Mornings in the Palouse are well-known for the interplay of light and shadow amongst the hills that so readily identify the region. Incomprehensibly vast acreages of cultivated fields supply the grain products that feed a hungry nation; golden stalks chopped down to ground level are remnants of the summer's harvest, while the faint tint of green on freshly-tilled dark earth indicates the first growth of winter wheat. Tiptoeing through this incredible land is the Palouse River & Coulee City Railroad's PV Subdivision, 32 miles of paired steel rails weaving through valleys and across ridge lines from Winona to Thornton. On the second day of autumn, engineer Larry peers into his mirror to see what lies ahead as he lifts a half-dozen loads up to the summit of the climb out of St. John. Visible behind the house on the far side of Pleasant Valley, less than a mile away by crow but nearly three by rail, the PV Sub continues its northward trek as it climbs back out of the valley, bound for the elevators at Juno, Sunset and Thornton.
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