[6q][4k] Fighting the Desert Grade. Union Pacific Trains on the Cima Sub, NV, CA 06/25-07/02/2019

This is the first video in the new series 'Expedition to SoCal'. In this video, we travel along the Union Pacific Cima Subdivsion between Las Vegas, NV and Daggett, CA. This line is located in the Mojave Desert, which creates a unique railfanning environment. Beyond that, there's the 2.2% Cima Grade, which extends for 19 miles north from Kelso, CA to Cima, CA. Kelso once was founded as a meal stop for passenger trains in the early 20th century and also served as the host for the helper engines that pushed northbound trains to Cima. Passenger service ended about 60 years ago and the need for helpers diminished with the advent of more powerful diesel locomotives and the use of DPUs. Union Pacific abandoned Kelso in the 1980s which left it a ghost town. The former depot could be saved from demolition and is a museum now. Watching trains mastering the grade up and also down is an awesome experience that this video tries to convey. Enjoy!