We're close, George. I had just turned 21 a few months before the W.F. Daylight came through my then-home turf of southern California. I'd been railfanning the area since I was in the 7th grade, and encountered the usual carload or two of guys at Cajon or wherever, but standing there as 4449 climbed around Tehachapi Loop was my first experience with the mass hysteria of the hobby. I had no scanner then, but moments of dumb luck. Like being among the many who were waiting at the overpass at Vincent, snapping pictures of 4449 on hands and knees tackling what was later reported as her steepest unassisted climb ever. (Diesel helper came off at Mojave (?), and even the aux tender was absent.) I think that wound up being my very first photo published in Trains magazine.

The August-September 1984 Passenger Train Journal introduced their big photo piece on the event with one of the best bits of writing anywhere, comparing the pursuit of this restored steam engine and its matching train to a baseball fan being able to go back in time and see Babe Ruth play. Having just caught the tail end of Field of Dreams on TV a half hour ago as we sat down for dinner this evening, it all came back to me.

No, we may never see another main line steam trip looking quite as nice as the W.F. Daylight. But CP comes pretty close with their steam trips crisscrossing the Selkirks and Rockies every time the Calgary Stampede or some other event takes place in western Canada. Nicely matched cars for the most part, and little if any use of diesel helper. It amazes me how little attention it gets from American fans and fan magazines.

BTW, this summer also marks 25 years since I left southern California and moved to north Idaho, but that's another story...