Passing Hi Line Junction. A lonely Nevada Northern Switch Tender waves a southbound special passenger operation through the switch at Hi Line Junction (MP 135) as it continues on its journey to East Ely Depot, a little over 4 miles ahead. The power this day is Locomotive 81, a 1917 Baldwin Consolidation and normally a heavy freight locomotive. Passenger operations on the roughly 140 mile main line to Cobre would normally have been handled by one of the line's Baldwin 10-wheelers, which were lighter, but considerably faster. The operation depicted here is coming off the Hi Line to McGill, which would have been a much shorter journey and involve steeper grades. As such, a locomotive such as the 81 might actually be a better choice for a special passenger operation such as this one.
Although railroad switch "targets" are designed to tell train crews how the switch is aligned, it is apparent from the look of this particular one, that the locals seem to take the name of this device more literally.
