Last year on this same day I stood in this exact spot in the same glorious autumn weather and waited for a certain train to come by. Back then, it was a steam special pulled by none other than UP 3985 (Challenger 4-6-6-4). Today it was a train pulled by another unique locomotive, UP 2002. This engine is the second of a pair of locomotives painted in a special scheme to honor the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. And this is why I tell my wife that sometimes train watching is like bird watching. |