Steaming Through Arizona

Santa Fe 3751, Miramar, Cal., 2008

I'm writing from the restored El Trovatore Motel in Kingman, Arizona (watch for a post soon!), en route to meeting Santa Fe no. 3751 in Williams and covering her westbound trip to Los Angeles. Click here for the full schedule. This is the big 4-8-4's first big road trip outside California in nearly 10 years -- she powered a similar odyssey to Williams in August 2002. Since then she's handled excursions to San Diego, San Bernardino and around the Los Angeles basin. On Friday she'll take her train down the BNSF line towards Phoenix and turn west to Parker via the Arizona and California Railway (a former Santa Fe route). After staying the night in Parker, she'll cross back into California and rejoin BNSF rails for the return trip to LA. 

Appropriately enough, Amtrak No. 66 is one of the two helper diesels assigned to the train. You can bet I'm looking for a good Route 66 photo op! To celebrate 3751's return to her old stomping grounds, here are a few photos of the 1927 Baldwin during recent travels.

 Steaming past an old packing house in Upland, Cal., on the old Pasadena line, May 2010.

In September 2008, 3751 leads a private car owners' excursion through Torrey Pines Park near Del Mar, Cal. at dusk.

No matter where she goes, 3751 always draws a crowd. San Bernardino, Cal., May 2010.

Union Pacific's Midcentury Mini-Train

UP's 1956-built mini-train passes dome lounge Harriman in Roseville, Calif., in August 2006. (click to enlarge)

The latest Trains Trackside photo contest features the theme "yellow" . . . so last week I found myself hunting through dozens of Union Pacific pictures in search of something that wasn't the same old action view. Then I remembered a fun set of photos from an event in summer 2006 at UP's Roseville, Cal., yard. We'd traveled there to see the unveiling of the railroad's sixth and final heritage diesel, UP 1996, painted in Southern Pacific Daylight colors. While 1996 was the star of the show that day, a much-smaller engine caught my eye as it pulled trainloads of happy families: UP 956, a rubber-tired F-unit replica built in 1956. The "mini-train" makes 50 appearances a year in parades, employee family days and community events. The engine and five-car train were refurbished and repainted in 2006, and the Armour yellow paint looked splendid in the morning light.

At one point the mini-train rolled beside a passenger special on display, and I snapped away at the mismatched scene of yellow trains big and small. When 956 passed 1955-built dome lounge Harriman, the explosion of yellow was almost blinding!

Fun with perspectives: a study of 956 and steel-wheeled cousin SD70ACe 8406.

To vote in Trains' online contest, visit http://trn.trains.com/Trackside/2012/03/Vol%20180%20Yellow.aspx. To learn more about the mini-train and "engine" 956, visit http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/special_trains/mini-train/index.shtml

Love that caboose!

Chasing UP 844

UP No. 844 in all her glory, climbing Donner Pass in April 2009. (click pics to enlarge)

Union Pacific's goodwill ambassador, 4-8-4 no. 844, is barnstorming the southwest to celebrate the centennial anniversaries of Arizona and New Mexico. In a surprise move, UP extended the tour to include California, and as I write this, the big Northern is on display today in Fontana, Cal. Tomorrow she'll steam up Cajon Pass (following Route 66) and spend the night near Barstow; on Sunday, she'll continue on to Las Vegas and points east. The remaining schedule can be found HERE.

It was hard to resist a steam chase, especially when 844 is storming up Cajon on my birthday! So my family kindly let me loose for a road trip. To get in the mood, here are a few photos from the last time I followed 844, an April 2009 trip over Donner Pass.

Crowds are part of the modern steam experience. I'm expecting about a zillion people on Cajon Pass tomorrow.

Then again, people are what make these chases fun. Above, fans snap pictures of 844 departing Truckee in 2009.

Changing of the Guard

Twilight at East Oro Grande, Cal., in June 2010: the headlights of an eastbound BNSF train illuminate old Santa Fe signals and their replacements. (click to enlarge)

 Over the past several years I've made a habit of photographing the signals I grew up with as they're retired in favor of modern replacements that resemble silver erector sets. When I was a teenager, photographer Dave Busse pointed out that when he was on vacation he could easily identify any railroad he encountered based on the unique signals that guarded the line. That won't be the case for much longer. Just like the classic semaphores succumbed to progress, so too are veteran searchlights and cantilevers coming down in favor of high-tech but largely lookalike masts and towers. A few California lines still make use of these aging classics, but the population is dwindling. On my recent trip to the Salton Sea, we encountered a scene in transition along the old Santa Fe (now BNSF) mainlines at East Oro Grande, east of Victorville and beside Route 66. We spent much of the "blue hour" shooting BNSF and UP freights as they blasted by the doomed target signals. The shot above was part of a favorite sequence, and a nice farewell to the old guard.

Railfanning the Accidental Sea

Dwarfed by the Santa Rosa Range, UP 8121 leads a train of eastbound autos into Bertram siding beside the Salton Sea on June 11. (click pics to enlarge)

In early June, Mike Roque and I made a long-planned Southern California road trip to visit the Salton Sea and Union Pacific's busy Sunset Route. We spent the first day photographing nearby San Timoteo Canyon and Beaumont Hill, then motored east on I-10 and old U.S. 99 to Indio. For the next two days we followed trains through this stark and alien land in the Imperial Valley, with brief stops at some of the quirky towns that surround this accidental lake.

Created over a hundred years ago when Colorado River levees burst, the Salton Sea is California's largest lake. It covers more than 375 square miles and is 25 percent saltier than the Pacific Ocean. Overeager developers, hoping to duplicate the success of nearby Palm Springs, billed the Salton Sea in the 1950s and 60s as a winter playground for fishing and speedboat fans, but the breathless marketing never quite took hold: a changing shoreline, hurricane-driven floods, algal blooms and massive fish die-offs dashed those dreams. Fisherman and boating fans still flock to the saline lake, but Salton City, Bombay Beach, and other shoreline towns are shadows of their old selves.

 A westbound passes the state park entrance sign at Mortmar.

Surprisingly, the Salton Sea has emerged as one of the country's most important migratory bird habitats. Millions of birds representing more than 400 species can be spotted here, thanks to nearby fields, a prolific fish population, and the sad fact that there are few remaining wetlands in Southern California. Efforts are underway to restore this dying sea, but its future is by no means secure.

On the other hand, the future of the old Southern Pacific "Sunset Route" is brighter than ever; a key reason for our trip was to document the single track mainline and vintage searchlight signals before UP double-tracks the route. Happily, we pulled off the trip before the extreme summer heat kicked in -- 103 degrees is much easier to handle than 116!

One of my favorites from a great June 10 evening -- a nearly full moon casts the shadow of a searchlight signal at Bertram siding. In the distance lies the Salton Sea and the lights of Salton City.

Light and shadows dance over the Santa Rosa Mountains moments after sunset.

Southern Pacific lives . . . DPU no. 7442 pushes an eastbound doublestack train over the iconic SP bridge near Ferrum.

In rapidly fading light, two UP trains meet beside the sea at Bertram.

For more photos, visit my Facebook album by clicking HERE (you don't need to be a FB member). To learn more about the Salton Sea, visit www.saltonseamuseum.org or www.saltonsea.org. Watch for upcoming posts about our visit to Salvation Mountain and the restored North Shore Yacht Club.

EL Print Show in Salinas April 1

If you live near Monterey County, you're invited to a local artists' reception in Salinas on Friday, April 1 from 4 to 7 p.m. I'll have a selection of 12 prints on display and available for purchase. Subjects include Route 66, railroads, roadside America, and regional landscapes. Above and below are two of the featured images: "Moss Landing Sunset, 2011" and "Close Encounters, Alray Tunnel, 2008" (click images to view full-size)

I will also have my two last copies of Route 66 Railway available for signing and sale. Food and drinks will be served.

The reception will take place at Russ Wilcox's cool new State Farm Insurance office at Creekbridge Village (in the Safeway Center) at 1532 Constitution Blvd. in Salinas; many thanks to Russ and Alice for hosting the event. For more information, call 831-443-1001 or e-mail me. Hope to see you there!

You Stay Classy, 3751

I couldn't drive south last weekend to chase Santa Fe no. 3751 on her third trip to San Diego, but a scan through the files reminded me how fortunate I was to chase her inaugural 2008 trips along the Pacific. The 1927-built Baldwin will steam to San Bernardino, Cal., on May 8-9 as part of National Train Day and the city's bicentennial "railroad days" event at the former Santa Fe station. I'll be there Saturday to cover her arrival from LA and sign copies of Route 66 Railway (believe it or not, the first printing is down to under 100 copies).

Can't wait to get a 3751 "fix" . . . for now, here are a few photos of my favorite 4-8-4 from her travels on the Surf Line in 2008. (click photos to enlarge).

Upper left: 3751 leads a long train of private cars past the bluffs at Del Mar on September 21, 2008.

After 50 years, a Santa Fe 4-8-4 once again arrives at San Diego's landmark passenger station, on June 1, 2008.

Fans document the historic return of 3751 to San Diego.

Leaving Los Angeles, 3751 and train follow the L.A. River.

Del Mar beachgoers wave to the passing steam special.

California girl . . . steaming through San Clemente.

What's a beach trip without a sunset? Cardiff, Cal., June 2008.

For more information on Santa Fe 3751, visit http://www.sbrhs.org/.

Train of Blinding Lights

(With apologies to the great U2 song)

First, I don't know which is sadder... that it took three months to update this #$@! blog or that I'm doing this post in a La Quinta Inn the night before Winterail. The chief reason: we realized the American dream by becoming homeowners again, buying a house in Monterey County. But before any more time passes, here's a post to get the blog back in action.

The weekend after Christmas, I drove up to the Niles Canyon Railway to check out their annual Train of Lights. It was well worth the time -- what a spectacular sight. It's easy to see why this holiday tradition has become wildly popular over the years. Powering the train was 1956-built SD9 No.5472 in gorgeous Southern Pacific "black widow" colors.

Below are a selection of photos from the impromptu ride -- thanks to Dave Hensarling, Dave Roth, and the rest of the Golden Gate Railroad Museum gang. For more information on the railway, visit the Niles Canyon Railway and GGRM sites. Special steam weekends will take place in March, with more events planned in 2010. Upper left photo: cruising down Niles Canyon from Sunol (click photo to view)

SP "Cadillac" 5472 idles beside the Sunol depot before helping the next train descend the canyon to Niles. (click photos to enlarge)

Families enjoy the festively decorated coaches.

A sight to quicken any SP fan's pulse . . . the red Mars light and number boards of SD9 5472 at twilight.

Dave Hensarling, president of GGRM, poses with the friendly crew of SP No. 2979, the museum's beautifully-restored Art Deco lounge.

A streak of blinding light, the holiday train rolls past the crossing near Brightside yard.


SP 5472 and the immaculate Sunol depot bring the 1950s back to Niles Canyon.

Snapshots from the Edge

Desert Speedboat, West Palm Springs

(click to enlarge)

I was waiting for enough free time to write something witty or insightful for today's post . . . but the way things have been lately, that might not happen 'til August 2010. So, here are a few snapshots from a pivotal trip to Southern California last month, shooting new material for a possible second book. The roadside-related project isn't exactly on a fast track . . . but it also won't take 18 years like the last one. :-)

Squeezed between two weekend weddings, these 5 days of shooting took me to wonderful extremes of geography and culture that make California famous, as well as some unexpected high and low points. Bottom line, I was happy with the first "test drive" for this concept -- a good sign. Hope you enjoy the samples below. (*click images to "biggify")

Safari Inn at twilight, Burbank

Tramway Road, Palm Springs

Signs, Echo Park, Los Angeles

Union Pacific eastbound, Salton Sea

House of Spirits liquor store, Los Angeles

PS - Watch for photos soon from the amazing "Orbit In" hotel, one of the highlights of an impromptu stay in Palm Springs.

Odds N' Ends at the Dawn of July

Fireworks, Florida style. Watching in awe are (L to R) Natalie Scott, Gregory Scott and Kat. Thanks to friends John and Debbie for dinner and a show. (click photo to enlarge)

FLORIDA: Okay, after visiting friends in Sarasota, I'll admit my long-held belief that Florida has nothing of interest is as misguided an idea as I've ever had (and there have been plenty, believe me). We were greeted by an outrageous lightning storm, toured the Ringling Museum, drank Key West brew, road-tripped to Anna Maria Island, ate alligator and Salty Dogs . . . and had the best steak of my life at Bern's in Tampa (thanks to my loving family for a killer Father's Day gift!).

The world's biggest miniature circus -- yes, I appreciate the irony.

The humidity was thick, but not as bad as New Orleans. Another landmark moment: we finally ate at a Steak n Shake, that vaunted cathedral of cholesterol revered by Midwest railfans. The next evening, while driving home from San Jose we stopped at an In-N-Out, thereby completing the holy grail for burger aficionados.

Florida is F-L-A-T . . . but she's a beauty when the sun gets low.

In other news . . .

HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS REVIEWS R66R: A large envelope arrived Friday with pages from the August 2009 issue of Hemmings Motor News, a major car collector magazine . . . and a review of Route 66 Railway! Editor Jim Donnelly gives the book 3 of 4 stars ("Worth Reading") and adds that more car photos would have easily earned the "artful" book a fourth star. (They are a car magazine, after all . . .) Donnelly noted that "the vaunted tale of Route 66 has been told on paper and celluloid innumerable times, but not like this." Check out Hemmings' website at http://www.hemmings.com/.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Plans are in the works for book signings at Route 66 Days in Flagstaff, Arizona, and the Route 66 Rendezvous in San Bernardino, Calif. Both events will be in September . . . more details as they shape up.

RAILROADS OF CALIFORNIA BOOK: Author-photographer Brian Solomon has released his latest book, Railroads of California. It's a beautiful hardcover featuring photos of classic and contemporary trains across the Golden State. His writing and photography are at their usual top-notch form, and I'm pleased that he used a few of my photos. It's available at online retailers like Amazon and Karen's Books, plus hobby shops, etc.

MORE BOOK STUFF: Planning has begun for a second R66R printing, with a mid-July meeting at LARHF to plot things out. The trip to Southern California will also include a brief road trip to shoot material for the next book idea (God help us). No details yet since the idea is still evolving . . . stay tuned.

History and Hope in San Bernardino

We lived in San Bernardino for 10 years, before the Ketchum job offer whisked us to Silicon Valley and eventually the central coast. When I was growing up in nearby Fontana during the 1970s and 1980s, San Bernardino was always the "big city." Santa Fe's towering locomotive repair shops were there, along with Fedco and the Central City Mall (where I saw Star Wars for the first time).

Photo: View of redevelopment from the baggage area windows (click to enlarge)

Yet when we left San Bernardino in March 2000, we knew we were getting out just in time. San Bernardino was a city in crisis. The closings of Norton Air Force Base and the AT&SF shops delivered a tough one-two punch to this city of almost 200,000 . . . crime and blight were taking hold and things looked bleak. In the 10 years we lived at the corner of 25th and I Streets, we endured three break-ins, a smashed truck window, and a botched late-night car theft. So when it was time to go, we didn't look back.

The restored 1919 San Bernardino passenger depot

That's why Sunday, March 1 -- the anniversary of our move north -- was such a great day. While in southern California for a bunch of book signings and talks, I'd agreed to appear a "Railroad and History Book Signing Day" at the beautifully restored Santa Fe passenger depot near downtown 'San Berdoo.' The station is a big building, boasting a Spanish-Moorish architecture, and was once home to the railroad's dispatching and division offices. Today it's home to the San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum and its fascinating collection of railroad and Inland Empire memorabilia.

Museum interior (top) and semaphore signal lens study (below).

I've been in San Bernardino plenty of times during the past nine years, but I hadn't visited the museum since it opened in 2008. The authors' day allowed me to once again stand in the passenger lobby where for decades our family waited for Amtrak's Desert Wind and Southwest Chief trains. Even better were the visits from family, friends, railfans and retired Santa Fe people (plus I sold a case of Route 66 Railway books, which is always cool). After the event it was time to tour the museum and gift shop, which occupies much of the station's west end. It's a marvelous place and a must-see destination. The station is located at 1170 West Third Street; hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Authors Greg McDonnell (left) and Glen Icanberry (center) chat with photographer Richard Sugg.

Last but not least, I finally had that long-awaited spark of inspiration for the next book. I've been evading the "what next" question for months, because frankly I had no idea what was next. Now I do. :-) It was a landmark day on many levels.

Let's hope this great museum and the surrounding redevelopment is the beginning of a long-anticipated renaissance for San Bernardino. Every September, the Route 66 Rendezvous car cruise event attracts hundreds of thousands of people. Thanks to the efforts of museum volunteers Steve Shaw, Glen Icanberry and others, people are finding more reasons to come back.

Below: Ray Miranda (top photo) and Bob Drenk (lower), both retired Santa Fe railroaders, stopped by the museum on March 1.

El's Favorite Photos from 2008

Southern Pacific 4-6-2 2472 crosses State Route 84 in Niles Canyon, Cal., on August 31, 2008. (click to enlarge)

Honestly, I've been meaning to do this for over a month. The original plan was to do it January 1. Now I'm just happy to get it done in January! Last year I posted a "Rogue's Gallery" of my favorite photos from 2007, so I thought it would be interesting to see what images topped the list for 2008. Dave Styffe did a top 10 post last December that features some outstanding photos; unlike me, he had the presence of mind to do it before the year ended!

2008 was a watershed year, to say the least, with the completion and release of Route 66 Railway. Ironically, between the book launch events and private sales, I had less time to get out and do much shooting during the final 3 months of the year. So I went through the digital files with a little uncertainty, wondering if there would be enough good material to fill 10 slots.

To my surprise, I ended up with 16. Don't panic -- I'm not including them all! I edited the list down to 11, mostly railroad-related stuff. I may post a follow-up later on (hmm, with my track record that should appear around Memorial Day). :-)

One trend that was immediately obvious was that I'd shot far more steam than usual this past year, more than the past several years combined. Between Santa Fe #3751's LA-San Diego trips, Southern Pacific #2472's Niles Canyon excursions, and the Sierra Railroad's Winterail fantrip with McCloud River #18, it was an amazing year for California steam fans. The SP 2472 images benefit from the all-access pass I enjoyed while working on a Classic Trains article about the Niles Canyon Railway (shameless plug: it's arriving now in the Spring 2009 issue).

But these aren't limited to steam, as you'll see below. With that said, let's get on with the show (click to enlarge):

Former Santa Fe 4-8-4 #3751 steams along the LA River on June 1, bound for San Diego.

Like a scene out of Spielberg's Close Encounters, an eastbound BNSF freight rolls through the ruins of Tunnel 2 in Cajon Pass on March 1. At right is the new third mainline that triggered the daylighting of the Cajon tunnels. This image was one of two that helped score a bronze award by the Center for Rail Photography & Art.

The next morning, tunnel 1 resembles a toy tunnel as the heavens aligned and a Warbonnet helper was positioned perfectly for the morning sunlight.

My favorite neon catch of the year -- Twohey's, Alhambra, Cal., October 24.

Santa Fe survivor: dusk in Hobart Yard, Los Angeles, September 20.

Alco PA engine door, Nickel Plate 190, Portland, Oregon.

A Centennial is always going to make the cut . . .
UP 6936 leads a northbound special up the Coast Line at Harlem, Cal.

In a surreal morning on the Niles Canyon Railway, SP 2472 backs past
the Oakland business car at NCRY's Brightside yard.

Errol Ohlman fires the 2472 up the Niles Canyon grade . . .
my first serious cab ride aboard steam.

It wouldn't be complete without one quirky roadside shot: Highway 138, Littlerock, Cal.

Morning steam, Sierra Railroad, Oakdale, Cal.

Hope you enjoyed them! I'll do my best to keep the blog machine rolling in 2009.