Soaring nearly 200 feet above the Snake River, a Boardman coal load stretches across nearly the entire 3,920-foot length of UP's Joso Bridge, its tail end still strung out through CPE273 on the far side of the distant ridge. This train originated at Eagle Butte Mine in the Powder River Basin and traveled west via BNSF and MRL to Spokane before being interchanged to UP, hence the BNSF power. Seconds after capturing this view, I was shooting the endless string of coal cars on the bridge when I heard a loud 'tinkle' sound from my camera; I pulled off the lens to discover the mirror had become detached from its tray. Sometimes the dividing line between photographic success and disaster is that fine.
Landscape photography is difficult due to the challenge of combining good light and good scenery. Good railroad photography enters another level of complexity since it requires the first two while there is a train in view.
