AMTK 74 (P42DC) pulls the California Zephyr around the tight radius of Big Ten Curve. The row of trees you see are lined up against a row of hidden loaded coal cars, which have been placed there as a wind break to keep the strong winds which frequent this area from blowing the Zephyr (or any other trains) off the tracks. It is not unusual to have 100 MPH winds blowing along the Front Range foothills in the spring. Boulder, Colorado, situated just to the north of this location, once recorded a wind gust of 147 MPH.
