In the late afternoon sun we catch a well timed meet with a westbound grain train and an eastbound stack train slowly climbing the grade toward Mountainair.
The entire landscape is aglow just a few minutes before sunset as a westbound stack train drops drowgrade between Mountainair and Abo, New Mexico on the BNSF Clovis Sub.
It's been a long climb up from Belen and the Rio Grande river crossing, but three GP60Ms and a GP35 will soon be able to breathe easier, reaching the top of the grade at Mountainair.