Great Northern Pacific and Burlington

This unwieldy name is a much better description of the company, considering that the Great Northern and Northern Pacific were co-owners of the other railroads in the merger. Burlington appeared partly because it was the largest of the railroads in the merger, both in terms of miles of line and in revenues and profits.

If the Interstate Commerce Commission had approved the merger soon after the initial application in 1958, this is probably the name we would use today. But after years of repeatedly typing "Great Northern Pacific and Burlington" on merger filings and court briefs, the railroad wised up and developed the snappier, though less accurate, "Burlington Northern" moniker. PRPA has 1968 timetables (made in anticipation of merger approval that did not come through for another two years) that say "Burlington Northern" in large print but "GNP&B" in fine print.

Brief History of the SP&S | All Aboard the SP&S 700 | PRPA