Montana Rail Link EMD SDP40 No. 290 hauls a short work train of track equipment westbound across the fill at Frog Pond west of Trout Creek, Montana, on October 2, 2013. MRL No. 290 is a rare bird; only six SDP40s were built for domestic use, all for the Great Northern in 1966 (14 more were built for Mexico). The “P” in the designation indicated that the locomotive was equipped with a steam generator for passenger train use. This generator was later removed, but the “square-back” rear of the long hood remained as a reminder of the locomotive’s former life as No. 321 on GN’s flagship fleet of passenger trains.
