Headed to the desert..Help!

[Sir_Prize]

Hey ya'll!
I posted this up on the Railfanning Area, but came over here to put in a flag to head there.
Come Mid-April I'm gonna be out West at the Grand Canyon, Albuquerque, San Antonio, and New Orleans. I'm looking for tips on sights out there.
So, if ya think of something head over there and let me know.
Thanks heaps!
Maybe I'll even get to see some of y'alls in person :eek: graemlins/220.gif graemlins/notworthy.gif

[Powersteamguy1790]

Originally posted by Sir_Prize:
Hey ya'll!
I posted this up on the Railfanning Area, but came over here to put in a flag to head there.
Come Mid-April I'm gonna be out West at the Grand Canyon, Albuquerque, San Antonio, and New Orleans. I'm looking for tips on sights out there.
So, if ya think of something head over there and let me know.
Thanks heaps!
Maybe I'll even get to see some of y'alls in person :eek: graemlins/220.gif graemlins/notworthy.gif Go to Williams Arizona and take the train to the Grand Canyon.


Stay cool and run steam...... graemlins/cool.gif :cool: :cool:

[ak-milw]

I was going to suggest the same thing, great ride!! graemlins/220.gif

[watash]

If you go through Pecos, Texas, make a short side trip to Carlsbad, New Mexico and visit the Carlsbad Caverns there. It is spectacular and the millions of bats fly out at early morning sun up, and back in at sun set. Best to walk down into the caverns on the tour, eat lunch, then take the elevator 700 feet back to the surface. If you can't walk that far, re-think the trip.

[BALOU LINE]

Yes, the Grand Canyon Railway is a great trip and worth every penny. I'm kinda partial to the station in Flagstaff, but that's my home town (also proves Arizona is not ALL desert). South of Flag there is the Verde Canyon Railroad (http://www.verdecanyonrr.com/) which runs out of Clarkdale, and the drive through Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona is just spectacular.
Enjoy the beautiful weather.

[ March 15, 2005, 07:54 AM: Message edited by: BALOU LINE ]

[Sir_Prize]

Watash-- May hae to skip this trip. Grams will be there, her hips ain't good.

Balou- -That's what my boss said, too.

Powersteam--Heard that from Peirce.
AK-Milw-- It's the thought. Thanks.

[Pete Nolan]

You can also take the elevator down at Carlsbad. Some of the tours are gentle and, I believe, even wheelchair accessible.

There are great railfanning spots all over New Mexico. There's a ton of traffic through the BNSF Belen yard, about 40 miles south of Albuquerque (ABQ). I've heard there is good action in Vaughan, which is some distance southeast of ABQ.

As for tourist attractions, there are hundreds. Your best bet there is to get a Fodor's or other travel guide. Santa Fe's an hour north of ABQ; historic ruins are all around; spectacular scenery happens at a turn in the road. The eastern part of NM is, by and large, the last of the Great Plains--pretty dull at times. But the rest of the state isn't dull at all.

[Sir_Prize]

Pete- thanks.

Any shops worth looking through for old kits?

[Pete Nolan]

Well, Wig-Wag's store is here in Albuquerque--all N scale. He may have some interesting stuff in on consignment. And there's Trains West, which is all scales, and full retail. Southwest Hobbies and Hobbies and Stuff are the other two full-line (planes, cars, models, etc.) hobby shops that I'm familiar with: neither has that great a selection of train stuff.

As far as finding old kits, I don't know of a shop here. George at Wig-Wag is pretty good at finding stuff. I think shops that might have had old stuff folded quite some time ago. I've been in some that folded during my time here (since 1991); I found little of interest.

[Sir_Prize]

That's right Wigwag is out there... There goes me wallet!
Hmmm... Sounds like 2 shops in PHX and W.W. in your neck of the woods. Thanx Pete.

[atsf_arizona]

In Phoenix, LHS:

An Affair with Trains, on west side of Phx
Roy's Train World, in Mesa

Clubs:

Scottsdale Sun-N-Sand, McCormick Railroad Park, Scottsdale. contact LongTrain on the Atlas N scale forum for more info

Railfanning:

Grand Canyon Railroad: need I say more? (smile)

Verde Canyon Railroad: ex-Santa Fe branch, I've been told it's a great scenery. About 2 hours drive north of Phoenix to get there.

If you're really into railfanning, you can find on old ex-Santa Fe Peavine spots in and near Prescott, Skull Valley, Drake (this is all northwest of Phoenix on highway 89 going thru Prescott) and especially the big Hell Canyon Bridge (photo by Tom Fassett):

http://home.comcast.net/~j.sing/Peavine_a_Hell_Canyon_Bridge_small.jpg

Hope this helps!

[Sir_Prize]

John -Thanks It did... Local clubs... LHS's...
Sweet shot of a cool spot... :D
not to sure if they're to the west of PHX, after the Canyon we're headed east to Albuquerque
(and killing my wallet at Wig-Wag's graemlins/220.gif graemlins/wink.gif )

--By the way--- Enjoy your postings from trips. graemlins/notworthy.gif

[Sir_Prize]

AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!
There IS a reason after a certain age one travels on their own.
ONLY YOU control the when and where
The trip has been canceled. :mad: :mad: graemlins/shakehead.gif graemlins/shakehead.gif

I can see where they are coming from though...
The new siding is gonna be put on the house;
the guy doing it tends to hike prices
while talking to him. :eek:

Time to fall back and punt.

I do thank ALL of you that gave me tips and sights. Perhaps I can use them later. :D graemlins/220.gif

[BALOU LINE]

I realize you're not going now, but I had to share this link to the Verde Canyon Railway (http://www.verdecanyonrr.com/index2.html) . The paint job on there units is a must see. I guess if I'm gonna stay true to my signature I kinda have to model this one graemlins/headscratch.gif hmmmmm....