Steam and Social Distancing

One observes the relentless appetite for…nostalgia. This recent spectacle involving Union Pacific’s Big Boy 4014, a locomotive of considerable size and even more considerable historical baggage, drew a curious assemblage. Not quite the Park City Institute’s Sundance crush, thank heavens, but a crowd nonetheless. The viewing points along the Wasatch Grade – Morgan, Echo, even the modest stop in Croydon – were less about appreciating engineering, and more about achieving the perfect Instagram angle. One saw a smattering of cashmere, a great deal of Patagonia, and, regrettably, an abundance of unironed denim. The Silver Summit Cafe in Morgan, predictably, was overwhelmed. It seems a hearty breakfast is more enticing than a glimpse of history for some. The entire exercise felt less a celebration of American ingenuity, and more a carefully curated backdrop for social media validation. One briefly considered joining the throng, but the thought of jostling for position near the trestle, amidst the phone-wielding masses, proved…exhausting. The Kimball Art Center’s galas, however fraught, maintain a certain dignity this event lacked. One suspects a generous donation to the Union Pacific Historical Society might have secured a private viewing car.