Foggy sunrise on the "Stump Dodger". A morning mixed train on the Sumpter Valley Railway races east toward McEwen as the rising sun illuminates a stubborn layer of ground fog ahead. Over the years of its existence, the SVRy had at least a couple of nicknames, but the one that stuck was the term "Stump Dodger". This was likely a reference to the serpentine nature of some sections of the railroad, as well as the heavy logging activity in the region. Without a history book, it would be difficult to come up with that name if you visit the line today. The roughly 5 miles of restored track between McEwen and Sumpter are straight as an arrow for the most part, and the heavy dredge mining activity in the first half of the 20th century left most of the ROW a treeless landscape that consists mostly of rows of dredge tailings and the pools of water that tend to form between them.
Landscape photography is difficult due to the challenge of combining good light and good scenery. Good railroad photography enters another level of complexity since it requires the first two while there is a train in view.
