a good idea, but ND is a poster child for it.
     
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  7. mmi16

    mmi16 TrainBoard Member

    720
    1,323
    39
    While the lines are displayed as BN - suspect they were originally laid out with the late 19th Century's 'railroad mania' and were accumulated between both the Great Northern and Northern Pacific as their feeder lines.

    Personally, I would find it more interesting if that BN map, was identified by the Fallen Flag carriers that show up on the map.
     
  8. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,560
    22,735
    653
    Some of that seeming duplication in ND, (and vicinity), was caused by none other than Hill himself. In places where he was there first, and alone, he enjoyed being the sole way for goods both shipped in and shipped out. He was known for really sticking it ($$$ costs) to people. This caused folks to lobby other companies to come in and compete.
     
  9. acptulsa

    acptulsa TrainBoard Member

    3,344
    5,868
    75
    If the map had shown the Santa Fe at that time, southern Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas would look the same. Those branches could pay for themselves before the truck replaced the horse and wagon.

    Yes, especially where the road had a monopoly, before the ICC popped up.

    It's interesting to look at the roads that didn't do that strategy. As the twentieth century progressed, the Lehigh and New England in the east, and the Frisco on the plains, increasingly looked wise to have skipped most of that and primarily concentrated on getting places far away.
     
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  10. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    22,015
    27,411
    253
    Correct--the Hill empire deliberately expanded into the prairies to gather wheat and other crops, and also invested in agriculture in a number of ways in NoDak. Look for a complete story in the June 2023 edition of Railfan & Railroad!
     
  11. Kurt Moose

    Kurt Moose TrainBoard Member

    9,814
    14,202
    147
    Thanks for the heads-up!(y)

    Any of your pics in the article?:rolleyes:
     
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  12. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    22,015
    27,411
    253
    About 8 pages worth of history and images! I proofed the text and captions a week ago, it should have gone to print last Friday, so the only thing I want to know is if one of my images made the cover or not.
     
  13. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

    9,896
    29,180
    148
    Like Kurt said, thanks for the heads up and rooting for you to have the cover photo (y)
     
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  14. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

    10,677
    44,874
    142
    I think The Grange also became a force to bring order to rail ratemaking. Hill must have been quite something. Many of us have read his quote proclaiming that "The passenger train is like the male teat - neither useful nor ornamental".
     

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