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.

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.

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/.

Shameless Holiday Book Plug

Gillian Ferris Kohl of KNAU-FM and I pose for a post-interview photo at the Flagstaff Amtrak station in September. To hear the NPR radio interview online, see the link below. (Ken Rattenne photo)

The holidays are upon us and it's time for a shameless plug. The Route 66 Railway book is slowly approaching the end of its first printing -- I can't believe it's been over a year since the release!

As with any small publisher, distribution has been a chief obstacle. Most sales have come with little help from the big chains (we're looking at you, Barnes & Noble! At least Borders carries the book in a few stores). A national distributor has expressed interest in selling R66R, but unfortunately it's been a slow process working out the details between them and LARHF, the book's publisher.

Needless to say, the past 13 months have given me a real education about the publishing industry and the trials of getting noticed without a major publisher. However, the response to R66R has been extraordinary and I greatly appreciate everyone's support.

So, if you know someone who needs the perfect holiday book (hint, hint, wink wink), send them to http://www.66rails.com/, which was updated today with new retailers in California, Arizona, and online. It's only a partial list, of course. Signed copies are also available -- email me at elrondlawrence(a)surfbest.net for details. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

ON THE RADIO: In September, NPR affiliate KNAU-FM in Flagstaff did an interview about Route 66 Railway at the ex-Santa Fe passenger depot. The 4-minute radio interview can be heard at the 66rails site, but here's a direct link just in case: http://tinyurl.com/lm2kd9. (Be sure to read the introduction before playing). Thanks to reporter Gillian Ferris Kohl for a fun afternoon and to KNAU radio for their support! Thanks also to friend Ken Rattenne for filming the unedited interview on his cool HD camera.

PHOTO-OP: While at the annual "Route 66 Days" event in Flagstaff, Ken snapped this portrait of yours truly with lovely "Miss Route 66ers" Hillary Ekstrom (left) and Darian Burns. If only we could add thought balloons . . . you'd hear something like:

Me: "It's good to be an author."
Them: "What did he write about? Trains??"

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.

They're Here

I'm happy to say that Route 66 Railway has arrived.

Ten advance copies reached Los Angeles on October 2, and LARHF overnighted a copy to Lawrence Manor, arriving Oct. 4. The big shipment arrived at the Port of LA last weekend, not a moment too soon. This Friday, we'll drive down to the LARHF offices to make a major pick-up. On Sunday, we'll have the first signing party in Redlands, debuting the book to family, friends and members of the community. LARHF has updated their website and orders are now being taken at the online store, HERE.

It's hard to describe the feelings of the last few weeks . . . "surreal" is a commonly heard word these days. What matters most, of course, is that Tien Wah Press did a fantastic job. The books look beautiful, as good as I'd hoped. So far, our lone copy has racked up some serious "show-off" mileage!

For those who live in or near Central California, you're invited to a signing reception on Friday evening, November 7 at the National Steinbeck Center in Oldtown Salinas. I couldn't think of a better setting for a book with a chapter titled "The Ghost of Tom Joad." See http://www.66rails.com/ for details.

Oh, and to those who have read this at the 66rails blog . . . sorry for the double post, but it's big news! :-)

A sample page spread, from the opening of the New Mexico chapter.

Cover Me

As regular visitors to the 66rails website already know, the Route 66 Railway book has a cover:

It's a screen grab from a PDF, but you get the idea. About 40 pages are done -- roughly one-fourth of the book, but things are moving at a quick pace. I'm heading down to southern California this weekend to meet with the designer and publisher . . . tomorrow I'll visit what remains of the Cajon Pass tunnels before BNSF demolishes them in early March. If you're heading to Winterail on March 8, be sure to stop by the LARHF table, where we'll have sample page spreads to show. Or register HERE for news and updates at the book's website.