BNSF News

BNSF Special Begins 2010 Tour

2010-06-03

The first week of the BNSF Special is well under way with packed employee train tours in Topeka, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo.

This year's Special will make a 6,000-mile journey, passing through 13 cities in six states, carrying more than 5,000 BNSF employees and their family members as a special "thank you" for their service to BNSF. Guests include customers, community leaders and others as BNSF raises funds for Boys & Girls clubs in selected cities along the route.

"It's our privilege to share the excitement of the railroad with these special passengers and to say thank you for the vital role they play in our company and in the communities we serve," said John Ambler, BNSF vice president, Corporate Relations.

Riders aboard this year's BNSF Special expressed their sincere thanks for the experience, from some of the very youngest to the most senior.

For example, 84-year-old Mabel Phillips last rode a train in 1946 from Mansfield, Mo., to Kansas City. "I didn't like it much," she said of that experience. Sixty-four years later, she rode her second train with the family of her son-in-law, Topeka Equipment Operator Stanley Conner. "This is much better," she said in her assessment of the BNSF Special.

Many first-time train riders, such as 4-month-old Brianna Eastman and her 81-year old grandmother, Emma Brenton, rode the BNSF Special on Sunday with several other relatives. Brianna's grandfather, aunt and uncle all work for BNSF. While little Brianna fell asleep to the rocking of the cars, her grandmother was excited enough to speak for both of them. "When Abbey (Abbey Baker, a general clerk who works in Topeka) called and said, 'Do you want to go on a train ride?' I said, 'You bet. This is great!' "

Benefiting the Boys & Girls Club

For the 10th consecutive year, as part of the BNSF Special, BNSF is also partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to provide free, round-trip train rides to an estimated 1,000 children while raising funds for the local organizations. This year the BNSF Special will host club members and guests from three different Boys & Girls Clubs along the route, including Topeka.; Tulsa, Okla.; and St. Louis.

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BNSF Headquarters

BNSF Railway Company
2650 Lou Menk Dr. 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 961057
Fort Worth, TX 76161-0057
Phone: (817) 352-1000

For more information on the company and its transportation solutions, visit the BNSF Web site at www.bnsf.com