SP, Southern Pacific 9308-UP 9351 with a westbound at Soldier Summit, Utah. April 19, 1998. Jack D Kuiphoff © photo

UTAH SD40 9005, is at the crest of the gran on the Rio Grande's Soldier Summit grade with a loaded coal train. Soldier Summit, Utah. May 8, 1996. Jack D Kuiphoff photo ©

An eastbound Southern Pacific coal train meets an westbound SP train at Soldier Summit, Utah, on September 7, 1995. During this era, SP AC4400CWs were common on this former Rio Grande main line.

As we headed over Soldier Summit headed for Moab for some time in the national parks, we were lucky to find a daylight train on the Provo Sub. The BNSF Denver to Provo manifest is seen at the s... (more)

A westbound Utah Railway coal train storms over the top of the grade at Soldier Summit, Utah, on February 1, 2007. The train is led by a quartet of unique EMD/MK50-3 locomotives.

Having crested Soldier Summit, a westbound Rio Grande manifest begins the drop to Salt Lake City. An SD40T-2 leads a GP40, a GP30, a GP40, and a GP35.

Several auto racks and a Rio Grande caboose punctuate a westbound DODX train under grim skies at Soldier Summit, Utah.

The Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey circus train has worked its way down the west side of the Soldier Summit grade and is now on the lower of the two big loops at Gilluly. Grade here is 2%. Th... (more)

In spite of the BNSF leader, this is a Union Pacific coal train just cresting Soldier Summit in a light snow storm. The train loaded at the Skyline Mine near Scofield, Utah and has a mix of UP and... (more)

West Elk Mine-bound coal empties near the Summit as they struggle to get to the top.

Eastbound empty coal train CVYWE swings into the first of the many twists and turns making up the Gilluly Loops on the western slope of Soldier Summit.

Coal mtys work up Solider Summit with a clean GE on the point.

This Utah Ry. empty coal train is pictured at Kyune on the eastern side of Soldier Summit. It is returning a train of empty IPPX hoppers to either the Savage or Wildcat loadouts. The Utah Ry. hand... (more)

Soldier Summit can be a brutal place. D&RGW 5503 provides a helping hand to Amtrak #6, on New Years eve 1987. (Tom Ellis photo)

’Scuse Me, While I Kiss the Sky

Seemingly on top of the world, the Rio Grande Zephyr does it best Jimi Hendrix interpretation as it begins its eastbound descent from Soldi... (more)