Hello all... Hoping someone here can help me with answers or direct me to a site that may help... Since I'm modifying my door layout in the "Santa Fe" room to better reflect my original inspiration for it- Kingman Canyon-I have some questions about how it may have looked dring the 50's... I've been to the canyon several times on railfan trips, and have access to dozens of photos of it in recent years, but I'm having great difficulties finding reference pics during my chosen modelling era...1957.. I originally gravitated toward a Kingman Canyon style layout because of the two tracks having seperation through most of the canyon...both laterally, and vertically...and I've gone ahead and modified the door layout to add another loop of track outside of the original 'loop', and at a lower level. This necessitated the abandonement of the foreground hwy and it's truss bridge in favor of another track (I still represent route 66 on the two forward corners...however, the whole 'taste' of the layout has moved 'westward' across Arizona rather than New Mexico... The Rock formations of this region are every bit as interesting as the New Mexico area I was originally modelling, and firmly fixes the area in the American Southwest...but I gain a substantial benefit in 'eye candy' by modelling an area where the eastbound/westbound tracks are not parrallel to each other... The track plan is simply one loop within the other, with no turnouts, crossovers, etc...the layout is, basically, a large 'test track'...built to test and run locos and rolling stock as they leave the workbench, with the added benefit of contributing to the decor of the Southwest-styled office/bedroom...this layout is allowing me to really jump back into the hobby and allowing me to test and practice techniques in painting and scenery. Also, by adhering to the KISS method of trackplanning, I can easily use fine scale trackage without the usual concerns with turnouts-tracking, electrical issues, etc. Here's my question...I'm trying to model the 'feel' of the canyon; I don't care to model it exactly...but I do want to include a couple of low trestles on the 'lower' track, and a deck girder bridge on the 'upper' track ( a la Holy Moses Wash)... Is the low concrete trestle seen in these last two pics a newer trestle, or is it representative of the way this track looked in 1957? if not...what did this trestle look like?...the girder bridges have been in place since before the 50's if I'm not mistaken... also, and Randgust could answer this for me, was this area back to 'right hand running'?...I seem to remember the area from Williams Junction westward had, generally, returned to the standard 'right hand running' rules, but I'd appreciate some clarification... Thanks, Bruce
Low concrete trestle came after your time frame. It was a heavy wooden low trestle until sometime in the mid 1960s. I have a picture in one of my ATSF books of Kingman Canyon and it shows the wood version circa 1959. This is a section I am modeling as well! As it says, Barstow to Winslow ...... I have the track plans here somewhere.
David! Thank you for that info!...a timber trestle would really look great in this location...I'm going to continue a search for period pics of this area...I want the layout to capture the 'feel' of this area without having to duplicate, 'perfectly' exact rock formations at exact locations, etc...in other words, some select compression and artistic liscence...but I want the track and infrastructure to be era-specific Thanks, Bruce
This Merrick book has the most detailed information of ATSF line relocation and construction across Arizona, as well as some of the operational issues. http://www.amazon.com/Santa-Fe-Rout...qid=1345137243&sr=1-8&keywords=Arizona+Myrick I'll check it out when I get a chance and see what's in it for that area. It's astounding how much got moved, relocated, regraded, and changed across the state during the ATSF history.
Thanks, Randgust... can't believe the price for that volume!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! was this right hand running territory? Bruce
I can't remember the spot where it changed over to LH running when the second main track was built...I 'think' it was east of there, but until I check the maps I can't be sure. PM me your email address so I can email you any photo/page scans - I won't post them online. Myrick takes each geographic section of the main line and does the entire history of it. His maps explaining construction and line relocations are exquisite, the only way to understand what is going on. The Crookton line relocation wasn't until 1960. Up until that point most of Arizona into New Mexico was LH running. I also have the full three volume of "Santa Fe Sytem Standards" plans that includes standard pile trestles (ballasted and open), and the "Santa Fe Bridges" books (with drawings) so there's probably all the resources you need given your relatively small concept here.
I've discovered that right hand running was pretty much the rule in Kingman Canyon, but I'm still looking for any pics of the Canyon during the 50's...telephone poles, signals, etc...can't seem to find anything with normal searches... Thanks, Bruce
