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Where is the American Southwest? One might be tempted to pick up a map and point toward specific states that, within the borders of the U.S., are literally south and west, yet this is a bit fraught — is all of California the “Southwest”? Does Texas belong, or Oklahoma, or Arkansas, or Kansas? To many people, it is not state borders, but rather a certain look, feel, and rhythm that define the Southwest, and much of this was crafted by the passenger department of Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway.

Its goal was to solve a problem — Santa Fe’s eastern lines, stretching west from Chicago across Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas, had plenty of agricultural traffic and a fair amount of towns and cities. The farther west the main line went, however, the drier the land became, less fertile, less populated. Almost everything from Colorado to Southern California was arid, even bone-dry. The potential for lineside traffic? Equally dry. But Santa Fe posed this question to Americans — what if that same barren landscape was, when viewed through a Pullman car window, distinctive scenery, viewable nowhere else in the world?

Through prose, painting, and photography, all prominently featured in company advertising, Santa Fe heavily marketed the Southwest as a place of scenic wonder. But its efforts went beyond the printed page and into design and architecture. Where eastern depots were often modest frame buildings, those in the Southwest frequently used — or appeared to use — adobe construction and Spanish clay roof tiles. Hotels, restaurants, and other concessions carried Native or Spanish names, while inside of them, gift shops sold baskets, blankets, rugs, and jewelry, the design of which was inspired by (and often made by) Native peoples. Company designers, chief among them architect Mary J. Colter, sometimes adjusted colors and forms to better suit tourist tastes.

Theming extended aboard the trains themselves, from names such as El Capitan, Chief, and Super Chief to decorative patterns on dining car china inspired by thousand-year-old Native pottery from southern Arizona.

This is not to say Santa Fe invented the Southwest alone. Other railroads, eager to claim their share of a growing tourism trade, played a role, as did countless entrepreneurs across the region. Perhaps the most striking example came in 1912, when citizens of Santa Fe, N.M., voted to remake their city, bit by bit, so it would appear older, more Spanish, and more Native — transforming many late 19th-century American buildings into a kind of romanticized Pueblo village. The result, even if rooted partly in fantasy, is undeniably beautiful.

And in the wake of the tourism market that the railway had built came numerous auto tourists, many traveling the two-lane blacktop of Route 66, designated a national highway in 1926. On page 28, Elrond Lawrence celebrates the relationship between the railway and this highway, which marks its centenary.

The occasion is bittersweet. The Super Chief is gone, and much of Route 66 survives only in fragments, bypassed by modern freeways. Some aspects of the past are better left behind, but the sense of wonder Santa Fe created around the Southwest — however carefully constructed — is worth preserving. It encouraged travelers to slow down, look out the window, and see a landscape once regarded as an obstacle as one of the most beautiful places in the world. Yes, it was done to sell tickets, but it was also a remarkable gift.

—Alexander Benjamin Craghead is a transportation historian, photographer, artist, and author.

The post Inventing the Southwest appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Staff Special/photos as noted

You would be forgiven if you experienced a bit of sensory overload while attending America 250 Locomotive Celebration at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer. Walking the grounds, it almost felt surreal to see so many different pieces of equipment together in the same place. From August 28–30, more than 30 locomotives, along with a caboose and a set of commemorative boxcars, assembled at the museum in honor of the 250th anniversary of American independence. The roster represented all six Class I railroads, along with short lines, regionals, passenger operators, museums, and preservation groups from across the country — not to mention a tremendous amount of logistical effort to get everything to the museum in time for this special once-in-a-lifetime event.

For those of us who made the trip to Spencer, the appeal was obvious from the moment we stepped onto the grounds. Everywhere we looked there was another splash of red, white, and blue, from names familiar and foreign. Some units wore brand-new America 250 schemes, while others represented restored Bicentennial designs. The museum’s Bob Julian Roundhouse and turntable provided a natural stage, with locomotives rotating in and out for display while trains moved around the grounds throughout the weekend.

ABOVE: Delaware-Lackawanna M-630 1776 (ex-Pacific Great Eastern 707) was the lone Alco/MLW representative at the special event. —Otto M. Vondrak

The lineup also showcased an impressive cross-section of locomotive history, with everything from first-generation diesels to the latest high-horsepower road power. Delaware-Lackawanna’s M-630 1776 was the lone Alco/MLW representative, while Aberdeen, Carolina & Western’s former Canadian National GMD SD60F brought an uncommon cowl-bodied design to the lineup. Vintage GP9s, GP38-series locomotives, Naugatuck Railroad’s U23B, and classic SD45s provided plenty of variety from earlier generations, standing in sharp contrast to the newest Wabtec and EMD units on display.

One of the real highlights for us was seeing three restored Bicentennial locomotives gathered in one place. Southern California Railway Museum brought Santa Fe SD45-2 5704 all the way from Perris, Calif.; Virginia Museum of Transportation sent high-hood Norfolk & Western SD45 1776; and Midwest Overland Rail Preservation Society displayed Milwaukee Road SD40-2 156. It was the first time all three were together since they were part of a special photo shoot in Chicago sponsored by Trains in 1976. Seeing MILW 156 carried a little extra meaning for us because White River Productions was a proud cosponsor of its restoration and repainting.

ABOVE: BNSF 1776 and ATSF 5604 were paired up briefly for photo opportunities, offering a comparison between Santa Fe’s Bicentennial design and BNSF’s updated interpretation for America’s 250th. —Michael T. Burkhart

It was amazing to have all of this equipment staged for photography, and the weather turned out better than expected. But the real experience came from simply walking the grounds, comparing details, talking with railroaders and preservationists, and watching visitors take it all in.
Railfan & Railroad was proud to play a part in the festivities, hosting two sold-out night photo sessions for 200 photographers each evening. White River Productions was also a major sponsor of the event.

We hope you enjoy this gallery of some of our favorite moments from a remarkable weekend in Spencer — one that brought together railroading past and present in a way we may not see again for a very long time…

ABOVE: Photographers ringed the turntable throughout the afternoon, waiting for each locomotive to rotate into position for a clean portrait. On August 28, Naugatuck Railroad 2798 takes its turn in the spotlight as cameras line the edge of the pit. —Otto M. Vondrak

The post America 250 Locomotive Celebration at Spencer appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

by Elrond Lawrence/photos by the author

On November 11, 2026, one hundred years will have passed since U.S. Highway 66 was commissioned, the creation of a committee of federal and state highway officials. Their leader, visionary businessman and politician Cyrus Avery, saw a need to unite a ragged patchwork of roads between Chicago and Los Angeles — many unpaved at the time — into a 2,448-mile route bearing the catchy designation “66” (“60” was a close contender, but ultimately lost out).

Of all the highways established during this era, U.S. 66 and the Lincoln Highway between San Francisco and New York are arguably the best known. But only Route 66 inspired an endlessly covered song, a television series, movies, books, and decades of merchandise emblazoned with its familiar highway shield and double sixes. This highway passed a mile from my home in the steel mill town of Fontana, Calif., and it was the same highway that took me to my first photographic efforts in Cajon Pass during the 1980s. As I discovered the highway, its last link was being replaced by Interstate 40 in northern Arizona, leading to its official decommissioning in 1985.

ABOVE: An eastbound BNSF Railway freight winds through Kingman Canyon, Ariz., alongside Route 66 in July 2020.

Most railfans can relate to the thrill of pursuing trains via old two-lane blacktop roads, and for this Californian, the “old road” in Cajon was my first taste of freedom. It began by riding with family and friends, especially in friend Bob Spinuzzi’s ’68 Chevelle, and then it expanded with my first car — a green 1974 Ford Maverick that lacked in coolness what it rocked in speed. Mad chases of Santa Fe, Union Pacific, and Southern Pacific trains from San Bernardino to Summit ensued… then the canvas widened with trips to the high desert cities of Victorville, Barstow, and Needles. In the early 1990s, my eyes opened to the relationship between Route 66 and Santa Fe Railway, spanning more than 800 miles together in the American Southwest from California to New Mexico.

It’s been 35 years since my wife, Laura, joined me for the first large-scale road trip from San Bernardino, Calif., to Tucumcari, N.M., in fall 1991. Daughter Kathryn became a fellow road warrior during the early 2000s, as BNSF Railway’s colors slowly assimilated the old Santa Fe image, and I steadily completed a project that became the book Route 66 Railway, first published in 2008. During the 2020s, solo outings and additional trips with Laura have taken a more reflective tone; each visit reveals new changes, losses, and rebirth.

ABOVE: In November 2005, a large highway mural painted on an old Santa Fe caboose celebrates Gallup, N.M.’s ties to both Route 66 and the railroad.

As the variety and color of Santa Fe gave way to standardized BNSF trains over the busy Transcon, my focus shifted even more toward the towns, roadside attractions, and southwest scenery that surround the former AT&SF. From the 1980s through the early 2010s, my photography spotlighted locomotives and cars equally with the land they traversed. Today, it’s more about the trackside experience and finding stories that contrast the busy railroad with the traces of past glories.

The thrill of railroading is still alive, as is the mystique of the deserts, forests, cities, and faded towns that make up the shared railroad and highway experience. The icons are there too — bridges towering and small, road signs, gas stations, and neon signs, along with repurposed cabooses, backyard boxcars, and locomotive museum pieces.

ABOVE: A westbound BNSF Railway freight passes the silent gas pumps at Bellemont, Ariz., in August 2004.

The people along Route 66 keep all these alive, embodied by 99-year-old Angel Delgadillo, a retired barber in Seligman, Ariz., with an infectious smile, who since the 1980s has played a key role in reviving Route 66 with nostalgia tourism. In 2004, I asked Angel to pose with the old Havasu Harvey House in Seligman, then facing demolition despite efforts by BNSF to donate the building (sadly, the town couldn’t raise the funds to move it)…

The post A Hundred Years on the Route 66 Railway appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

The Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Steam Locomotive Trust has acquired two former PRR E8A locomotives from the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society and has contracted the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad to perform a full restoration on the pair. The T1 Trust group plans to operate restored PRR 5702A and 5761A alongside T1 steam locomotive 5550, which is currently under construction and will be the first new main line steam locomotive built in the U.S. since the 1950s. A total of 450 E8s were produced by Electro-Motive between 1949 and 1954.

“While our primary mission remains the completion of T1 No. 5550, this acquisition helps us preserve and interpret a broader spectrum of Pennsylvania Railroad innovation for future generations,” stated Brad Noble, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Steam Locomotive Trust.

These locomotives mark the first motive power acquisition for T1 Trust and are the first diesel locomotives to be owned by the group. Iowa Pacific Holdings previously owned the locomotives, but they were sold to Fort Wayne Railroad following the company’s bankruptcy and liquidation. The group had been evaluating several long-term preservation opportunities while $40,000 in storage costs were raised through the sponsorship of a private donor, who also financed the sale of the locomotives to the T1 Trust.

Jason Johnson, general manager of the T1 Trust, says he is excited about the chance to operate the locomotives again.

“It’s a great addition for the T1 Trust,” he said. “I’m a big fan of the early streamlined diesels even though they replaced the T1s. I’m still partial to that era of diesel locomotives, so I’m looking forward to seeing them operate again just as they did in passenger service.”

The locomotives will spend the winter at the WMSR shops in Cumberland, Md., for mechanical and cosmetic work, and T1 Trust hopes to have them out by some time next year. WMSR Executive Director Wesley Heinz shared that the organization is humbled to play a role in the future of these historic pieces of railroad history.

“WMSR and the T1 Locomotive Trust have worked together on several projects that have been beneficial to both organizations. We look forward to evaluating the locomotives to determine what the next steps might look like.”

PRR 5702A and 5761A were built by EMD in 1952 and were among 75 E8A locomotives built for the Pennsylvania Railroad. They owned the largest fleet of the type. Locomotives 5702A and 5761A have gone through many ownership changes following their service on the PRR, having been operated by Penn Central, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Green Mountain Railroad, and Central New York Chapter NRHS, before joining the Iowa Pacific fleet in 2012. Proposed for use on their Saratoga & North Creek operation, the units were never activated and instead sold into private ownership following the collapse of Iowa Pacific in 2020. They spent the last several years stored on a short line in upstate New York until FWRHS considered them for their own excursion operation in Indiana.

Over the past five years, several long-term preservation opportunities were evaluated as FWRHS stewarded more than $40,000 in storage costs sponsored by a private donor, and the sale to the T1 Trust now ensures the locomotives will continue contributing to the preservation and interpretation of the Pennsylvania Railroad and its contributions to the railroad industry.

The historic streamlined units are currently en route to the WMSR in Cumberland, and no schedule has been released for their completion.

— Nick Stewart

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