Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway, the nation’s leading freight transportation provider, is celebrating America’s 250th birthday with a series of specially painted locomotives.
The three new locomotives, carrying numbers 250, 1776 and 2026, feature an exclusive livery to honor the nation’s Semiquincentennial birthday on July 4, 2026.
“Few institutions are woven into the fabric of America quite like the railroad, and BNSF is honored to celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary with these specially painted locomotives,” said BNSF Railway President and CEO Katie Farmer.
“For nearly two centuries, railroaders have helped shape the American story, connecting communities, powering economic growth and strengthening the nation we call home,” she added in a statement. “These locomotives pay tribute not only to our country’s heritage, but also to the men and women of Team BNSF who carry that legacy forward today.”
The design and mission
Patriotically painted in red, white, and blue by Kansas City’s Mid-America Car Inc., each locomotive features the preamble to the United States Constitution with the words, “We the People” and the America250 logo. The words “Freedom and Liberty” are emblazoned on either side of the latter part of the engines, with a circle of stars on the tail, paying tribute to the Betsy Ross flag.
“America’s 250th anniversary is an opportunity to recognize the industries and workers who have helped connect and strengthen our nation for generations,” said Jen Condon, EVP at America250. “BNSF’s commemorative locomotives are a powerful tribute to the role railroads have played in America’s growth and to the people who continue that legacy every day as we approach the Semiquincentennial.”
The three patriotic locomotives will travel BNSF’s 32,500-mile rail network for special events while joining the rest of the BNSF fleet to deliver the nation’s freight for the customers and communities across the supply chain.
BNSF then and now
BNSF and its predecessor lines have been a key part of the nation’s growth and prosperity for many decades, helping open the West and move the goods and supplies Americans need every day. BNSF’s own history started in 1849 with the Aurora Branch Railroad in Illinois.
Over the years, nearly 400 rail lines merged or were acquired to become what is today BNSF Railway. These lines included legendary predecessors like Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q); Great Northern Railway (GN), Northern Pacific Railway (NP), Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S), Fort Worth and Denver Railroad (FWD), and the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (SLSF), commonly known as the Frisco.
In 1995, Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF), also known as Santa Fe, joined to become Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
Now America’s largest railroad, BNSF operates in 28 states and three Canadian provinces and said it is also the world’s leading intermodal freight transportation provider.
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