WEEKEND OF LAS VEGAS TRAINS
Topic: Railfan

 

Members of the Southern Nevada NTrak club were getting together in Las Vegas on a recent weekend for two days to operate their oNeTrak modules. I'm not one to pass up an opportunity to see model trains running. A little two and a half hour drive is not going to keep me away. Inexpensive hotel rooms can be found in Vegas even on weekends. All too frequently I take advantage of those with even less reason than model railroading.

 

 

 

Most often modular setups require a shopping mall or convention space. Not so with this NTrak group. One SNNT member has a large back yard patio. Given a milder climate such as found in Las Vegas you can have a N scale version of garden railroading. SNNT has several oNeTrak modules and enough of these are corner modules to allow a setup with several twists and turns. This allows members to run tracks across the patio several times and even around the corner of the house. The patio is covered so operators can find some shade and modules would be protected from any infrequent rain shower. There was another weather hazard this weekend, however. Wind can create havick for N scale garden railroading. With the yard looking as if a scale sized hurricane had struck and trains out on the line fairing little better, crews finally gave up and canceled the second day of operations.

 

 

 

 

This change in schecule did leave me with some time to begin investigating an unusual form of railroading, i.e., the Las Vegas Monorail. Instead of steel rails these trains run on a concrete "rail", also known as a "guideway". The monorail runs right in front of the Best Western where I was staying. Even though a train passes by every 7 or 8 minutes these are no railroad noises to interrupt your sleep. These trains run on rubber tires. The monorail route extends along the east side of the famous Las Vegas Strip from the MGM Grand on the south to the Sahara casino on the north. There had been plans a few years ago to expand the route north to the original Las Vegas casinos along Freemont street in downtown. The federal funding for that never materialized, however. Further, this expansion was not favored by the casinos on the Strip. No doubt they were reluctant to see anything which might revitalize the old casino district and possibly increase competition. Without funding that plan never materialized

 

 

The more recent plan is to expand to the airport south of the Strip to the airport. This expansion is favored by the casinos along the Strip, but opposed by limo and taxi drivers who fear the monorail would rob them of a lucrative portion of their market. In any case, the monorail company declared bankruptcy this year. This is not supposed to have an effect on operations, but it is unlikely any expansion will happen so long as this circumstance persists.

 

 

 

 

One evening a couple years ago I rode a monorail train for a short distance from the MGM Grand station, but I had have never photographed any of the trains. Given a unsheduled sunny Sunday afternoon I decided it was time to do some shooting. I chose to explore the north end of the line this time. It was nearer my hotel and not as busy an area as  the south end of the line. Originally all white, monorail cars now come in a variety of paint schemes. There is no public funding of the monorail. Corporate sponsorships provides a source of revenue in addition to rider fares. In exchange for corporate contributions cars are painted to showcase the sponsorships.

 At the south end of the route trains run immediately behind the casino/hotels. This puts the trains in shade during the afternoon and the backs of the buildings do not provide the most photogenic of backgrounds at any time of day. The monorail track has a bit more breathing space toward the north end and modernist high-rise condos provide an attractive backdrop for photographing the trains. Whatever their paint scheme the sleek trains look right at home passing in front of these structures gleeming in the afternoon sun . The monorail stations are also designed in keeping with the modern or futuristic theme.

 

 

 

 

San Diego Trip
Topic: Railfan

Back in early December I had a rollover accident on my way to San Diego. Last weekend I was finally able to complete that planned trip. The weather had played an unfortunate roll during that December trip. Weather forecasts last weekend were less than ideal. However, this was likely to be my last opportunity to make the trip before the end of this season working in Death Valley. So I got behind the wheel of my new Ford Fusion and headed down the highway to San Diego.

The model trains museum in Balboa Park was my destination in San Diego. Many times I had seen photos in hobby magazines of the layouts housed there, but I wanted to see them for myself. Seeing a layout in photos is one thing, but seeing it in person can be another. I took my camera along to Balboa Park hoping I might be able to get some good layout shots. In the end my hopes for much in the way of photography would be disappointed. Seeing the layouts in person, however, was an interesting experience.

So many layouts in such close proximity makes comparisons inevitable. I am sorry to say I was quite disappointed with N scale layout. It was definitely, at least in my opinion, the weakest layout there. It was not so much the quality of the modeling as the enviroment. Lighting was the chief culprit. There were four flourescent fixtures mounted on the high celing. As a result the lighting is so dim I found it difficult to see any detail of the models. There was a single operator who never so much as glanced in the direction of visitors. He was completely absorbed in what appeared to be routine maintainence. The layout is behind windows which at the least discourage contact between visitors and the operator.

 

 

The toy train layout was in stark contrast to the N scale layout. It was brightly lit. There were several operators. The layout was protected only with low plexiglass panels which allowed casual contact between visitors and operators. The HO layouts were likewise well lighted. One of the HO layouts was protected in some areas with a iron fence which kept visitors out of reach but able to speak with operators with handheld controlers who were following their train. Bright lighting on these layouts allowed clear viewing of the models and gave visual appeal. Limiting barriers between operators and visitors encouraged interaction thus creating a friendly atmosphere. In my estimation the presence of a single operator at the N scale layout meant the club was less active than the others. The dim lighting made for little visual appeal. Combined with the windows separating viewers from the layout prevented any sense of involvement with the layout. Finally, the lack of opportunity for interaction between the operator and the visitors left me with a sense no one was having fun with N scale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The HO Tehachapi layout is an extreme example of a double deck layout. It is literally two stories high. Visitors use a ramp to go from one level to the next. It is a novel approach, but a successful one in my opinion. It is definitely not an architectural engineering project for the faint of heart. To pull off this ambitious project the club has raised a half million dollars. Now that is a dedicated membership! They have also recently signed a 50 year lease with the city of San Diego. The layout also has some unconventional bench work, i.e., 3/4 inch steel angle iron supporting 3/4 inch plywood. I have been told this is to allow walking on the layout. Whatever it takes, I guess. But I wouldn't suggest trying this at home.

I wanted to include a stop at Cajon Pass as part of my trip. So I elected to spend the second night of my trip in Hesperia to be close to Cajon for picture taking the next morning. I planned to spend the morning taking pictures at Cajon and then have the afternoon to drive back to Death Valley before night. The weather had other plans. It was cold and rainy all night and the next morning was on the nasty side as well. Consulting the weather report on-line from my motel room promised the weather would improve after noon. It indeed had stopped raining by noon and the clouds showed some signs of breaking up. Following an early lunch I headed back down I-15 to Cajon. It was still windy and on the cold side, but good enough for picture taking and exploring the unfamiliar territory.

It was easy to see why this is a railfan hotspot. Several relatively accessible spots to watch and photograph trains; close by a large metropolitan area; appealing landscape are all present. The track arrangements here to me seem to be on the complicated side. I will need to do more research before returning to Cajon if I am to do a decent job of setting up for the best shots. Colorado is still my favorite locale for trains, but I will want to return to Cajon Pass. Given my work schedule it is likely a second visit will have to wait until my next season at Death Valley.

Click on this photo to view an album of photos from southern California and Nevada.
 

By the way my employer, Xanterra Parks & Resorts, has purchased the former American Orient Express train. If you have $7,000 per person they will give you a tour of National Parks. No, I will not be joining the train crew. Bunk beds four high in a crew dorm car is not my idea of fun.

END OF A SUMMER
Topic: Railfan

 

 

Last month I took four days off to travel to Durango, Colorado, for the annual Railfest. It has been several years since I attended this event. Last year the Eureka 4-4-0 was not able to appear for Railfest and I did not want to miss its' return this year. Another piece of equipment which has been making an appearance at every Railfest is the RGS goose which was restored to operating condition by a group of volunteers in Delores, Colorado. The Eureka and the Rio Grande Southern goose number 5 are a pairing not to be missed. My available time and financial resources meant I could not participate in all of the events, but if the weather would cooperate I would be able to get new photos in digital format. The last time I had been to Railfest digital photography was very young and I was still photographing with slide film. You can see it has indeed been a few years since my previous Railfests.

Living in Grand Canyon makes for an even shorter trip to Durango than when I was living in Denver. Highway 160 provides a pretty straight shot to Durango from just outside the Grand Canyon. Traveling Hwy 160 also meant I would get another chance to see the Black Mesa Railroad. This unique electric railroad transports coal from the Black Mesa coal mine to a power plant just outside Page, Arizona. The highway and the railroad run alongside each other for several miles through the wide open spaces west of Kayenta. I had traveled the same route last year on my return from the Fall Photographers' Special on the Durango & Silverton. A road closure and detour on another trip earlier in that year accidentally had given me my first encounter with a portion of this route. However, on neither of these occasions had I seen anything but empty track. Maybe it would be different this time? The Colorado bound leg of this trip was just as fruitless. According to my on-line research trains make the round trip between the mine and power plant three times a day. Certainly, I would see some action during my return trip to the Grand Canyon! So on my westbound lap I lingered around the loadout sight; stopped midway to get a closer look at a road crossing and the right-of-way; but the rails were empty again. This railroad has been more elusive to railfan than I anticipated. It is uncertain when, if ever, I will have another chance to see Black Mesa trains.

Thursday was a beautiful day as I headed for Durango. But August is the monsoon season in the Southwest and I arrived at the tracks of the DSNG just ahead of the rain. What was even more unfortunate, the clouds still had not parted on Friday morning. Not optimal weather for picture taking. But it at least it was not raining as it had on the Photographers' Special last September. My ride for this day would to be on the Eureka from Durango to Silverton. First stop was at Rockwood for taking on wood. This is a wood-burner after all and the Eureka burns plenty of wood. We would stop twice  later for water. Rockwood was also the place for us to wait for the second tourist train of the day to pass. The scheduled DSNG locomotives are much bigger and faster than the little Eureka. The DSNG train did make a  brief flag stop in Rockwood to take on a family of backpackers. Trains will stop to pick up and drop off people headed into the backcountry. The train provides the only access to this roadless, rugged area.

With the passage of the DSNG train we reboarded our train and resumed the trip to Silverton. North of Rockwood (more properly "west" in the days of Rio Grande operations) our small consist ventured out onto the precipitous High Line. More money was spent blasting a narrow ledge out of the 500 foot high cliff above the Las Animas River than on construction of all the rest of the line between Durango and Silverton. Beyond the High Line the tracks descend to cross the Las Animas on the High Bridge. Which is not very high but it is the highest bridge on the route. Here we stopped for our first run-by. This is also where the Rio Grande Southern goose  would catch up with us so we could photograph both pieces of equipment crossing the bridge. The goose is a most novel contraption devised in the shops of the Rio Grande Southern during the Great Depression. One of the few reliable sources of revenue during that time was a government contract to carry the mail. However, the mail and other limited freight was insufficient to profitably operate a steam train. The RGS answer was to create rail motorcars to carry the small amount of cargo and occasional passengers.

As we proceeded up the line toward our Silverton destination we made a few more stops for photo run-bys, replenishing our water supply, and for meets in the afternoon for DSNG trains returning from Silverton to Durango. At one point it became a little uncertain if we were going to get to Silverton at all. The steepest part of the line required a lot of power and therefore steam from the little locomotive. We stopped to let the steam pressure rebuild. The problem occurred when they attempted to resume our trip. An earlier rain shower had made the track a little wet and slippery. We backed up to sand the track, but the wheels still slipped and we were just a little further from Silverton than before. More sanding, more slipping, without any forward progress. Some of the steam we stopped to replenish now had to be released so the application of power to the wheels could be just a little more gentle to avoid the wheels slipping. Finally, slowly we began to move forward again.

Now we faced a problem of a different sort, at least for those of us wishing to make a photographic record of our trip. The Animas River canyon is very narrow and deep. The sun was beginning to sink below the high peaks causing the large sections of the canyon to pass into shade. Persistent clouds only made the situation more disappointing. Time to put the camera away and just enjoy the ride. My timing for my ride on the RGS goose the next afternoon made for the repeat of this problem. Whenever I again go to Railfest if I cannot do the roundtrips and must do only one-ways I will choose the rides from Silverton to Durango. That will allow me to get some better photos in the upper part of the canyon.

Sunday morning dawned with the beautiful sunny skies I had been wishing for. My rides on the Eureka and the goose were past, but I took some time before my departure for Grand Canyon to photograph the morning train out of Durango. Not so exotic as the goose or the Eureka perhaps, but narrow guage steam is still a great photographic subject. I followed the train as far as the Highline and then had to leave the beautiful San Juan mountains. I would have to be back to work at Grand Canyon the next day. A photo album of my Railfest trip can be found on the Augusta Stationmaster web site.

 

The Grand Canyon Railroad has seen fit to fire up its' steam locomotive over the Labor Day weekend for a few short hops out of Williams. Alas! No steam train will make it as far as the Grand Canyon. It is difficult to believe I have less than three weeks  remaining at the Grand Canyon before returning to Death Valley for the winter. The older you get the faster time seems to go by. I promise myself this winter I will make more trips from Death Valley railfanning and fewer trips to Las Vegas.

TRACKS IN THE MOJAVE
Topic: Railfan

One of the benefits of my current employment is the opportunity to live in new places and to explore unfamiliar regions.  Not long ago in the interest of seeing something new, I took a drive down to Mojave National Preserve. Among my new discoveries, I learned the difference between a National Park and a National Preserve is that hunting is allowed in a Preserve but not in a National Park. This is not of much significance for me since I no longer go hunting. I also learned  this Preserve holds the  world's largest forest of Joshua Trees. These trees do not provide the shady canopy usually expected in a forest. But they seem to be the most a desert can manage. These discoveries were not, however, what prompted me to visit the Mojave. The purpose of my journey was to visit a railroad museum in Kelso located south of Baker, California.

For my trip I traveled on California Highway 127 from Death Valley Junction to Baker. This provided an opportunity to retrace a portion of the Tonopah & Tidewater RR route between those locations. Death Valley Junction sits just east of Death Valley National Park. It was where the Death Valley narrow guage railroad met the T&T. Death Valley railroad was built by the US Borax Company to service their mine at Ryan. As mining declined at the facility the Borax Company sought other  sources of revenue and began encouraging travelers to visit this previously remote area. During the early days of tourism in Death Valley the Junction was the major gateway for visitors to Valley. Passengers from the Union Pacific could transfer in Ludlow to the T&T. The DVRR train would take them to Ryan where touring automobiles of the era could then take them the final miles to Furnace Creek Inn in the center of Death Valley. A few ties of the old Tonopah &Tidewater standard guage can still be found in right of way at Death Valley Junction. Also  visible is the grade for the wye which marked the starting point for the Death Valley Railroad. Between Death Valley Junction and Tecopah the highway parallels the T&T or, in some cases the old roadbed is buried under the current road. The highway and the railroad part company south of Tecopah where the T&T enters Amargosa Canyon and the highway instead goes up and over the mountains. A few miles north of Baker the old roadbed of the T&T rejoins Route 127.

From Baker, the Tonopah & Tidewater headed southwest down the broad valley to Ludlow toward its' junction with the Union Pacific.  This UP route began its' existence as the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, a rare example of a western railroad which actually reached both of the locales in its' name. I had discovered some time ago a relic of the LA & SL  sitting in the ghost town of Rhyolite on the northeast border of Death Valley National Park. Given the T&T junction with the Union Pacific at Ludlow, California, it seems reasonable a LA&SL caboose might show up in Rhyolite. My guess is the Tonopah & Tidewater railroad had inherited this piece of equipment and abandoned the caboose in Rhyolite before they ceased operations. As you can see from the photo the caboose is in pretty poor condition. The lack of trucks seem to indicate it was used  for storage or some other purpose before the last train left Rhyolite.

While the old T&T line ran to the southwest from Baker, the road to Kelso instead heads more or less south from Baker. In this direction the valley floor is interrupted by numerous volcanos which erupted from the valley floor 10,000 or 15,000 years ago. The same geologic forces which created the volcanoes also pushed up a huge granite dome many miles wide. It was this dome blocking the way to Las Vegas and Salt Lake which created the railroad's need for Kelso. A source of water near by and the grade to the north made Kelso a good site as a base for steam era helper locomotives.

The Kelso station which still stands today was not really a station in the terms we usuallly think. It was primarily for railroad employes. The upper floor contained bedrooms for crew members who were there temporarily. The main floor was occupied by a beanery largely used  to feed employees. There was also an office for a dispatcher and telegraph. Itdid have a ticket window and small waiting area for passengers. The basement held a pool table and place for railroad employees to relax while off duty.

 

Kelso station has been renovated to serve as the Visitors Center. Today the beanery is still in operation, but now it serves visitors to the National Presereve. Park Service offices occupy some of the building, but most space is devoted to historical and interpretive exhibits. As a model railroader a diorama in the basement was of particular interest to me. The diorama depicts Kelso as it appeared at its' most active during World War II. I was pleased to see they had chosen to model it in N scale. Concrete slabs or crumbling walls mark most of what is left of the original town of Kelso. But Kelso is not a ghost town. There are still several modern houses on the south side of the tracks which are home for Union Pacific employees. Kelso is still a railroad town.

As I went about taking photos outside, I kept hoping a UP train would make an appearance. The park ranger at the information desk said a train had passed through about an hour before my arrival and that there were typically 20 trains a day. Alas! not a train in sight. My time was limited by my need to be back in Death Valley before dark. A road paralleled the railroad tracks to the east. I decided to take the road as far as Cima and hoped to come upon a train before I had to head back north. I had not gone far when I found the reason for the absence of trains. A track crew was hard at work. So long as these fellows were here I was not going to see any trains and I kept on moving.

Cima  sits at the top of the grade from Kelso. There is a building identified as a US Post Office. Who it might serve is a mystery to me and appeared as if it might be unoccupied. There are a few small railroad structures in an advanced state of decay. There is still a wye where helpers would have been turned.  A modern Union Pacific communications tower resides in the center of the wye.

The stretch between Kelso and Cima could offer some opportunities for a few photos of desert railroading. There are a number of small bridges over dry washes. And some distant mountain peaks might provide an interesting background. Eastbound trains would be working hard up the grade possibly causing the diesels to emit a few belches of smoke. Joshua trees become more prevelant as the tracks gain elevation. The trees could provide some interesting companions for the trains.  It was already late afternoon. Although the sky was cloudless it was approaching the time of day which can favor some good shots. But time was not in my favor this day. I had no idea how late the track work embargo might run. There was no guarantee I would see any trains if I stayed and I wanted to avoid driving back to Death Valley after dark. So I turned my car away from the tracks and headed north.

Kansas City Hot Spot - The Gooseneck
Topic: Railfan
Kansas City had become a major rail center. I have found a place to watch trains which always seems to have a lot of activity. It is located in an area known as "The Bottoms". The rail press has often taken notice of the area for its' vintage warehouse and factory buildings.

There are plenty of unique buidings looking begging for the right place on a layout. It can't be denied there is a treasure trove here for urban historians, railbuffs, and model railroaders. As a modeler, I find inspiration down every street.



These buildings provide a great backdrop for a lot of railroading, however. I first visited the site last year and stopped off there a week ago while returning from Denver. It is accessed from Saint Louis Ave. and Beardsley Road immediately west of the downtown. On my first visit a local railfan advised me that is known as the "gooseneck", no doubt because of the contorted routes tracks follow between the Missouri River and the bluffs.


























The Gooseneck can be a very busy place. Whenever I've visited there's been an average of at least a half dozen trains every hour.

There is also a pretty fair variety of trains to be seen. Unit coal train are, of course, very frequent. But there are also many freights and even some light locomotive movements. BNSF dominate the traffic but other roads are visitors.




Model railroading is my primary interest, however, I enjoy watching the real thing too. I didn't have a scanner with me but I really didn't need it to catch the action. UP, BNSF, NS, and KCS all have large terminals in the Kansas City area, American Railcar has a service facility, and there are plenty of industrial areas with railroad customers. All of which make this a great place for modeler and railfan alike to visit.