BNML 2 and the Midland Railway of Manitoba

BNSF 1685, the last high-hood, first-generation Geep in service with a North American Class I railway has gone stateside. Formerly Burlington Northern Manitoba Limited (BNML) 2, ex-Midland Railway of Manitoba 2, the unit was built in 1957. Unfortunately, time has run out for her, and now she sits forlorn outside the BNSF diesel shop in Minneapolis. Due to years of shuttling between CN and CP in Winnipeg, with occasional opportunities to stretch her legs on trackage rights over CN's Letellier Sub down to the U.S. border, she's low mileage. BNSF 1685 has been replaced by GP39-2 2710.

The top photo shows the results of my single sighting of this unique unit - a quick picture taken through the window of my sleeper on VIA No 2, in June 1982. BNML 2 was waiting with 15 cars for us to clear Portage Jct. The first car is an auto rack - traffic brought north to Winnipeg over the years included vehicles, farm machinery, fresh produce, TOFC, gondolas of scrap metal, and boxcars of merchandise for Winnipeg's warehouses. After coming north of the border on the Letellier Sub, the trains travelled CN's Rivers Sub from Portage Jct to St James Jct (black line on map) then north to BNML's small yard along Lindsay St. Mark Perry shared this photo of BNML 2 with a few cars in tow at Portage Jct in 1993:

Among the cabooses used in BNML yard service were: wooden ex-NP BNML 1723 and 1974, steel ex-CB&Q BN 10355, ex-GN BN 11292 and BN 12580. Here's BNML 1723, preserved at the Manitoba Agricultural Museum in Austin, with a freshly-painted NP monad symbol in 1978:

BN road units assigned to help BNML 2 up and down to the border, before CN took over in the mid-1980's, included ex-GN GP-7's 1532, 1543, 1544, 1545, 1553, 1554 and 1555. BN train No 123 departed Noyes, Minnesota at 0850 on May 16, 1974: BNML2 - 1555 - 24 lds - 15 etys - 2108 tons -2592 feet - caboose 10783. BN train No 124 departed Crookston, Minnesota at 2320 on April 18, 1977: 5322 - 5330 - 2061 - BNML 2 (likely headed stateside for inspection and maintenance) - 62 lds - 21 etys - 6033 tons - 4925 feet - caboose 12153. Here's a Midland switchlist from 1972, written out on a GN Form 55:

This switchlist for the Midland Transfer is written on a CP script Form 3493W:

NP 9616 and MILW 16601 are boxcars. CB&Q 94269 is a 66-foot flat, and NP 51649 is a gondola. The cars on the lists are heading to/from BN, CN and CP. Here's a Midland transfer slip, also from the pre-computer era. Scribbled on the back in pencil "NYC 41892 in Track 5":

BNML 2 still exists, albeit in HO-scale. Here she is with some BN cars on my Winnipeg Terminals layout:

Manny Jacob has done a really nice job modelling the unit, check out: http://home.golden.net/~railbus/

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Running Extra...

TRAINS magazine's 45th Anniversary edition, November 1985, profiles BNML 2's run to the border. BRMNA's The Great Northern and Northern Pacific Railways in Canada (Volume One) shows her at home in the BNML yard, with a train of 6 BN boxcars and caboose.

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After leaving the CPR syndicate, James J. Hill tried to siphon traffic from the CPR, building four Great Northern branches, including the Midland, over or approaching Canada's southern border.