Exactly 20 years ago today, 10/4/1996, the crew of train 63606, the Lewiston to Grangeville job, is rolling to a stop on the stiff upgrade at Culdesac, a great name for the last town in the Snake River valley before the railroad gets steeper on the 3 percent-ish grades of Lapwai Canyon. Culdesac has a beautiful crib elevator with rolling hills in the background to the west, topography formed by the Snake River. Today's crew has to pick up two B&B cars here that are behind me, and the 3-person crew will soon begin the process of tying the train down before they can make their head end pickup.
