Having clawed at the grade for much of its journey since leaving Needles, reaching a top speed of 15 mph and an average of more like 10 mph, the BNSF 7431's crew buckles up as the heavy Galesburg, IL to Barstow, CA manifest begins to pick up speed as it drops down into Ludlow in the late afternoon light. Keen eyes will notice that at the rear of the train, directly behind the DPU that is rounding the curve, a trio of passenger cars are bringing up the rear. These include SBRX 1161 (baggage car), SBRX 2506 (dormitory car) and SBRX 2523 (dormitory car), which are bound for the Greater Los Angeles area to begin a new chapter of their life as support cars for the famed Santa Fe 4-8-4 Northern, No. 3751.
