Union Pacific’s local out of La Salle meets an Operation Lifesaver Special at La Salle, Colorado, on April 27, 2006. The local is led by former Rio Grande EMD GP40-2 No. 3126, now patched and renumbered UP No. 1348. The OLS train is powered by a pair of EMD SD70Ms, with Ansco’s Rio Grande Ski train providing a coach, a cafe lounge and private car “Kansas,” along with F40PH No. 242 providing head end power for the train. Before the train makes several trips on the Greeley Subdivision, the trailing SD70M will be moved to the other end of the train so there will be locomotives on both ends to ease travel in both directions on the line.
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.
