Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow

In these "modern" times we're existing in, it probably looked a bit strange to people passing through Mountain Home, to see some dude walking along the train tracks with a camera, like some "hobo" looking to hop a ride.

What was he hoping to see?  The Union Pacific rolls through here all the time hauling long streams of "graffiti-adorned" box cars, tankers and gondolas.  if you've seen one train, you've seen 'em all.

Well, that "dude on the tracks" that cool spring morning was the old Bazookaman, waiting for the rare opportunity to see and film a train that was built in 1943, a full five years before even HE was born!

Union Pacific Challenger # 3985 was due into Mountain Home sometime that morning, although nobody really knew when.  To MY mind, anyway, it would probably be late getting out of Boise, with everybody and his uncle gathered around it for one last glimpse before it headed back towards its home station in Cheyenne, Wyoming,   Restored in the 90's, "3985" is the largest operational steam locomotive anywhere in the world.  Along with the locomotive and tender, several of the original U.P. passenger cars were fully restored as well.

The train is taken out every few years  for a "tour", and I understand the seats are very "pricey" but when you consider the money is used for its upkeep and operation.......and just the OPPORTUNITY to ride on something like this........well, I think it would be WORTH it, and I for one am going to try to keep an ear out for the NEXT time, and try to get IN on it!

In the meantime, I kept  staring down the tracks into the distance, straining to see something that wasn't there yet.  I'd repositioned my old "Baja" Bug 3 or 4 times at different tracksites, trying to find "just the right spot", yet eventually settled for the RR Crossing at Taco John's, which offered a LONG straight stretch of track all the way to Exit 90, ensuring that even under a full head of steam, it couldn't take you off-guard whipping around a curve.  I'd be able to see the bellowing black smoke for about 3 miles away.

I knew it wasn't scheduled to STOP here, but I figured it would just "lumber on through" around 35 MPH or so, and I'd great some great shots.

Time went on.  Two more U.P. freight trains came through, one in each direction.

I wanted another cup of coffee, but didn't dare take the time to run into Taco John's for one.  It was a good thing I didn't.  Way, way down at the other end of the tracks was a long column of black smoke-----way too much to be a diesel..........

I quickly turned my camera on and zoomed in as far as it would go, and by the time I'd gotten the Challenger into  some kind of focus, it had seemingly cut the distance in HALF!  The engineer wasn't even slowing DOWN as he was coming through Mountain Home.........and it wasn't "35 mph" EITHER!  He was "pickin' 'em up and puttin' 'em down!

No time to think or to assess the situation........I fired a shot at full zoom, then quickly pulled the lens back into normal range, and would have to "snap, snap & snap" as fast as my camera would go, as he blew by!

About the time he would have passed the Sinclair gas station, he blew a low rolling whistle from another age........."wooooOOOOOooooo!"

My God, it sent SHIVVERS up my spine!  It was suddenly the 40's, the Wabash, the "hobo jungles", "Brother can you spare me a dime?".......the dirt I was standing on by the crossing gates was starting to VIBRATE under the weight & momentum of 1,073,900 pounds (487.1 TONS of pure locomotive and tender, as the engineer gave another blast of that long mournful whistle, and I pivoted in-place as this behemoth from our past thundered by.

I shot a few more pics as he sped on toward Glenns Ferry.             

Someone once wrote............"I'd just like to ride a train.  No matter where it's going."