Milepost 3.8: Backlight at Palmer Gulch. The 5PM trips on the Black Hills Central Railroad are an interesting challenge for photographers. The lower sun angles produce beautiful light, but finding spots where you can take advantage of that light requires a little scouting in advance, as the light is directly behind the train in most places, and where the line briefly weaves north or south, the landscape is often wooded, and the shadows are long and deep. Here, we see Black Hills Central #110 with the 5PM run, just past the Old Hill City Road crossing at Milepost 3.8, in an area called Palmer Gulch. Just ahead, is the uphill grade to the historic mining town site known as Oblivion.
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.
