On May 14, Lake State Railway and officials from various state agencies, along with Michigan's senators, assembled in Saginaw, Michigan, for the awarding of the Short Line of the Year by Railway Age Senior Editor, Stu Chirls. The event was marked with the first LSRC locomotive wearing a special decal commemorating the 2018 award. A closer view of the SD40-2 6301 shows the long hood decal applied.