On a fine late spring morning, the Grants Pass Turn switches out the Croman Corporation sawmill on the south side of Ashland. The flashy SD first out would be back in town less than three months later - but it would be wearing a new grey coat of paint and have a passenger train on the drawbar.
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.