13th June 1997

I love this photo. Allow me to indulge in some reckless over-use of adjectives: grizzled, grungy, grimy, shockingly-grubby and weather-beaten, thrashed to within a whisker of destruction, three SP SD40T-2s in all their work-stained glory. Here we have, to me, the perfect example of raw Southern Pacific mountain railroading as demonstrated by this three-unit set of SP tunnel motors, rolling downhill from Tunnel #5 on top of a westbound junk train (manifest), passing the grade crossing and signal on its decent, with sun-scorched grasslands at the foot of the hills all around. Time 16.55, and it's still hot.