In the mid-1980s, Burlington Northern was operating two or three big trains from 31st Street Yard in Denver out to Coors in Golden, Colorado, on a daily basis. For a good portion of the ’80s, there was a trio of former Great Northern passenger-hauling SDP40s powering the train. On July 14, 1986, BN Nos. 6398, 6395 and 6397 get underway eastbound out of Golden after picking up its train at the Coors interchange. Only 20 SDP40s were built at La Grange, with six built for GN and another 14 going to Mexico.
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.
