APRIL 2015 VOLUME 34, NO. 4
46 PUSH ME, PULL YOU: The Midwest is a region of contrasts, old and new, traditional and modern. A trio of SD70ACes pushes on the rear of a loaded BNSF coal train while a northbound manifest rounds the corner in the West Bottoms district in Kansas City. PHOTO BY STEVE SCHMOLLINGER
30 A Flared Finale?/Justin Franz The final call for classic Montana Rail Link SD45s could be at hand as units returning from lease are quickly stored, sold, or scrapped.
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36 Chornobyl’s Radioactive Railroad/Emily Moser A rare look inside Ukraine’s Chornobyl Exclusion Zone shows how railroad infrastructure continues to play an important part in recovery.
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Portfolio: Postcards from the Midwest/Steve Schmollinger If you’re convinced the Midwest is nothing more than a flat, featureless landscape filled with lookalike train operations, think again.
The 19-Year Set-Up/Steve Barry
Some photographic opportunities take longer to set up than others, especially when they are close to home.
The SD45 was introduced by EMD nearly 50 years ago, and only a small number of these groundbreaking lo- comotives remain in service today. On May 25, 2014, a trio of Montana Rail Link SD45-2s leads a BNSF man- ifest over Quartz Creek near Superior, Mont. After a brief reprieve in service leased to BNSF, it seems the SD45 era is drawing to a close on MRL. Join Justin Franz for an update starting on page 30. PHOTO BY JUSTIN FRANZ
4 Departures/commentary: Alexander B. Craghead 6 Railnews/top news stories and photos from our readers
18 LocoNotes/diesel spotters: Kenneth M. Ardinger 20 Transit Currents/transit news: George M. Smerk 23 Capitol Lines/news from Washington: Wes Vernon 26 Railroadiana/new product, book, and video reviews 28 Timetable/railroad event listings submitted by our readers 54 Camera Bag/photography technique: Greg Monroe 56 On the Menu/dining, travel, and art: James D. Porterfield 60 Preservation Topics/heritage and legacy: Otto M. Vondrak 62 Markers/editorial commentary and adventures 65 Classifieds/the railfan marketplace 68 Parting Shot/Garland McKee
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EMILY MOSER
JUSTIN FRANZ
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