BN 6234 was built by EMD in April 1959 for Burlington Route subsidiary Colorado & Southern as C&S 839. It was among the first group of new Burlington locomotives to be painted in the “Chinese” red scheme, and was among the last SD9s produced before EMD started SD18 production. A total of 471 SD9s were produced by EMD between January 1954 and June 1959.
The 6234 retains its as-built high-hood SD9 appearance with only a few minor external changes: the MARS light housing on the front of the locomotive was removed leaving only the lower headlight, the front and rear pilot foot boards were removed, ditch-lights were added to the front and rear walkway decks, and the front and rear steps were changed from four to five steps.
The 6234 received its first coat of Cascade green paint in 1971. It was retired and donated in 2003. The museum chose to restore the locomotive to the BN scheme since that was more relevant to the time the locomotive spent in Minnesota. No. 6234 is the second former BN diesel locomotive preserved and repainted in the Cascade Green scheme – the other is U30C No. 5383 at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill.
No. 6234 is in service from early May to late October on the museum’s Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway, which provides service from the former Soo Line depot at Osceola, Wis., with trains to Marine, Minn., and Dresser, Wis. – Ralph Back
