Document:

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                                                        Exhibit 10.5

                                Amendment of the
                    BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE CORPORATION
                      SENIOR MANAGEMENT STOCK DEFERRAL PLAN

     WHEREAS, BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE CORPORATION (the "Company") maintains
the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation Senior Management Stock Deferral
Plan (the "Plan"); and

     WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 24 of the Plan, the Chief Executive Officer of
the Company has the authority to amend the Plan; and

     WHEREAS, amendment of the Plan now is considered desirable;

     NOW THEREFORE, effective as of the date of execution of this Amendment,
Section 13(b) of the Plan is amended to read as follows:

         (b)      The Participant may revise the election to provide for a
                  different form of distribution following the Participant's
                  date of Retirement, but only if the election is filed with the
                  Company at least one year prior to the Participant's date of
                  Retirement.

     The Plan shall otherwise remain in full force and effect.

Executed this       19th        day of November, 2001.
              ------------------

         /s/ Matthew K. Rose
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew K. Rose, President and Chief Executive Officer<PAGE>

                                                                  Exhibit 10.15

December 17, 1998

Dear   :

With reference to the Letter Agreement between you and the Burlington Northern
Santa Fe Corporation (the "Corporation") regarding Change in Control, as
amended, The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company has decided to
offer you the option of receiving all or a portion of certain payments under the
Letter Agreement in annual installments over a number of years. Any installment
payments would be made pursuant to the terms of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Corporation Deferred Compensation Plan (the "Deferred Compensation Plan"), and
would accrue interest at the rate provided under the Deferred Compensation Plan
(currently Moody's AAA Rated Corporate Bond Average) until distributed. Of
course, these provisions would take effect only in the event that you would
otherwise be eligible to receive benefits under the existing terms of the Letter
Agreement.

Pursuant to the Amendment set forth below, benefits under the Letter Agreement
that may be paid in installments include the severance payment equal to three
(3) times your Salary Rate plus three (3) times your Bonus Rate, as described
under Section 4(iii)(b)(I) or 4(iii)(b)(11) of the Letter Agreement. Under the
existing terms of the Letter Agreement, you could receive these amounts
following your Date of Termination by the various methods specified per the
Letter Agreement.

In order to receive all or a portion of the above-described benefits in annual
installment payments, you must agree to the Amendment as set forth below. Please
indicate in the blanks provided below, the percentage of the severance payment
(i.e., 1 to 100 percent) that you would like to receive in the form of
installment payments, as well as the number of years (to a maximum of 10 years)
over which you would like to receive installment payments. The remaining
benefits, if any, will be paid in the form of a lump sum payment no later than
the fifth (5th) day following your Date of Termination. Please note that by
executing this Amendment, you will irrevocably waive the right to receive the
percentage of benefits designated as installment payments in the form of a lump
sum or other payment method. This also means that the Company will be unable to
accelerate the payment of such benefits if you later change your mind, unless
you incur a severe and unexpected financial hardship. Capitalized terms used and
not otherwise defined herein shall have the same meanings as in the Letter
Agreement.

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     A.   In the event I become entitled to receive a payment under either
          Section 4(iii)(b)(1) or 4(iii)(b)(11) of the Letter Agreement, I
          hereby irrevocably elect to receive such payment in the following
          manner in lieu of the payment manner currently set forth in the Letter
          Agreement: (1) _ percent of the payment shall be paid in equal annual
          installments under the Deferred Compensation Plan over a period of _
          years (and in no event more than ten (10) years) at the rate of
          interest provided under the Deferred Compensation Plan, with the first
          such payment commencing in January of the year following my Date of
          Termination; and (2) the balance of the payment shall be paid in a
          lump sum no later than the fifth (5) business day following my Date of
          Termination. The Company, in its sole discretion, may accelerate the
          payment of any remaining amounts due me under Section 4(iii)(b)(1) or
          Section 4(iii)(b)(11) upon its determination that I have incurred a
          severe and unexpected financial hardship; provided however, that any
          such accelerated payment shall not exceed the amount necessary to
          relieve such hardship.

     B.   The Corporation or Affiliate will permit me, upon written request to
          the Deferred Compensation Plan administrator, to change the deferral
          amount percentage, the length of installment payments, and remainder
          lump sum amount once within any twelve (12) month period. Provided
          however, any change other than this initial election shall not be of
          any force or effect unless it was made at least one year prior to the
          Date of Termination.

THIS AMENDMENT WAS NEGOTIATED AND EXECUTED IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AND THE
VALIDITY, INTERPRETATION, CONSTRUCTION AND PERFORMANCE OF THIS AMENDMENT SHALL
BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS.

This Amendment may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be
deemed to be original but all of which together will constitute one and the same
instrument.

Please sign below to indicate your acceptance or declination of the terms of
this Amendment. Regardless of whether you accept or decline the terms of this
Amendment, this document must be signed and returned to the Company no later
than January 31, 1999.

Sincerely,

Ricci Gardner<PAGE>

                                                         Exhibit 10.16

                                         As Amended and Restated January 1, 2002

                    BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE CORPORATION
                    DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN FOR DIRECTORS
                    ----------------------------------------

                                    Article I

                                     Purpose
                                     -------

1.01 The purpose of this Deferred Compensation Plan (Plan) is to attract and
     retain highly qualified individuals to serve as members of the Company's
     Board of Directors.

                                   Article II

                                 Administration
                                 --------------

2.01 The Plan shall be administered by the Directors and Corporate Governance
     Committee of the Board of Directors (the "Committee"). The Committee shall
     interpret the Plan, prescribe, amend and rescind the rules relating to it
     from time to time as it deems proper and in the best interests of the
     Company, and to take any other action necessary for the administration of
     the Plan. Any decision or interpretation adopted by the Committee shall be
     final and conclusive and shall be binding upon all participants.

                                   Article III

                                  Participation
                                  -------------

3.01 Participation in this Plan is voluntary. Each director of the Company may
     elect to participate in the Plan by written notice to the Company upon his
     election to the Board of Directors.

3.02 The election, which shall be irrevocable, shall remain in effect for one
     year which shall begin on the day of the annual stockholders' meeting and
     shall terminate the day before the succeeding annual stockholders' meeting.

3.03 The election by a director who is elected to the Board at other than an
     annual stockholders' meeting shall remain in effect until the next annual
     stockholders' meeting.

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                                   Article IV

                                  Compensation

4.01 Each Participant may elect to have all or a specified percentage of his
     Compensation deferred until he ceases to be a director.

4.02 "Compensation" shall mean the annual retainer and meeting fees for Board
     and Board Committee meetings.

4.03 The Company shall establish a memorandum account for each Participant who
     has elected to defer a portion of his Compensation for any year and shall
     credit such account for Compensation on the date payment would otherwise
     have been made.

4.04 Interest on investment returns shall be reflected to each member's account
     at the end of each quarter and such other periods as may be determined by
     the Committee. The rate of return shall be based upon the investment option
     selected and the return on such investment option. Such investment options
     shall be established by the Board with such terms and conditions as they
     may deem appropriate.

4.05 Distribution of a Participant's memorandum account shall be as follows:

     (a)  In five equal installments in January of each year following the year
          in which the Participant ceases to be a director; or,

     (b)  If approved by the Committee, in some other number of equal annual
          installments, not to exceed ten, commencing in January of the year
          following the year in which the Participant ceases to be a director;

     (c)  If approved by the Committee, in a lump sum on a date within the ten
          year period following the year in which the Participant ceases to be a
          director.

4.06 Interest shall accrue on the outstanding memorandum account balance to the
     date of distribution.

4.07 If a Participant dies or becomes permanently disabled prior to payment of
     all amounts due under the Plan, the balance of the amount due shall be
     payable to the Participant or his Beneficiary, at the discretion of the
     Committee, in a lump sum as soon as practicable or in some number of equal
     annual installments, not to exceed ten, commencing in January of the year
     following the year in which the Participant died or became permanently
     disabled. Beneficiary shall mean any individual, trust or other recipient
     named by a Participant to receive amounts due hereunder upon his death.
     Subject to the discretion of the Committee, a Participant may designate the
     Beneficiary to receive any amounts due hereunder in the event of the
     Participant's death, and to change any such designation. Each such
     designation of a Beneficiary shall be evidenced by a written instrument
     filed with the Committee and signed by the Participant. A Beneficiary
     designation may be revoked or amended only by the completion of a new
     Beneficiary designation instrument, provided, however, that if a
     Participant's spouse is named as such Participant's Beneficiary, and the
     Participant and such spouse are subsequently divorced, then the designation
     of the spouse made prior to the divorce shall be null and void. In order to
     designate a former spouse as a Beneficiary, a new Beneficiary designation

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     instrument must be completed. If no Beneficiary designation is on file with
     the Committee at the time of the death of a Participant, or if for any
     reason such designation is defective, then the Participant's estate shall
     be deemed to be the Beneficiary.

4.08 The Committee shall distribute periodic earnings reports to the
     Participants under the Plan.

                                   Article V.

                               General Provisions
                               ------------------

5.01 The deferred compensation to be paid to the Participants pursuant to this
     Plan is an unfunded obligation of the Company. Nothing herein contained
     shall require the Company to segregate any monies from its general funds,
     or to create any trusts, or to make any special deposits with respect to
     this obligation. Title to and beneficial ownership of any funds invested or
     reinvested, including the income or profits therefrom, which the Company
     may make to fulfill its obligations under this Plan shall at all times
     remain in the Company. A Participant's right to receive the payment of any
     deferred compensation may not be assigned, transferred, pledged or
     encumbered except by will or by the laws of descent or distribution.

5.02 The Board of Directors may from time to time amend, suspend or terminate
     the Plan, in whole or in part, and if the Plan is suspended or terminated,
     the Board may reinstate any or all of its provisions.

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