In 2011 I came to Afton Canyon to photograph Union Pacific’s steam locomotive 844 as it crossed over this bridge. It was traveling the other direction on a cold November morning, but I loved the location. So naturally when Union Pacific decided to send their massive “Big Boy” locomotive 4014 through this same spot, I had to go there again. It’s on its way to the greater Los Angeles area to pull an excursion for the benefit of the museum the following weekend as part of its “Great Race Across the Southwest” tour. Never in a million years did I think that anyone would restore one of these machines to life. 132 feet long and weighing 1.2 million pounds, it’s just a monumental undertaking that 4014 steams again after 58 years of slumber and was amazing to behold. Photographically, the light didn’t seem to be the best to shoot it from this side, but I knew as it traveled through this cut the high sun would bounce light onto the shadow side and my camera would capture it.
