Passing through the narrow canyon at Blue Cut, an eastbound Union Pacific intermodal train climbs Cajon Pass on a bright August 29, 1981. Seven-year-old SD40-2 3265 looks pretty good - about as clean as not-quite one-year-old C&NW GP50 5097 right behind it, as do the other two UP SD40-2s. This hot intermodal train has 12,500 horsepower to keep it moving at a good clip, even over grades such as Cajon Pass. And this will be just the first of many mountain passes it has to tackle as it makes its way east, through Nevada, Utah and Wyoming before hitting the plains of Nebraska and beyond.
