Rolling eastward across the expansive prairies, having just crossed from Colorado into Nebraska, is BNSF Priority UPS-LTL Intermodal train Z-DENCHC3-25U, ferrying trailers and containers from Denver CO to Cicero IL, a journey of about 1,000 miles. In another 30 miles or so, this train will cross from Mountain Time to Central Time, although on the railroad the change takes place at McCook NE, another 50 miles beyond the actual Time Zone border and the Division Point (and crew change point) between BNSF Railway’s Akron Sub (here) and the Hastings Sub. A typical trio of GE diesels powers this train: ES44C4 8214, ES44DC 7637 and Dash 9-44CW 4438. BNSF 8214, at ten years old, is the newest locomotive on this train, with twenty-five-year-old 4438 the oldest. (Haigler, Nebraska – July 25, 2024)
