{"id":5642,"date":"2014-03-08T03:19:02","date_gmt":"2014-03-08T08:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/?p=5642"},"modified":"2014-03-08T12:39:51","modified_gmt":"2014-03-08T17:39:51","slug":"daily-post-arnold-loop-silver-zone-pass-nevada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/daily-post-arnold-loop-silver-zone-pass-nevada\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Post: Arnold Loop, Silver Zone Pass, Nevada."},"content":{"rendered":"


\nWestward Train in a Broad Landscape.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The afternoon of July 26, 1993 was one of those lucky times when everything falls into place.<\/p>\n

Fellow photographer TSH and I had hired a Chevy van at the San Francisco airport and drove to the shore of the Great Salt Lake, then worked our way back following Union Pacific\u2019s Western Pacific route across Nevada.<\/p>\n

Near Wendover (on the Utah-Nevada line) we came across a struggling westward coal train. One of its locomotives had failed, and it was making poor progress. It had three manifest trains stacked up behind it.<\/p>\n

Armed with this knowledge, and having the best light of the day ahead of us, we drove west to the famed Arnold Loop, where Western Pacific\u2019s engineers had designed a sweeping curve to maintain steady elevation. (Running west from \u00a0the Nevada-Utah line the railroad ascends a continuous 35-mile 1 percent grade, and crests at 5,907 feet above sea level, 15 miles beyond Silver Zone Pass.)<\/p>\n

\"Union<\/a>
Union Pacific westward freight at the Arnold Loop, July 26, 1993. Exposed on Kodachrome 25 using a Nikon F3T with 28mm lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While not a complete circle, such as that used further west at the Williams Loop near Blairsden, California, this loop arrangement is an excellent place to photograph trains.<\/p>\n

To the east is the wide expanse of desert punctuated by Pilot Peak some ten miles distant.<\/p>\n

We got ourselves in position; cameras loaded with Kodachrome 25 and planted on tripods, and a clear blue dome above us. To the east we could make out the four trains in the distance, seeming to crawl over the landscape like tiny worms. Soon the first of the trains was upon us. These followed every ten minutes or so for the next 45 minutes.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve used my images from this day in several books and calendars. This one slide is well published.<\/p>\n

We were spoiled by the experience. The next day on the Western Pacific wasn\u2019t as productive. Such is the luck of desert railroading!<\/p>\n

Tomorrow: A Feather River Vista.<\/p>\n

Tracking the Light<\/a>\u00a0posts new material\u00a0every\u00a0morning.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Please spread the word and share\u00a0Tracking the Light<\/a>\u00a0with anyone who may enjoy seeing it!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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