News Release

2004 BNSF Special Train Commemorates the Bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

FORT WORTH, TX May 3, 2004:

The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF), one of the largest rail networks in North America, announces its route for the 2004 BNSF Special – a one-of-a-kind train that will commemorate the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition this year. Designed to annually recognize BNSF employees, their families, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and local communities, the BNSF Special is a tradition with a unique route each year. It will offer a lifetime of memories and beautiful vistas for riders both young and old May 28 – June 15, 2004.

The 2004 BNSF Special is centered on the rich history and thriving communities that grew up in the West since Lewis and Clark explored those uncharted lands more than 200 years ago. The train will travel over many portions of BNSF’s network that parallel the same route of that landmark expedition – logging more than 2,500 miles in 19 days and making stops in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana.

The train features 13 beautifully restored vintage passenger railcars from the 1950s and 1960s, powered by two of the latest model BNSF diesel locomotives. Passengers will include more than 8,000 BNSF employees and their families, as well as 1,800 Boys & Girls Club participants in five cities, BNSF customers, and state and local officials. The train is provided for employees and special guests only.

"Lewis and Clark were pioneers, explorers and adventurers. We’re proud to honor their bravery, their discoveries, their mark on American history -- through the BNSF Special 2004," said Richard A. Russack, vice president, Corporate Relations. "This is our ninth-annual BNSF Special trip – a tradition where we honor our employees and the local communities that we serve. It’s our privilege to share the excitement of the railroad and a glimpse of the Lewis and Clark expedition with those aboard."

Benefiting the Boys & Girls Club

For the third year, as part of the BNSF Special, BNSF has partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America – providing free rides to children and raising funds for the organization. This year BNSF will host more than 1,800 Club members on the BNSF Special and will donate $75,000 to Boys & Girls Club of America, with funds to go to local clubs along the route and the national Boys & Girls Club organization.

Learning about Lewis and Clark On Board

Known throughout America and the world for his historic Lewis and Clark paintings, artist Gary Lucy will help kick off the tour at a special series of events in Kansas City, May 27 and 28.

"Many of the details of the odyssey begun 200 years ago by Lewis and Clark have been shrouded over time. It’s my goal to help the guests on the train relive the excitement, the challenge and the anticipation that Lewis and Clark faced daily on their three-year journey," said Lucy. "The success of the expedition paved the way for future explorers, merchants, settlers and industrious entrepreneurs, such as the founders of the transcontinental railroads. Lewis and Clark courageously etched their names in American history."

While on-board, passengers on the BNSF Special will hear the Lewis and Clark story recounted by historians and National Park Service (NPS) docents Doc and Earline Darrow. The Darrows share replica artifacts from that time period, such as beaver and otter pelts, commemorative medals and pictorial placards allowing the passengers to get a "feel" for the way of life in the early 1800s. Doc retired in 2000 after 41 years as a chiropractic physician, and Earline retired at the same time as Doc’s receptionist. Married 49 years, they have been NPS master volunteers for three years, acting as docents for the Rails & Trails program with a focus on the Lewis & Clark expedition.

A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE:BNI), BNSF operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, with about 32,500 route miles covering 28 states and two Canadian provinces. The railway is among the world's top transporters of intermodal traffic, moves more grain than any other American railroad, transports the components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the United States.

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