I will be going to vegas in April and driving to williams to take the Grand Canyon Railroad. We will be arriving on tuesday in the afternoon. Going to go along the old route 66. I can see from the maps that the main line does travel along 66 in spots. How much traffic can i expect to see on the main line during the course of the day. From my expereinces around here in New Emgland we do experience dead times especially during the mid afternoon. We should be arrivng in Williams around 1 or 2. What can I expect. I do know that I could still see snow on the ground and the temperatures can be rather chilly. Any help would be appreicated so i can plan my time
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Posted by RRCHINA (Member # 1514) on :
When driving from Las Vegas you will encounter I-40 and old Route 66 at Kingman. When leaving that city you may take 66 thru Hackberry, Valentine and Peach Springs and be near to, or adjacent to the double track TRANSCON of BNSF. There are 80+ trains per day along this "transcontinental" TRANSCON route. As you proceed you may drive on thru Seligman still along the RR and then join I-40 at exit 139. This is about 100 miles of opportunity to see the former Santa Fe in action. Unfortunately Amtrak traverses this area at night. However, at Williams,before and after the train to Grand Canyon, you may also see the TRANSCON in all its viewing glory. Make local enquiry, but I suggest Williams jct., about 3 RR miles east of Williams and accessable by auto on public roads as a great place for viewing. A word of caution, because of the recent threats to our nation and its infrastructure you should not trespass on BNSF private roads because the train crews may radio ahead to authorities if they feel there is a threat. Let us know how this works out.
RRCHINA
Posted by jmc80mac7 (Member # 2433) on :
Just to let you know that I did go to Williams AZ and it was great. We went there last Tuesday and to our surprize there was three inches of snow on the ground. the wind was howling and I thought I was back in Conn. I finally found william Junction after driving through much that was up to the fllorboards of the rental car. Found the Junction and waited. The mainteance department had taken out one of the track for work. When it was realzied at about 330 the parade began. From that point on I saw 4 westbounds and 1 eastbound in the the span of about three hours,I twas really great. except that whn i got out of the car the first time i sunl into mud up to the tops of my sneakers, but who cared!!! The trains put on a great show for me aws I was video taping them. They put on their ditch lights and blew their horns. I guess they knew I was not from around the area with my NY Giants sweatshirt and hat on. It was really great. I want to thank all the people that replied to me with their directions they were right on the mark.
thanks again
Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :
So... How far is town from the train station?
I'm staying at the Budget Host. It's supposed to be 1/2 mile from the train station, and we'll be walking there at around 10:00 pm.
Is it well lit? Is it an easy walk with rolling suitcases? Anything we need to look out for?
8 days and a wake-up til train time!
Posted by RRCHINA (Member # 1514) on :
mikesmith, the Grand Canyon RR depot is in town. The Wms. Jct. stop for Amtrak #3 & #4 is about five miles out of Williams. There should be ground transportation there to meet the Amtrak arrivals and departures.
You can pull your luggage from the Budget Host to the GC RR depot if weather permits. As we just heard from the previous post it can still be snowing at this 6000' elev. Usually the motels will help with transpo. as there is considerable competition and they need to keep customers happy.
Let us know of your experiences.
jmc80mac2, thanks for your post. Glad you got to see the action at Wms. Jct. Did you drive along old Hwy. 66 from Kingman to Seligman and see the double track action of the BNSF?
Posted by jmc80mac2 (Member # 2076) on :
yes I did and of corse they were doing maintenace work. I only saw a lite engine move to the east all the way along 66. After 400 that is when the action took place it was great
Posted by canyonrat (Member # 2461) on :
jmc80mac2, I was out photographing trains on the same day you were because I remember they were working on the track, no trains until 3:30. I finally saw one while waiting at the bridge over the tracks on old U.S. 66 (now Crookton Road) between Ash Fork and Seligman, and they put on a show for me too with the horn a-blowin'. That bridge BTW is a great place to photograph trains.
Usually the Seligman Sub has 70+ freights a day rolling through, double track all the way west to Needles, lots of great locations for train watching. The track through downtown Williams (which is also the one that runs through downtown Ash Fork) is actually on the BNSF Phoenix Sub which runs to Phoenix and gets about 10 trains a day. The Seligman Sub and Phoenix Sub split at Williams Junction and the Seligman Sub tracks run a little north of town, take Airport Road north from Williams and you will drive under a bridge where the Seligman Sub tracks cross, excellent spot for photos.
i thank all of you that gave me information it really was a great time. The only thing that i wish was that it was not as cold. I thought I was back in conn. LOLOl but otherwise, if was a great time. I can hardly wait to go back there again next year. thanks again for all your information it was very helpful