Extreme snow fighting is BACK on The Hill! After a 13 year hiatus (not counting the March 2007 "training" run), Union Pacific was finally forced to bring out the SP Rotaries the last week of March due to Mother Nature slapping multiple back-to-back(-to-back) storms over the Pass and former Southern Pacific railroad pass. Multiple avalanches at Shed 10 (trapping/derailing a Flanger set) and Eder shut down the Pass to through freight trains for 4-1/2 days (Thursday afternoon 03/24-Monday morning 03/29). Over this time period, multiple spreaders derailed, one spreader suffered severe damage, one of the two Rotaries went on the ground and all the while snow level up at Norden (summit) built up to 15 feet on either side of the rails. All of this at the start of Spring! Wanting to get a unique shot of the SP Steam Rotary in action, three of us nutty foamers decided to snowshoe up the 45ยบ incline to Andover in early evening fading overcast light. Sideways snow gusts of over 40mph blowing at our face, white out conditions every few minutes, temps down into the low 20's, feet blisters, muscle cramps and a nice sore back by the end of the day. Was it all worth it? HECK YEAH.
