Been working on the back story to my little shortline switching layout I am planning. It is set in the early days of the BNSF, somewhere along one of the low density branch lines of the former Great Northern. At time of the BN merger, the line had little traffic other than a small grain elevator and occasional odd freight car loads for the local "team track" such as a new tractor or a 40' boxcar with supplies and provisions for the small farming community. The line was worked by a pair of elderly F7's, both in GN simplified empire builder colors. After a few years, the F's developed mechanical issues and were limped into thier storage building, an old wood engine house just deep enough for the pair, it had been cladded with galvanized siding years ago but was looking quite dilapidated by now. For one reason or another, the F's were forgotten about, nobody knows how they escaped the scrappers. BN worked the line once a week or so depending on need for the duration of that railroad's life. Then the huge BN and ATSF merger happened. The new monster railroad had little interest in the little overgown branchline and it was put up for abandonment. This didn't sit well with the local farmers and the little grain elevator. They pooled their money and with the help of a lawyer related to one of the local farming familys, the line was purchased and interchange rates established with the BNSF. When the local crew, most of the farmers and the legal team on both sides met, the topic of what the new line was going to use for motive power came up. One of the older farmers said "What about the old covered wagons in the engine barn?" This was returned with a blank stare from the BNSF folks. So he said "You know, the old GN F units". This was returned with "What GN F units?" " We don't show any thing like that on the current roster." The farmer took them across the parking lot of the local diner they were meeting at and with the help of several others, managed to get one of the two huge doors opened, revealing the filthy and dusty nose of GN 252-A was looking back at them. First time in 2 decades the engine had seen daylight. The BNSF road foreman said he had zero interest in two dead in the water F units as he had much bigger issues of combining the engine rosters of 2 major railroads into one. The legal team said to sit tight and they would get back to the local investor group by the end of the week. Later that week during a final track inspection by the BNSF local trainmaster and road foreman, the foreman handed the local guys a large sealed envelope. Once opened, it contained the legal documents transfering ownership of 252-a & 252-c to Ag Rail Services for zero dollers with one provision, the units be kept in thier GN colors and markings for future heritage use by the BNSF, which while on loan to the BNSF, a suitable pair of small road units would be loaned to AG Rail for the duration. Both F7's would carry AGRS lettering under thier road numbers. The foreman also handed the local crew a piece of paper with a phone number on it. He said "Call this gentleman. He can get those old covered wagons going again." Over the following month, both F units were drug out of the ramshackle engine shed by one of the farmers with his John Deere, both given a bath and turned over to the mechanical crew they called in to reactivate them. Lube oil changed out, radiators flushed and refilled, electrical systems and relays cleaned, new headlight bulbs installed and updated FRA mandated windows installed by the BNSF mechanical dept. The local vol fire dept lighting guru refurbished both Mars lights. The 252-A had issues making transition at first but that was traced back to a relay that was missed in the cleaning. After that was correct, the FRA man did his inspection of both units and signed off on thier 90 day inspection card, for the first time in over 20 years. While the F's were being woke up, the engine shed was cleaned out, 2 force air gas heaters installed so the pair could be shut down in the winter to conserve fuel/money and new lighting installed. The F's are run atleast once a week, shuttling empty grain hoppers in, usualy 4 to 6 at a time until a small unit train is ready for the BNSF to pick up. Other odd loads get set out by the BNSF as need and the crew will fire the Fs up and go fetch them. Both the engineer and conductor are local farmers and can be called to pull and set cars pretty much anytime, they just turn the tractor or combine over to thier boys if a train needs run. The track is still grown over, track speed is 10mph max, but slow progress is being made in getting it up to 15mph.
I plan to start construction of my little railroad in the next month or so. Getting some benchwork from a clinic at Indy in a week that will help kick start the base construction. I have one of the 2 F units, looking for another All Nation F7, preferably a non powered one as I do not really need both units powered. Then I will be on the hunt for an older looking grain elevator, 2 engine deep locomotive shed to clad in galvanized siding and a few older looking buildings you might see in one of those small old downtown areas in a run down farming town. Mike
