Western Railroad Discussion > Locations named for railfans ?

Here in Tyler, Tex. we have this location informally known as Cons Corner,
named for railfan Connor "Con" Sweet.  A plaque was made and hung outside
of the Cotton Belt depot here to identify the location as such.  Diamond is former
Cotton Belt that the train is on, and MOP crossing at 90 deg.

i am curious if there are others similarly named.

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The one I can think of is Hill 582, its not named after anyone but was built by and built for railfans to enjoy Cajon Pass. 

I think he identified more as a photographer than a railfan, but CPR photographer Nicolas Morant used the curve east of Lake Louise AB frequently enough that it became known as Morant's Curve.

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Darren Boes
Lethbridge, AB
Southern Alberta Railfan

Sullivan's Curve, of course: https://www.lakestatesarchive.org/Herb-Sullivan-Collection/Photographers/i-2fXwzH6/A

Cajon Pass also has "Stein's Hill" and a control point named for Chard Walker. 

mike woodruff
north platte ne



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/26 05:46 by swaool.

Albeit on private property, Burton's Curve at Kirk Quinn's great airbnb at tunnel 10 in the Tehachapi's.

Johnson’s Curve near Belton, Montana on BNSF Hi-Line.

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CP Tinkham in Irvine, CA, on Metrolink's Orange Sub at MP 184.5, was named for signal engineer and railfan Clayton Tinkham, father of Robert Tinkham, "MP184" on TO.  See the bottom photo here, from 1956, UP GTE 4500-  
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,6180596  Or from 1948, Milwaukee Road streamlined 4-4-2 #1-  https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,6145218,6145218#msg-6145218  Here's Clayton on the right in the last photo here-  https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4994796,4994861#msg-4994861  He sure looks a lot like Robert! 

mapboy

Here in Palmer Lake, CO, on the joint UP BNSF former Santa Fe Rio Grande Denver Pueblo Joint Line main, this VERY often used hill on the curve is often referred to as "Hills Hill" after Ron C Hill who often used it for his photography.
JB

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there is Kriegers pond but he was   a crew member and a fan on the very west side of nebr

BrandonRC Wrote:
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> The one I can think of is Hill 582, its not named
> after anyone but was built by and built for
> railfans to enjoy Cajon Pass. 

Thanks for referring to Hill 582 on Cajon. One of the main guys, who put tons of sweat equity into the Hill 582 project was my old buddy, the late Don C. Toles. Lifetime railfan out of San Bernardino. He knew every inch of the Pass, including the little known rough roads that snaked through the famous Hill. If anyone deserves a "name" on Hill 582, it's Don. It was a true labor of love for him; he used some of his own funds to get it done. When the Summit tunnels were daylighted, Don was also able to help obtain the concrete date Marker from one of the tunnels, which still sits up there at Hill 582. (Name from MP 58.2 on the old Cajon subdivision.)

There is location in the middle of nowhere on the former SP Sunset Route that used to be named Gamus that was renamed Ragoza in honor of
Karl Ragoza, SP trainman who died of a heart attack at that location. Karl was a well know railfan in southern California.
Regards, Jim Evans

"Perry's Pond" on the Cumbres & Toltec, just south of Cumbres Pass is named for the prolific Denver photographer Otto Perry.

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3rdswitch Wrote:
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> Here in Palmer Lake, CO, on the joint UP BNSF
> former Santa Fe Rio Grande Denver Pueblo Joint
> Line main, this VERY often used hill on the curve
> is often referred to as "Hills Hill" after Ron C
> Hill who often used it for his photography.

I guess I was one of them, but never knew it had a name when I stopped by there for this photo in 1992...

JG

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About a mile west of Hermosa, WY on UP's #1 and #2 track is a curve for eastbound trains climbing Sherman Hill known as Kindig's Curve(Richard Kindig). Kindig a well known Denver photographer.  Tom Klinger

The O. Winston Liink museum in Roanoke, named for the photographer, and its trackside.
https://roanokehistory.org/o-winston-link-museum/

Don't forget Jukes Tree on the Durango & Silverton, either.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/26 09:54 by randgust.

OldPorter Wrote:
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> Thanks for referring to Hill 582 on Cajon. One of
> the main guys, who put tons of sweat equity into
> the Hill 582 project was my old buddy, the late
> Don C. Toles. Lifetime railfan out of San
> Bernardino. He knew every inch of the Pass,
> including the little known rough roads that snaked
> through the famous Hill. If anyone deserves a
> "name" on Hill 582, it's Don. It was a true labor
> of love for him; he used some of his own funds to
> get it done. When the Summit tunnels were
> daylighted, Don was also able to help obtain the
> concrete date Marker from one of the tunnels,
> which still sits up there at Hill 582. (Name from
> MP 58.2 on the old Cajon subdivision.)

Yup! Super sad about Don's passing. He was truly a gem of the SoCal rail community. May the hill last on forever in his memory. 

CP McGinley at MP 15.6 on Metrolinks' Valley Sub is named for Mike McGinley, "railstiesballast" here on TO. It was more in recognition of his long service with SP and Metrolink than for being a railfan, though. Or for his authorship of the railroad novel "Double Jacks".

I recall Con's Corner well. Con, as a kid, lived with his sisters, mother and father at the east end of Tennesee Pass Tunnel. His father worked for the Rio Grande. Con posted quite a few pictures of the family living in MOW service cars and a house at Tennessee Pass. Con travelled quite a bit as a trailer truck driver and posted a lot from around Austin, Texas where he was involved with the Texas Steam Train Organization. He posted a loot of Georgetown RR equipment that was inaccessable down in the gravel pits where they loaded his rig.
Also any random railroad cars he posted as what he termed "Train Parts". Eventually I guess he retired or was in adult care living and relocated to Tyler, his last photo posts were from Con's Corner.
He made a a post or two that he was going home. Then Crickets, RIP Con.
I never met Con but I had family in Austin and I had hoped that if traveled there I'd try to meet up.
Thank You Wrong Way for keeping Con's memory alive.
Gonut

Forgot about Rogoza mentioned in Jims post. Here is a shot taken on a visit in MAY '03. This is adjacent a US Border Patrol station the contraption by the locomotive is used by to inspect some trains looking for undocumented passengers.
JB

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Photos 1,  2    How about naming a street for RAILFANS?   Does that count.    Corner of Railfan Road and Flagman Way near downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico (USA)

3   After visitng Railfan Road you can drive to the Railyard in Santa Fe.  Lots of shops and bars.  Last photo nearby shows where railfans might be found near the Railyard....

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