Welcome to Lancaster
Engineer Kyle Nelson throws the switch for the main line so he can position his locomotives to pick up the loaded grain cars in the distance.
Our train starts to get long and the engines pull hard to gain speed.
Palouse River Crossing
Built in 1924 by the former owner Union Pacific, this crossing is one of the more dramatic bridges on the line.
A look back at our train making sure each car crosses safely.
Eastbound along the Hooper Subdivision
We passed our starting point leaving the Pleasent Valley Subdivision and are now headed west down the Hooper Subdivision for about 25 miles to the town of Hooper.
Climb Out of the Valley
The steepest climb of the day! The engineer poured on the coals before we hit the grade, and we watched the speedometer slowly drop until we finished the climb.
Crossing Under SR 26
A point of interest to me was when the line passes under State Route 26 (Vantage to Pulman). I've passed over this bridge many times, and it reminded me that I was on a ride I often imagined.
Reverse Curves
Once again we are snaking left and right in the bottom of a canyon. We cross Willow Creek countless times on the recently improved track.
Welcome to Hooper
We make the approach to the small town of Hooper with Tony once again on scene with the switches lined. We stop just short of the crossing, and Tony cuts the power from the grain cars.
Tieing Up
We pull to the other side of the crossing and into the siding where the brakes are set, and the locomotives shut down. We were on duty for 10 hours, but I was still a little bummed my ride was over.
11-MAR-2007
Hooper - The End.
A view of Hooper and the 2 locomotives that got us there. After tieing up we catch a crew shuttle back to Colfax where some final paper work was filled out by the crew.
Big THANKS again to Kyle and Tony for showing me what it was like to work such a beautiful line!
