shipment travels the route in
up to eight days, but depend-
ing on the emergent need can
be moved in just four. The
Renton plant does not carry an
inventory of fuselages on site,
so it must rely upon BNSF’s
timeliness to keep production
running smoothly.
BNSF cooperation is espe-
cially apparent through Boeing’s
2019 production slowdown.
“With the current factory
backlog, we have cleared space
at our Wenatchee yard,” spokes-
man Gus Melonas says.
The future for the transport
of fuselages and components
via rail appears to be strong.
Boeing delivered 580 737s in
2018 — a record.
“The 737 is the lynchpin in
Boeing’s production line,” says
aviation consultant George W.
Hamlin. “It is clearly the most
popular airframe in the world.”With the planned produc-
tion of the Boeing 737 Next
Generation and MAX aircraft,
the unique teal-green fuselages
will be seen on the rails for
years to come.
So, the next time you raise
your seatback and tray table
while flying on a 737, remem-
ber the path it had to take
through (and under) the
mountains to get there. It
started by rail.The author would like to
thank George W. Hamlin and
Bruce Kelly for their help in pre-
paring this story.TrainsMag.com 33A BNSF Railway crew spots a 737 fuselage at the Boeing assembly
plant in Renton, Wash., more than 1,400 miles from its place of birth
in Wichita, Kan. Two photos, Mike Harbour
Fuselages are unloaded indoors at Renton. This fuselage awaits
unloading from a specially equipped flatcar in March 2007. It will
soon be stripped of its protective green coating and made airworthy.Boeing has unfilled orders for 4,625 737-800MAX aircraft.
On Dec. 10, 2017, a single BNSF
ES44C4 totes three 737 fuselages
and four parts cars along the Clark
Fork Valley near Spring Gulch,
Mont. The fuselages operate in
regular trains, but will rate special
moves, like this, when production
warrants. Tom Danneman