The Union Pacific Shafter Sub. and I80 both cross the Toano Range in eastern Nevada at a low spot called Silver Zone Pass. This is the ex. Western Pacific 7th Sub. The highway elevation is 5900’, but the railroad is a little lower due to being in a cut. I have shot at this location before, but this day I wanted to try it in the early morning. Given the very low train count here, maybe 2 or 3 eastbounds a day, I was expecting to see exactly no trains this morning. However, as I was surveying the area from the nearby I 80 Shafter offramp I spied a headlight way off across the barren Goshute Valley. The sun had not yet risen over the mountains to the east of the pass so I hurried down the access road to trackside and started walking west on the bench above the tracks. The sun popped up over the eastern ridge and by the time the train arrived a very few minutes later the area was bathed in gorgeous golden sunrise light. The crew of this empty coal train must have been covering their eyes as the tracks deep in the cut were aligned directly with the rising sun. From this point at Silver Zone Summit it is 34 miles of constant 1% downgrade to the Utah state line at Wendover and the Bonneville Salt Flats.
