Friday, November 20, 1992 was supposed to have seen the "Clinchfield 676" (UP 3985) Challenger crossing Copper Creek on its way to Shelby Yard. Unfortunately, the big engine was not able to be wyed in Kingsport, so it ended up crossing the bridge after dark, while being towed backwards. As a substitute, we got to shoot a number of Clinchfield freights with some interesting power, such as this ex-SBD SD50 / ATSF C30-7 duo.
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.