Riding the Rails

WHITEFISH – For most people, the only time they interact with the railroad is when they are on the wrong side of a crossing trying to get to work or the grocery store. But on July 11, nearly 350 lucky passengers got to see the railroad up close aboard BNSF Railway’s First Responders Express.

The 14-car passenger train has been touring the Pacific Northwest since June and is being used for the railroad’s annual employee appreciation excursions. Every summer, BNSF takes some of its vintage passenger cars out of storage and offers train rides to employees and their families.

“It’s our way of thanking all of our employees for what they do for the railroad,” said spokesperson Ross Lane. “It’s especially important for the kids so they have a chance to see where their parents work.”

The employee appreciation tour began in Seattle and made stops throughout Washington state before arriving in Whitefish on July 10. On July 10 and 11, the train made two daily roundtrips from Whitefish to Nyack. Three of the trips were exclusively for employees, but on Saturday evening, BNSF invited local first responders and members of the local Boys and Girls Club for a ride. The trip lasted about two hours during which BNSF employees handed out refreshments and souvenirs to passengers. Railroad officials also presented two donations of $10,000 each to the Boys and Girls Club and the Flathead 911 Foundation.

Since early June, about 8,000 people have taken a ride aboard the train and after Whitefish it was making stops in Glasgow and Havre, before ending the tour in Great Falls.

BNSF had more than 2,500 employees in Montana in 2014, although that number has reportedly dropped recently after some employees were furloughed because of a drop in freight traffic. The railroad has more than 48,000 employees nationwide and operates on 32,000 miles of track in 28 states and three Canadian provinces.