On May 15, Martin Hansen conducted another great photographer's special at the Sumpter Valley NG Railway in eastern Oregon. It was attended by railfans from Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California, and our usual group from Oregon and Washington. The US Forest Service had a "controlled burn" going on, which filled the valley with smoke for our morning shots. We had some sun and the smoke burned off. The scenery was great, with the Blue or Elkhorn mountains, depending on who describes them, covered in snow, the reflecting ponds nice and still, and those terrible gold dredge tailing rock piles still as difficult to hike on as ever. It was a great day, crews were super, railfans an amiable group, the engines and cars all worked well. The Alco 2-8-2 number 19 will have to enter her 15 year or 1472 day FRA inspection later this year, so this was a sort of farewell to 19 for a while.

Isn't this a photogenic place? I love it.

19 and 3 side by side early in the morning.

No. 19 runby

Going away glint shot

No. 3 and her entire train

A roll-by inspection staged at Sumpter

I always have to get a "from the train" shot

19 at one of the reflecting ponds

Another location

No. 3 at that location

Continue to Train Day 2010

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