| BNSF Railway Dash 9-44CW 693 was built by General Electric as Santa Fe 693 in September 1994, one year before the Santa Fe and Burlington Northern would merge to create the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (later shortened to just BNSF Railway). At the time, the Santa Fe’s new power was being delivered in the attractive red and silver "Superfleet" paint scheme, a throwback to the railway’s earlier, classic "Warbonnet" passenger scheme. The Nineties were a great time to railfan the Santa Fe as a result! While still wearing its original paint, poor BNSF 693 is clearly showing its twenty-six years of service, with the bright red faded to pink, the silver appearing more grayish and rust-colored primer on much of the engine. Still, as weather-beaten as BNSF 693 is, it is a welcome sight among the near endless parade of orange and black diesels found all over the BNSF system. (San Bernardino, California – December 18, 2020) |