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During the historic 2021 western wildfire season, infrastructure on the west coast was hit hard, as a fire took down one of the bridges on UP's i5 corridor route. This would result in detours over the OSL to keep the tonnage on the move, and in a mid-term plan, block swaps became even more prominent than they already were in Nampa to handle overload tonnages. One of these detours led by UP 8899 is getting back underway for the long snaking detour across Idaho and then south down the Ogden subdivision, and then back west to Roseville.

It's a late early June evening in Nampa, as a manifest is working the yard on main 2 awaiting the all clear from the conductor on the next move, while a stack train blasts off on Main 1 with a fresh crew for the overnight jog to Pocatello and beyond eastwards.

As this pair dubbed the dynamic duo, WAMX 3525, a classy old school GP30, and WAMX 3502, a classy former WP GP35, have grown in age, the days of seeing them together have become increasingly rare. Their days are very numbered, even though they are the first 2 motors for the BVRR when it began 12 years ago. This is the last photo I have of them together out on the road, as after this was taken, other than for cycling out the new fleet during inspection down time or mechanical downtime, this pair never leaves the yard, and even in the yard, it is rare they are together.

Boise Valley Railroad power at its yard in Tampa, Idaho. BVRR 3502 (GP35), BVRR 3821 (GP38-2) and BVRR 3525 (GP30).