Nothing lasts forever, not even BNSF's one-off "Beep" switcher. At 66 years old, now stored and presumably out of service for good, it was arguably the oldest active locomotive on the roster. A unique locomotive on the system, it was the prototype for a switcher rebuilding program that never got the green light. Begun as a project by predecessor Santa Fe in its Cleburne, Texas, shop, the idea was to re-engine dozens of antiquated switchers, giving them new life with EMD engines, trucks, and electrical systems. The guinea pig was Baldwin VO1000 switcher No. 2220, a 1943 graduate from the Eddystone, Pa., builder. Stored with no hope of running again for the Santa Fe, the unit was shoved into the shop and torn down to the frame. It was then methodically reconstructed in 1970 with a new fabricated EMD-style long hood, a rebuilt 567BC prime mover rated at 1,500 hp, and mated to a rebuilt generator and controls, hence the nickname Beep (Baldwin gEEP).
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