ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Great Northern Railway Historical Society recently completed a project to repaint Great Northern SD45 No. 400, the “Hustle Muscle.” Built in May 1966, No. 400 was the first production SD45 built by Electro-Motive Division; it received the Hustle Muscle moniker by GN when the company purchased the unit. It continued to carry the name after it became Burlington Northern 6430 following the 1970 BN merger. In 1986 it was retired and donated to the Great Northern Railway Historical Society. In 1989, the unit was repainted to its original GN paint scheme at Grand Forks, N.D.
After several years operating on the North Shore Scenic Railroad in Duluth, Minn., the unit was moved to St. Paul where it is displayed at the former GN Jackson Street Roundhouse of the Minnesota Transportation Museum. The unit was sent to the Wisconsin & Southern shop in Horicon, Wis., last month for repainting and returned to St. Paul last week with its fresh coat of Omaha Orange and Pullman Green paint. It posed for photos at Jackson Street on Nov. 25. For more information on the Jackson Street Roundhouse go to www.mtmuseum.org.
