Western Railroad Discussion > In MacBeau's Territory

Westbound BNSF Z Train passing around the town of Ludlow, CA on a somewhat stormy Feb 3rd, 2008. Ludlow was famous as the south end of the Tonopah & Tidewater RR built primarily to move Borax ore from a mine at the edge of Death Valley to the ATSF Rwy (although originally intended to build on to San Diego, hence the "Tidewater"). The T&T enjoyed some prosperity in moving a variety of ores and precious metals from numerous mines along it's route out of southern Nevada. The line was abandoned and taken up in 1943 to support the war effort. Some of the loop of grade of the abandoned railroad can be seen in the image.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

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Some of the rail from the T&T ended up at Norton AFB in San Bernardino, CA. Some of the rail from Norton AFB ended up at the Orange Empire Railway Museum (now Southern California Railway Museum) after they won the contract to remove it from the base.

Not sure how how that area got associated with my work, especially considering the number of talented photographers, yourself and my youngest among them, that have practiced the craft there, but I thank you anyway and nice image from the hill.
—Mac

Nice pic!!

MacBeau Wrote:
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> Not sure how how that area got associated with my
> work.....

True, but I don't anyone will dispute that you've provided the builk of the images of the Southern Transcon in AZ and CA here on Trainorders for a number of years. I don't respond to them nearly enough, but I do enjoy the images.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR