A meeting on the Adverse Branch. An ore train bound for the Steptoe Smelters holds the siding at Lavon for the passage of an express passenger train, led by the high-stepping 10-wheeler #40. 2012 marked the return of the Nevada Northern Winter Photo Shoots to the Adverse Branch, sometimes called the "Hiline". This line parallels the NN Main Line for about 8 miles, from Hiline Junction to Adverse and McGill, running along the base of the Schell Creek Mountains on the east side of the Steptoe Valley. The line served the copper smelting operations at McGill and most of the traffic on it would have consisted of hopper trains. For this reason, the scene depicted here would have been far more common down on the main line than up here on the hillside. In its current state, the track on the "Hiline" is now classed by the FRA as "Excepted Track", and one of the consequences is that trains are not allowed to carry passengers. In order to include it in the photo shoots this year, the NN Museum organized a caravan of 4WD vehicles, which were able to reach the photo locations using a network of unimproved desert roads.
