BNSF lays off hundreds

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Monday eliminated hundreds of jobs at the railroad’s maintenance shops in Topeka and Burlington, Iowa.

The railroad cited a lack of locomotive repair work when it announced the elimination of 248 of the 388 jobs at its Burlington shops and 64 of the 367 jobs in Topeka.

The cuts came as the company studies a possible consolidation of its shops in Topeka or Burlington. That study won’t be done until later this year, spokesman Steve Forsberg said.

All of the job reductions are effective immediately, Forsberg said.

The railroad is a subsidiary of Fort Worth, Tex.-based Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.

Utility: Westar names CFO

Westar Energy announced Tuesday the appointment of Mark Ruelle as executive vice president and chief financial officer effective immediately.

Ruelle is a former officer of Westar Energy and served in various financial planning and management positions from 1986 to 1997. He most recently served in various executive positions at Sierra Pacific Resources Inc., the owner of the largest electric utilities in Nevada.

Ruelle replaces Paul Geist who resigned as CFO on Friday. Geist remains the company’s treasurer.

Westar provides retail electric service to about 636,000 customers in Kansas, including Lawrence.

Railroad: Union Pacific begins cuts

Union Pacific Railroad has started to cut jobs as part of an aggressive cost-cutting initiative.

Some of the first cuts were made Monday as some employees in the railroad’s information technology department in Omaha, Neb., were laid off. Union Pacific spokeswoman Kathryn Blackwell would not say how many employees lost jobs but did say it was likely some of those affected were managers.

Bankruptcy: Toy store chain files for Chapter 11 protection

FAO Inc., which owns the upscale FAO Schwarz toy store chain made famous by Hollywood and holiday traditions, has sought bankruptcy protection as less pricey rivals continue to lure away customers.

The King of Prussia, Pa.-based retailer said its Chapter 11 filing won’t affect business at FAO Schwarz stores — including the location on New York’s Fifth Avenue — or at its Zany Brainy and The Right Start chains.

The company said Monday it plans to close up to 80 stores by March. Alan Marcus, a company spokesman, said the bulk of the closings will be within Zany Brainy.