http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091103/ap_ ... n_northern

Tie-in to railway preservation: those groups who run excursions etc on BNSF tracks (Friends of 261 etc) have built relationships with current management of BNSF. Not sure what impact, if any, the new ownership might have on these relationships.

Better, who can get Buffett in the cab of a mainline steam excursion at track speed? Steam fans who own railroad systems would do us all some good......

dave

Wow!

Well now is the chance for Uncle John fans to lobby for the return of the warbonnet in some fashion. And 3751 fans...

Steve

As a Berkshire Hathaway stockholder I always look forward to the annual meeting in Omaha where 30,000 or so stockholders show up to hear Warren (and Charlie Munger too). Most of the B-H subsidiaries set up at the meeting and give away some trinket from their company - I wonder what BNSF will hand out? Also, NetJets brings in a number of their aircraft for the stockholders to tour - perhaps BNSF will bring the business train for stockholders to tour in Omaha?

I wonder how many more people will attend the annual meeting in 2010? We already pretty much overwhelm Omaha that weekend as it is.

If Buffett does one thing, maybe he can change the ridiculous name of the railroad. Burlington Northern got its name when the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern merged. The Burlington part came from the CB&Q and the Northern part came from both the NP and the GN. Plus much of the railroad was in the northern U.S. So that made sense. Now when the BN merged with the Santa Fe years later, there was no longer a need to have the NORTHERN as part of the new name. Certainly the new railroad wasn't primarily a northern carrier anymore. So why not just Burlington Santa Fe or Santa Fe Burlington? Correct what should have been done when the merger originally was made and still honor two storied railroad names; the Santa Fe and the Burlington.

My two cents.

Les

Com'on Les, everyone knows that BNSF really stands for Big New Santa Fe!

Well, we all know what the power for Buffett's steam program will be: A BERKSHIRE Hathaway!
Jim

May I also point out that Santa Fe/BNSF LONG AGO stopped serving its namesake city, now on a short line? Heck, I think they abandoned services to Atchison and Topeka as well.........

Except that every preserved 2-8-4 in North America is a NKP, C&O, PM, or L&N........

That's all right. I'll settle for 3751 or 2925. Or maybe 5021 and 3415, and a set of warbonnet F7's......... or heck, I'll take a GN or NP loco, or a Burlington O5, or..... (hmmm, what's in this herbal tea again?....)

I don't know the man, I only have watched a few interviews with him. He strikes me as a no-nonsense, unpretentious person - no limo, drives an old Buick, doesn't take an incredibly high salary, etc. I'm thinking he might be sympathetic to public excursions or steam if he thinks there is an upside to it for the railroad and B-H. First and foremost he is a businessman, albeit a rare one for this day and age - he is not driven by the next quarter's profit statement.

So, the friends of the various operations on the BNSF system might want to get together as united front, with a select party of representatives who put the best foot forward for excursion operations and try and make a presentation to him as to why he should continue to allow them to operate over his new railroad. In the Western US, BNSF is the only place where big, non-Uncle Pete steam can operate. I'd say it's all up for grabs now. Like the carpenter says - measure twice, cut once.

I'd love to see the Sandberg Co as the operating partner in something like this - maybe with a nice, modern Santa Fe 4-8-4.

dave

Well, if you can tell me where the L&N 2-8-4 is preserved, I sure would appreciate it.

Les

Been Nothing Since Frisco
Big New Shiny Frisco

"Wastin' away again in Margaritaville"; Oh sorry! Wrong Buffet!

Actually, they are distant cousins. A couple of years ago Jimmy Buffet was at the Berkshire annual meeting. He came on stage and sang "Wasting Away in Berkshire Hathawayville". He also said he is a stockholder.