Description
Road Numbers 811062, 811085, 811133
These ex-Burlington Northern 3-bay covered hoppers were renumbered and repainted into a black BNSF paint scheme in the early 2000s. Burlington Northern was formed through the mergers of Great Northern and Northern Pacific in 1970, and then merged with ATSF in 1995 to form BNSF. BNSF is one of the largest freight railroads in the country with over 32,000 miles of rail.
Cable reels, a common commodity, come in all sizes and weights and present railroads with an interesting lading problem. Many of the solutions involved heavy wood timbers to brace loads that were prone to shifting but they added extra weight and complexity to load outs. Nowadays purpose built metal frame work is employed to streamline the loading operation and cut down on needless weight.