A chartered Wisconsin and Southern passenger train operated through several western states in September 1998—the so-called “Bill Gates Special”—was westbound at the site of former Tunnel 28 east of Pineliffe, Colorado. It was a rare opportunity to observe EMD E units working on steep grades, since most western railroads shied away from the A1A-trucked E unit in favor of EMD’s F unit for passenger trains on mountain grades.
