Sierra Northern Railway (SNR) is officially celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States of America with a specially painted locomotive. Locomotive No. 250 is adorned in the railroad’s latest blue, white, and gold scheme with a unique flag motif on its flanks.
The 250 was originally built as an EMD GP7 for the Santa Fe Railway in the early 1950s and later served the Burlington Northern Railroad as its 1324. Purchased by the Yolo Short Line, the unit eventually became Sierra Northern 135. It was rebuilt by SN shop forces into a Railpower RP20BD genset in 2014 as the railroad’s 52.
“Railroads and railroading are part of our country’s fabric, and we are proud to celebrate its enduring legacy,” said Ken Beard, CEO of Sierra Northern, which currently operates approximately 75 miles of track in northern California and 30 miles of track in southern California, including through several prime industrial areas, and serves a wide variety of customers while interchanging with BNSF and Union Pacific (UP).
