An overview of Burlington Northern’s 23rd Street locomotive facility in Denver, Colorado, on May 18, 1991, reveals some interesting sights. Power used on BN “beer run” trains from 31st Street Yard in Denver out to Coors in Golden is a trio of former Great Northern passenger-hauling SDP40s, Nos. 6398, 6397 and 6399, resting between runs at the facility. Ten EMD SD9s are gathered, along with a trio of Santa Fe SD40-2s. On the left is a group of GE B39-8 LMX units, mixed into some Cascade green EMD SD40-2s. In the middle of it all is BN ballast hopper No. 958347, white-lined and upside down. It seems like a weird location to scrap a car, and it looked like it had some ballast in it before it was turned over. Perhaps it was brought in for repair and derailed—but I have no idea how it ended up in its predicament.
The EMD SD (special duty) series are a strong and reliable kind of locomotive which still serve America's rails today. They have proved themselves reliable by clocking in several million miles of freight service over several decades.
