I have been coming out to Arnolds Loop on Silver Zone Pass in Nevada since Western Pacific days in about 1980. It is without a doubt my favorite railroad photo location. Ever since Amtrak began running it’s California Zephyr this way instead of taking the ex SP route across the Great Salt Lake I have wanted to someday catch #5 or #6 rounding the Loop in daylight. This is much harder to accomplish than it sounds, as both #5 and #6 pass around the Loop between about 12:30 and 2:30 AM in darkness if they are on time. They have to be many hours late to do so in daylight depending on the time of year. Nevertheless, I diligently watch Amtrak’s Track-a-Train site and also the weather forecast for eastern Nevada. I also need at least an 8 hour heads-up to drive the 300 miles from my home in eastern Utah over to eastern Nevada and very importantly I also need an OK from my War Department. Well, last night everything fell into place, as #5 was running nearly 12 hours late at Denver. That would put it on Silver Zone Pass in early afternoon. Off I went and arrived at Wendover at the eastern base of the pass around 8AM. I found my photo location and was prepared to sit on the mountainside all day if need be, but Amtrak #5 arrived at 2PM in great light. Mission accomplished!
