Life on the MRL... Ever since BNSF leased the MRL SD45's, the crews have had a dislike for them. It is the warmest time of the year in Montana, and the 'ol SD45's don't have air conditioning. They're loud, hot and don't pull as well as the orange GE's that their crews are used to. Typically means that when given the chance, a helper set goes to the point for the climb over Bozeman and Mullan Pass, like we see here. A Livingston based helper set assists a trio of SD45's on the Kansas City, KS to Spokane, WA High-Priority manifest, over the 1.8% grade of Bozeman under threatening skies.
While most say "You shouldn't complain! They are blue EMD's!", I respond with "I didn't drive hundreds of miles to take photos of SD70ACe's that'll be around for the next 20 years, I came for real 20 cylinder SD45's that are hanging on for dear life plying these ex-Northern Pacific rails.
