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Western Railroad Discussion > ATSF Peavine Line -- points of interest??Date: 08/16/02 16:59 ATSF Peavine Line -- points of interest?? Author: southlandwarrior For those traveling on the 3751 Canyon Limited next week, is there anything worthwhile to pay attention to (and photograph) on the ride from Williams to Parker, both scenic and railroad-wise (i.e., bridges, junctions, depots, etc)? Any info is appreciated. Thank you!
Jim Date: 08/16/02 18:40 Re: ATSF Peavine Line -- points of interest?? Author: WSFrench Bridge over Hell Canyon @ Drake.
Date: 08/16/02 19:42 Re: ATSF Peavine Line -- points of interest?? Author: oktrainboys Come over to the Steam discussion board for this one....I almost missed this thread....Any other spots on that line??
Date: 08/16/02 19:42 Re: ATSF Peavine Line -- points of interest?? Author: toledopatch The Search function can be a marvelous thing, if you learn to use it....
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?f=1&i=162220&t=162220 Date: 08/16/02 20:55 Re: ATSF Peavine Line -- points of interest?? Author: nycman Thanks for the link to the earlier discussion. It is useful to me as I will be chasing. I think Jim was inquiring about things to photograph FROM the train, as he will be riding. Hell's Canyon bridge sounds interesting. It's all new to me, never been there.
Date: 08/16/02 21:51 Re: ATSF Peavine Line -- points of interest?? Author: Evan_Werkema southlandwarrior wrote:
> For those traveling on the 3751 Canyon Limited > next week, is there anything worthwhile to pay > attention to (and photograph) on the ride from > Williams to Parker, both scenic and railroad- > wise (i.e., bridges, junctions, depots, etc)? > Any info is appreciated. Thank you! The section of the Peavine from Williams to Ash Fork used to be part of the Santa Fe's double track main line, until the Williams- Crookton cutoff was built in 1959/60. The double track west of Ash Fork was abandoned, and a single track was retained from Williams to Ash Fork to reach the Peavine. I don't know how much of roadbed of the abandoned second main you'll be able to see, as they are widely separated in places. I believe they do rejoin and diverge a couple of times coming down the grade, though. When Ash Fork was on the main line, in addition to the junction for the Peavine, there was a main line helper district in both directions! A few traces of those days remain, including a huge 48 foot diameter silver painted water tank with a Santa Fe emblem on it. Santa Fe controlled the town's water supply too, so the municipal water tank on stilts in the middle of town also has the Santa Fe emblem on it too. The depot at Ash Fork is a tan stucco structure south of the tracks. It is a small portion of what was once a very large depot/Harvey House complex. A short distance west of the depot, you curve south onto the Peavine as the abandoned double track grade continues west toward Seligman. The next point of interest I'm aware of is Drake. On the east side of the tracks is the wye that forms the junction for the branch to Clarkdale, now a shortline (Verde Canyon's tourist train uses the eastern end from Clarkdale to Perkinsville). A Santa Fe water tank (big black cylinder with a red roof) is in the middle of the wye. On the west side of the tracks just south of the wye is the foundation of a Santa Fe bunkhouse. Just beyond that, an old Santa Fe standard section house nearly fronts right on the tracks. I believe the Hell Canyon bridge is less than a mile south of the section house. I don't know how much there is to see at Abra any more, but this used to be the junction for the Santa Fe branch down to Prescott. The branch was originally part of the main line, but Santa Fe built a cutoff from Abra to Skull Valley in the 60's. The old main was cut back to a branchline from Abra to Prescott, and was finally removed in the early 80's. You might be able to still spot the old grade on the east side of the train as you make the curve to the west onto the "new" cutoff. Likewise, coming into Skull Valley, you may be able to see the old grade slithering down through the sagebrush off to the east and rejoining the present-day line. At Skull Valley, the old depot is now a museum across the road west of the tracks. Last time I saw it, it was painted red with white trim. You should be able to see it from the train just south of the town's main grade crossing. The museum also has a section house similar to the one at Drake. There are (were?) a couple of two-light signals at Skull Valley too, whose purpose I'm not entirely clear on. The timetable refers to a short section of "double track" through Skull Valley, and I seem to remember that the signals were related to the position of the spring switches at the ends of the double track. Anyone? There was a motorcar shed at Kirkland on the west side of the tracks in 1998, but it may well be gone now. There is also a talking high water detector at MP 88.9 near Kirkland, which ought to be good for a laugh in the 100+ degree parched dry heat. Wonder if 3751's engineer will blow down the boiler at that point and get a false high-water reading to go along with the false hotbox readings. Matthie is the junction for the A&C line to Parker. Not much to see there but the wye. It's too bad the train isn't going all the way into Wickenburg, with its nicely restored depot, section-house-turned-antique-shop, and bunkhouse-turned-residence. There's not much along the A&C. At Aguila, you might catch sight of a couple more section houses north of the tracks (the Aguila depot is now at the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale). At Salome, there's a big steel water tank on the north side of the tracks. Parker is where A&C has their main locomotive shops, on the east side of the tracks. Their office is in the old Santa Fe depot on the west side of the tracks. West of Parker, you'll cross the Colorado River on a through truss bridge. There's another water tank at Vidal, which I have only seen in pictures and don't know which side of the tracks it's on. http://atsf.railfan.net/tanks/wtvidalbrown.jpg (Photo by Paul Brown) At Rice, junction for the branch to Blythe, there's a miserable tin shed that was the "depot" for a time. That's all I know, and my information is at best 4 years old. Date: 08/16/02 22:13 Re: ATSF Peavine Line -- points of interest?? Author: papschmierer If you folks get a chance, pick up David Myrick's
book called RR's of Arizona Vol.#5. It covers all the history of the Peavine and the Arizona and California. I just finished this book and it's well worth it !! As usual, Mr. Myrick has outdone himself !!! http://www.signaturepress.com/ Volume #4 covers the Santa Fe (A&P) mainline and again it's a fabulous book !!! Later, Phil Date: 08/17/02 19:07 Re: ATSF Peavine Line -- points of interest?? Author: southlandwarrior Thanks again for the responses, guys, especially yours, Evan! Great info, and it will definitely be used. Good hunting!
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