There’s an interesting back story to this shot of UP 8490 with a westbound grain train about to enter Arnolds Loop in eastern Nevada. Earlier in this misty, sometimes rainy day the train ahead of the 8490, a westbound ore train, stalled at Cliffside siding, a couple of miles east of this location. #8490 was told to tie its train down on the main line at Pilot, cut away and run light engine up to Cliffside, couple on to the rear of the stalled ore train and push it over Silver Zone Pass and down to Shafter siding. The light power then returned to it’s grain train at Pilot and continued on west over Silver Zone Pass as seen here. That bare rock face above the power is one of the many cuts on this line and this train will shortly be seen up there having reversed direction via Arnolds Loop.
