Soo Line 559 Photo Freight (Leslie S5T)

On June 3, 2019, the Minnesota Transportation Museum's EMD GP7 559, which was last active in 2014, returned to service in style as the star of a photo charter organized by S&B Productions.

The 559 actually calls its heritage to the Rock Island, Chicago & Northwestern, Fox River Valley, and the Wisconsin Central before becoming a museum engine in 1998.

Because the Minnesota Transportation Museum operates the Osceola & St. Croix Valley Railway on the former Soo Line mainline, the locomotive was painted in the classic Soo Line scheme in honor of the line's heritage.

In 2014, the locomotive was sidelined for extensive engine and truck work. This led to the Great Northern 400 (Hustle Muscle) getting activated for service in Osceola in 2015 and 2016. Hustle Muscle has since received a replacement engine and was moved to its new home in Duluth, but the 559 was brought back by the museum in time for the 2019 season operating alongside SD9 6234 (Nathan P3) and SDP40 325 (Nathan K3LA).

Though there are camera clicks in the video, it's a great chance to hear the locomotive's restore Leslie S5T airhorn, which was refurbished shortly before the locomotive went out of service.

Since photo charters often offer multiple run-bys, the excess footage is included with yellow-tinted film effects or black-and-white film effects.