Re: Off Topic: Railfanning in the SouthWest

gregcoit Wrote:
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> After Work Session G in late September and
> The Friends charter the following week, I'll be
> driving to Santa Barbara for work.  I've never
> driven HWY 40 and it sounds like a great chance
> for some railfanning.  I've been looking at maps
> and I think Williams seems like a good halfway
> point to stop for the night. The question is this:
> At Williams Junction (east of town), the line
> spits - 1 line goes north and the other west.
> Which is the mainline?

The double-tracked new mainline is the one that heads northwest from the junction, curves around Williams on the north side of town - crossing over the Grand Canyon Railway en route - and proceeds WAY out in the boondocks downhill toward Seligman.  (See first photo on [ngdiscussion.net].)   The line that heads directly west is the old main line, which drops into downtown Williams where it passes the GCRy on its way west to Ash Fork and then swings south to Phoenix.  The old line west from Ash Fork to Seligman was abandoned when the ATSF built many miles of new mainline in 1959-60.*
>
> Also, besides Canyon Diablo bridge, what
> other must-sees are there? Thanks!


Hi, Greg -

After catching the departure of the GCRy train to the Grand Canyon the next day, I recommend taking Old U.S. 66 from a few miles west of Ash Fork through Seligman and Peach Springs to Kingman.  Seligman is headquarters of the 'Old 66 Histörical Society', so there are a lot of hokey touristy places there - including an old-fashioned burger joint on the east side of town and a pretty good restaurant (Lilo's) on the west side.  As you enter Kingman, stay on Old 66 through downtown - there's a new RR museum in the old ATSF freight depot on the south side of the highway between 5th Street and 4th Street, and across the highway on the N.E. corner of 4th and Old 66 is El Palacio - one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever found.  Either before or after dinner - depending on your arrival time - take 4th Street south across the tracks and follow the narrow road (Old-Old-Old 66) as it swings west and then down into the canyon west of town for easy access to the huge ATSF bridges on the new (uphill) mainline:






- Roosso

* CLASSIC TRAINS ran a great article on the ATSF 1959-60 realignment a couple of years ago.  Here's a low-res copy of the accompanying map:

Note that I-40 is roughly on top of Old U.S. 66 (red line on the map) from the N.M. state line west to Ash Fork.  About three or four miles west of Ash Fork, Old 66 takes off WNW at the Crookton Overpass exit, and I-40 (double red line) heads WSW on a big loop (far, far away from the RR) and eventually crosses Old 66 on the east side of Kingman.

p.s. Since you're staying overnight in Williams, if you've never been to the Grand Canyon I highly recommend taking a day to visit the South Rim.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2016 12:10AM by Russo Loco.