The writing inside the tunnel was surveyor markings. I believe the P.C.C. abbreviation stands for “Point of Compound Curvature” which is the point at which two different centerline radii meet. I am less sure but I believe the degrees and minutes posted define one of the two radii and represent the angle that defines a centerline chord length of 100’. Since surveyors can’t measure around the arc of the centerline, they chose to define the curves they laid out by “Chord Definition” (straight lines). Love your videos !!!!!!
@rdsam Thanks for explaining this to us. I travel the US on Amtrak and claim to be a train lover but I didn’t know anything about this although I have wondered how they did it. 🎶
BTW a 10 degree curve is very sharp for a mainline railroad. Given the 2.1% grade and that curve, I would expect that freight trains came through here at about 25 MPH.
The crater at 3:20 is not a sink hole it's a maar volcano caused by rising magma interacting with groundwater and causing a big steam explosion. That whole area is volcanic with many basalt lava flows. The black rock exposed on the edges of the crater is a basalt lava flow that the explosion blew through. I'm a geologist/volcanologist.
I agree... Steve's ability to do the research and ferret out all of this background history is amazing. I'd love to have him as a genealogist to help fill in my family tree!!
I live a 100 miles away from Johnson's tunnel and you would be surprised at all the old stuff we have in our area.. Hopefully he went to Steel dam and Stone dam which are just down the road. They are pretty impressive
The piece of metal with the four holes in it it’s called a joint bar. They are used to connect to pieces of rail of rail together one on each side of the rail joint with bolts going through it. I’ve been railroad for 30 years.
in 1959 me and two friends went from detroit to needles calif route 66 started in chicago we drove in a 1950 ford. we probly drove that stretch of highway. oh does this bring back some memories. i really enjoy all of your adventures very much cause you really do your research as well as explaining everything in great detail. god bless and keep them comming, respectfully David Lasanen
@@PlanetRockJesus Hitchhiking used to be a good way to get around. In 1976 my brother lucked out hitching from Sacramento CA to Greenville SC with 5 rides in 4 days, driving in shifts for two of them. In St. Louis MO his ride dropped him off at a truck stop where he overheard a guy on a pay phone saying he'd be in Greenville in a couple days as he'd need to sleep. When he hung up my brother asked him which "Greenville" as it's a common city name and they traveled non-stop from there. Folks don't stop to pick up riders anymore, kind of sad what the world's come to.
Hi, I live in New Zealand. Your video's inspired my wife and I and we just returned from a three week road trip to the US including a few of the places you have featured in California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. It was a great trip and we visited places we would never have known about without your video's, Thanks!
that's a "fishplate" used to join 2 rails together. older way of doing it. nowadays it's continuous rail ....or if they have to replace a section, there is thermite welding which will effectively join two rails into 1 continuous rail.
My father was a brakeman/conductor with the Santa Fe RR Co in WWII. Prior to his being accepted by the Railman union he was a "Bull"...a railroad security man. He worked this line as well as the railyards at the California end. When he was a brakeman on a freight train he was in a run-away accident, probably in Johnson Canyon. His back was broken and he spent several months in a full body cast but no paralysis. His route was from Gallup, NM to Los Angeles and Gallup east to somewhere. During WWII, after his accident he was the conductor on many troop trains moving American troops as well as German POWs. He loved the railman's life...hard and dangerous but always moving.
Sure got lucky with that broken back!! Wow!!! Both my parents were Santa Fe employees and my grandfather started working for the railroad when he was 13 selling donuts on the trains!!! I don't remember how long he work for them but I think that it was a record and he got a awesome gold toy train and a beautiful watch for his retirement!!! In Winslow the railroad was everything and now the station is a really beautiful hotel!!!
@@williamstamper442 You are correct. He used to tell us as a conductor during WWII that it was so sad to see the troops, all scared and sometimes acting with bravado, going off to the Pacific theater. In the war, German POWS were moved all around the country to disorient them so escape would be almot impossible. My dad commented that you could not tell the difference in the German POWs from American soldiers, same expression of fear and some bravado if you didn't hear them speak. Made him even more angry at Hitler and the Nazism. Being a brakeman on those freight trains meant that the brakeman walked the top of the box cars, setting manual brakes. On passenger trains the brakes were set in the walkthru between cars. Thank technology today for electrically controlled brakes and added safety.
Steve, I’ve been a UA-cam junkie for 10+ years. Your videos are second to none. Your research, story telling, and editing make your videos enjoyable to watch.
I've driven past the sign for Ashfork on the I-40 many times not knowing anything about the old railroad bed. I really appreciate your commentary, sort of bringing history to life in a new and interesting way.
I used to see part of the old roadbed and abutments (trestles removed) west of Ash Fork on Interstate 40 in the late 70s. Part of 66 was still in service at that time, and there was a grade crossing on Route 66 where the main line for Phoenix would cross. In 1979, it was protected by wig wag signals.
It's worth a quick detour to stop by the Route 66 museum at Ash Fork if you have a little extra time. It's not big but it has some pretty cool stuff from the area.
Thank you, again, Steve. Your content is so well written, recorded and produced. I can no longer travel as I used to, and vicariously traveling with you (all) is fantastic! (I imagine by WW2 the guard post would have had a radio and even daily replacements, until snow or other troubles blocked the tracks.)
Thank you, I truly appreciate it. I wish I could have found more info on the guard post. I wondered how many people were there. It's so remote there, the train coming by was probably the only excitement for the day.
@@SidetrackAdventures There were nights on Perimeter Guard Duty in Vietnam when the highpoint was a Jeep with coffee and sandwiches. And then there were the moonless nights with the unknown sounds ...
@@donalddodson7365 Cant even fathom what you all went through over there! Saw a documentary on Tunnel Rats that blew my mind. To hear todays online brats claim they got ptsd ot trauma from their daddy yelling to get a job is an insult to brave men like yourself. Thanks
Been there many times, You were also very close to one of only 3 steel dams in the US and there is an old cemetery up there. Also, the trail used to be washed out about a mile before the tunnel.
@@SidetrackAdventures There is also a "ceramic" dam just upstream from the Steel dam. Ive never found the Cemetary up there for the workers, but I think I know roughly where it is.
@@dravur I've been to the steel dam also, great place to stop and look around. We are train buffs. I'm going back again and next time I want to get to the tunnel.
My Grandfather drove trains (steam and diesel) for the AT&SF. He was from Oklahoma and later lived in California. He must have driven this route many times. He always loved being in the great outdoors.
The guard shack would have had a stove inside for heating and cooking. That would have been a dream job for me, I would have just brought enough books to last for my stint. I read so many books while hurrying up and waiting in the Army.
Re: The fill west of Johnson Canyon tunnel. Normally railroads would dump fill over a wooden trestle; especially before trucks and earthmovers were common, it was common to build a wooden trestle, lay a track on it, and then haul fill material onto the bridge with side-dump hopper cars. This is the first I've heard of a steel trestle being buried, but from the photo you showed, it looks spindly enough that the ATSF may have decided to bury it rather than reinforce it when they started bringing in heavy engines like 350 ton 2-10-2's in the 1920s.
We've done that on the Alaska Railroad, too - fill in through some bridges leaving most of the structure in place. You want to remove (or bury) the uppermost couple feet, though, so they don't snag on the track tamper machines.
Cool info. Based on that historic picture and said they had to lower the floor in the tunnel by few feet which makes me believe they too had to remove top portion of the bridge after it's been filled in to level with the new tunnel's floor height. Who knows if future generations will dig this up to see the old steel bridge.
Nice, over the years we have hiked in to the tunnel with scouts and spent the night several times (it gets very dusty with a bunch of kids shuffling their feet. I hope that you were able to visit the nearby stone and steel dams that were also built for the railroad, the steel dam is the only one of its kind that is standing in the west and I believe it is made of the same type of boiler plate used in the tunnel. Both are right off the old 66. Lots of history on that train line, as it also ran through Canyon Diablo.
Thanks for letting me know. I know its been quite some time, but I'm surprised at how good of a job they did removing the track (of course they may have tossed stuff down in the canyon as far as I know).
I followed along on Google maps because I absolutely love seeing where train tracks used to be or train tracks that aren't used anymore. Cool to see how the new and the old route differ. One of my favorite things ever is seeing evidence of things that are no more on Google maps
Yeah, I agree about what you said about the sound of a train on a defunct railway. I had a Stand by Me reaction when I heard it! Great adventure, Steve!
That was very interesting to watch. My husband and myself, watching from the UK, find your videos very restful. You have a very chilled out manner and have lots of information to give. The background music just softly playing is not intrusive but also helps to set the mood. We think that in years to come, people will know we were there because of plastic bottles and other plastic rubbish.
Yes, I also thought that the markings at the beginning of the tunnel referred to the degree of the radius of the curve within the tunnel. You really do great work, please keep it up. Thanks so much!
The craftsmanship that the overhead ironwork has is unbelievably perfect and mesmerizing. Another great video because I really like the history of old abandoned roads and railroads and your narration of it is just right.
The son of one of the station agents that was up there in the 40s wrote of his experience growing up there. He died several years ago. But his writing was in a railroad magazine not long before he passed. Very interesting stories!
I really enjoy these videos for all the work, research and effort you put into them, but what really makes it gold is the community of commenters that you have gathered, who have even more details/personal stories about the things in the videos! The whole package has made this one of my favorite UA-cam channels out there. Thanks for everything Steve!!
Its not the cans someone will see 100 years post civilization. They will corrode away as we see the ones here are getting thinner. Its the plastic bottles and parts that will last millenia... Thank you so much for these adventures!
I thoroughly enjoyed this.....I felt like I was right there with you. At 77 years old I still like nothing better than to get out and explore the world, much as I did at 12 years old. I had to laugh at one of your comments....just yesterday, here in Pennsylvania, I was walking an abandoned rail line, lost in fantasy, when a horn from a train on a nearby active track scared the bejabbers out of me for a moment.....
The “new” line to the north was opened in 1960, and was built to high standards with huge fills and broad sweeping curves. Passengers on Amtrak’s Southwest Chief roar along at 90mph unaware of the once-torturous route a few miles to the south.
@@RailwayProductions yes, there's a video here on UA-cam that covers that. It was Morrison Knudsen/Santa Fe project. It's called "A Better Way for the Santa Fe"
Hey man, love your shows, I think I should recommend that you get you, and your wifey, and kid an electric bike......you can go up, so quickly, and see all of this, and show them to us so much easier that just walking around....... I know you have a cool drone, that's great too!
Excellent video Steve! It made me imagine the lives of the people who lived in that hard scrabble kamp. "No church, no jail" says a lot. That walk back up the hill must of been a hard pull after working 10~12 hours of heavy manual labor.
I really enjoy your work. My traveling days are over now at almost 71 and improper medication caused small stroke, can’t drive and do have my rural log cabin home in the coastal Redwoods to take care of. Blessed to have been to most every state in the nation and western/ eastern Canada. 🌲⛰👨🌾🇺🇸✝️ Been to Williams, Az!
The quality of craftsmanship for the brick arch at the tunnel entrance among other masonry work and the metal tunnel liner is beyond compare. It could not be duplicated today.
George Westinghouse invented train/railroad airbrakes in 1869-ish... They were standardized and implemented full-time by 1872-ish. Federal Regulation and all that rot came a little bit later..... As an engineer, he saw too many catastrophic trainwrecks and death. He started working on it in the 1850's when railroads were still new-ish. Just an FYI. There's a lot of physics involved with that amount of steel on wheels on an incline with a power pack! 😬🫤🤔 That amount of Grade is not forgiving at all!
That distant shot of the tunnel as you were approaching it around 16:24 was pretty spectacular! The iron ceiling was also pretty awesome to see. Interesting that they had to lower the tunnel floor at one point. Nice video, Steve!
Sadly, it’s getting close. There’s much more rattle-can vandalism than there was the last time I was there years ago. Many of the concrete abutments and older remnants of the tracks and other railroad-related structures further west are slowly succumbing to these lowlifes and their perception of art.
@@gordocarboI don’t like seeing it anywhere!! To me, it’s just urban blight. But if they would at least have the decency to keep it out and away from open or natural places. But I suppose that’s asking too much.
@@Mark-jl6tl Agree. Here in La, socal it would be racist if laws prosecuted over it anymore which they dont. Seeing it on historic landmarks makes me ill. Who raises these people!
That was an interesting presentation of a railroad from days gone by. Me and a couple of buddies used to hike along old railbeds, like the Sacramento Northern route that started in Oakland and ran through the hills, up through Sacramento and up past Chico, with a number of spurs along the way. We found a lot of old glass insulators along the route on the back side of the Oakland hills. Up here in the Sierras where I now live, there are hundreds of miles of old rail beds built by logging railroads. There are still a few trestles out in the forest, and many of railroad right of ways were later widened by the US Forest Service and turned into roads after the rails were gone.
Next time I visit my Niece and her family that live in Ash Fork I will have to check that tunnel out, last time I was there I went down into the Grand Canyon at Peach Springs and camped in my 4Runner. It's great to have a side adventure when out and about visiting people, they have 4wheelers as well so we can drive most of the way to the tunnel, the rocks didn't look bad for a high clearance vehicle.
Just south of ashfork their the old section of 89 hwy that' still their pretty interesting we found it by accident when we were four Wheeling their also abandoned railroad tracks..the rail road went through Prescott.
4 місяці тому+1
But if you break down out there, will AAA come rescue you?
AAA doesn't cover most unpaved roads,and usually requires their Premier plan for RV's to do that. In places where most roads are gravel or improved dirt they might cover you, I don't know for sure. Standard AAA covers almost nothing, including vehicles with over 1/2 ton carrying capacity. Get the Premier, it's worth it.
The amount of work going into your videos is amazing. All of the research..... The production quality is so excellent. I worked in New Mexico for 3-4 months in the late 70s and this reminds me of my exploratory hikes down some of the canyons and up the ridges. Old roads, rusted out cars, crumbling buildings, and rusty old cans. Lol
Anyone else start the video going, "I don't have time to watch the whole thing.." and then you watched the whole thing? Nice work! Fascinating video and narration.
Agree that is gorgeous! Done by hand which blows me away. Depressing seeing young morons defacing the tunnel, they dont know nor give a crap about history.
We spent almost 6 years in Az & traveled extensively through it. I loved it & would’ve spent the rest of my life there. We went to Jerome, Tombstone, Bisbee, Apache Junction, Show Low, Payton, Prescott, & many other places, so much history! We lived in Peoria, Sun City & bought a house that was just built in Glendale. So much to do & see! Unfortunately my wife & daughter had medical issues so we moved back to Minnesota. If I had the chance, I would move back to Az in a heartbeat! Great video, so much history!
I noticed those "old pieces of wood laying around" you filmed were maybe Railroad Ties? Do you know every so often, the RR would hammer in a "date nail"? It would have 2 numbers on it. The 2 numbers would say "80". Which would mean 1880. Or maybe "10". Which would mean 1910. And so on...I would love to have one!
As a 70s kid was fascinated with early trains, structures, how they came up with processing iron gold, engines you name it. They had so much less to work with yet over 100 yrs later still standing and looking good. American pride baby!
Rode that RR trail on quads in 2010 from Ash Fork to Williams. Yes through the tunnel. It's closer to Williams except the two trussels that collapsed. You have to cross.
Watching in the UK, I have been saying for ages I just wish someone did old history about America and I've come across your videos absolutely brilliant I'm hooked thanks keep up the great work 👍
It's amazing how close the clearances were calculated for the sides and height of the tunnel. Thank you Steve, for another informative, well-researched and beautifully recorded/edited/narrated video. I'm going to share this with someone I know who lives in Northern Arizona. Cheers!
In Davenport Ca. there's an old trestle bridge that was filled in many years ago leaving the bridge encased inside. I was very surprised when I learned this. I'm assuming it was the most cost effective and I also assume they probably did the same with the trestle bridge near the tunnel in your video.
This is timely for me! I was just coming home to SF from seeing in-laws in L.A. a few weeks ago and we of course drove over the Grapevine. Usually we hate that area because of windy steep roads and crazy traffic conditions but this time we did it on a beautiful quiet morning. Lots of fall color in the creeks and canyons and I was super curious to leave the freeway and see what the old Fort looked like…but as usual, just too lazy to go explore. I am not yet able to live the glam adventurous “Steve” lifestyle. Now I know! Cool.
Very impressive tunnel structure and well preserved BECAUSE it would take a lot of effort to get there so not much of that horrific graffiti that most Route 66 buildings have.
After spending the better part of 15 yrs in Dodge City KS (1870's-'80's) my great grandfather moved to Ash Fork where my two great aunts were born in the late 1880's. From there, they ended up in San Diego. He was a blacksmith by trade, and I know they traveled by train (when it was built). Must have come right through there. Cool to think about that. Thanks again! 👍😊
Good submission once again, Steve. With all the trekking you do on foot, you must have a pair of sturdy, reliable shoes/boots! Here's a couple of questions for you. First, the abandoned Route 66 and AT&SF rail line you were on. Are they considered public or private pathways? I was curious too about the 'cross country' walking you had to do on the NE corner video where California, Nevada, and Oregon meet. Was that public or private land? Finally, have you done a piece about Fort Ross? I always thought it was cool that a Russian settlement was attempted as far south as Northern California. Thanks again for posting!
Both Route 66 and the rail bed are public. I believe both are administered by the National Forest Service. in the NE corner that land BLM, so also public. I haven't been to Fort Ross yet.
Steve, you have become my favorite youtuber. I save your videos for quiet time so I can give my complete attention. You are just excellent. A native Californian who has extensively traveled our state and those around, I am always surprised by your stories. 👏👏👏👏
I don't know why other than it's spectacular that this video is your best, IMO! Your incredible knowledge of your surroundings is very entertaining and enlightening! I applaud you for your fine work here and in all of your other videos!! Thank you!!
Thank you, Steve.You are a wonderful person. I enjoy your videos so much and i'm so glad you take the time to take us along and teach us your knowledge.
@@dorothylewis1207 Heck yes! The women back then were tougher than todays 25 yr old men...with none of the entitled bs we see today. Silent generation was the greatest of them all. They have seen everything from covered wagons to cel phones.
Thank you for this fascinating video. I'm in England and we have miles of abandoned railway lines up and down the country that were mostly closed in the early sixties. A few are being reopened but many were built by small companies back in the 1880's to simply keep rival companies out of their territory and were hopelessly uneconomical almost from the start. I would love to visit your country one day and explore places like this. My dream vacation would be to hire a car and drive from east to west through the small towns and miles of open road. I'm not one for big cities and bright lights but I would be in my element with places like this. Really great video!
The writing inside the tunnel was surveyor markings. I believe the P.C.C. abbreviation stands for “Point of Compound Curvature” which is the point at which two different centerline radii meet. I am less sure but I believe the degrees and minutes posted define one of the two radii and represent the angle that defines a centerline chord length of 100’. Since surveyors can’t measure around the arc of the centerline, they chose to define the curves they laid out by “Chord Definition” (straight lines).
Love your videos !!!!!!
Wow thank you for that detailed, insightful information.
@rdsam Thanks for explaining this to us. I travel the US on Amtrak and claim to be a train lover but I didn’t know anything about this although I have wondered how they did it. 🎶
That's exactly right! I earned my B.S.C.E. in 1986, Univ. of Minnesota.
BTW a 10 degree curve is very sharp for a mainline railroad. Given the 2.1% grade and that curve, I would expect that freight trains came through here at about 25 MPH.
As a surveyor myself, I would concur with this statement. Great Video!
The crater at 3:20 is not a sink hole it's a maar volcano caused by rising magma interacting with groundwater and causing a big steam explosion. That whole area is volcanic with many basalt lava flows. The black rock exposed on the edges of the crater is a basalt lava flow that the explosion blew through. I'm a geologist/volcanologist.
Really I would have never guessed!
Thanks, Frank. That’s pretty cool. I never knew that about that area.
Have you ever spent time in the Sierras and seen how volcanic activity created much of the landscape?
Thank you for your clarification.
"volcanologist"- did you ever meet Spock?
Anyone else hit that Thumbs Up as soon as the vid starts? Because you know it's going to be good.
I do
yep....
Every time
Everytime
Always. Steve’s content never disappoints
The ironwork in the tunnel is beautiful
my thought too . never seen a tunnel like it . built to
last !
Yes it's very well built.
A fire in the early 1900’s destroyed the support beams in the tunnel so the railroad used boiler plate to fix it.
@@bsideberg6082 a very expensive fix i bet … but permanent 😎
Workers took pride in their jobs,back then❤
How in the hell do you find all these miniscule details of these abandoned places? Hats off to you for your research, etc.
I agree... Steve's ability to do the research and ferret out all of this background history is amazing. I'd love to have him as a genealogist to help fill in my family tree!!
I live a 100 miles away from Johnson's tunnel and you would be surprised at all the old stuff we have in our area.. Hopefully he went to Steel dam and Stone dam which are just down the road. They are pretty impressive
Amen!!
Agreed!
There are a lot of books covering railroads including the construction of the predecessor companies.
The piece of metal with the four holes in it it’s called a joint bar. They are used to connect to pieces of rail of rail together one on each side of the rail joint with bolts going through it. I’ve been railroad for 30 years.
Exactly right. Sometimes called a fishplate.
The inside of that tunnel is in perfect condition!
140 years old! It looks so perfect. The cost - tremendously expensive construction. Tough business to be in.
in 1959 me and two friends went from detroit to needles calif route 66 started in chicago we drove in a 1950 ford. we probly drove that stretch of highway. oh does this bring back some memories.
i really enjoy all of your adventures very much cause you really do your research as well as explaining everything in great detail.
god bless and keep them comming,
respectfully
David Lasanen
Mind if I ask your age, friend?
@@sailingaeolus I am guessing he is about 85 to 90 or so as I graduated from high school in 1964 and am now 77.
The stretch of 66 he points out and was on was already abandoned by 1959.
I loved this video as well. I hitched Route 66 from my hometown Chicago to LA twice. Once in 1969 and again in 1970.
@@PlanetRockJesus Hitchhiking used to be a good way to get around. In 1976 my brother lucked out hitching from Sacramento CA to Greenville SC with 5 rides in 4 days, driving in shifts for two of them. In St. Louis MO his ride dropped him off at a truck stop where he overheard a guy on a pay phone saying he'd be in Greenville in a couple days as he'd need to sleep. When he hung up my brother asked him which "Greenville" as it's a common city name and they traveled non-stop from there. Folks don't stop to pick up riders anymore, kind of sad what the world's come to.
This is the kind of thing that should be on PBS television
Yes indeed, instead of the usual liberal crap!
PBS goes not do this anymore.
They are now taxpayer far left political propagandists used to instigate hate and division between US citizens.
Contents like this have made PBS and network television irrelevant.
Hi, I live in New Zealand. Your video's inspired my wife and I and we just returned from a three week road trip to the US including a few of the places you have featured in California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. It was a great trip and we visited places we would never have known about without your video's, Thanks!
The is awesome to hear. Hope you had a great time and I'm glad I was able to help you out.
that's a "fishplate" used to join 2 rails together. older way of doing it. nowadays it's continuous rail ....or if they have to replace a section, there is thermite welding which will effectively join two rails into 1 continuous rail.
Also known as an "angle bar".
@@glennfoster2423 or "Joint bar". "Fishplate" fell out of use over a century ago.
@@evanstauffer4470 Fishplate is the only name I have ever heard for it.
And I am not that old.
@@evanstauffer4470fish plate still used in the United Kingdom gets its name from the old fish bellied rails from the early days of railways
My father was a brakeman/conductor with the Santa Fe RR Co in WWII. Prior to his being accepted by the Railman union he was a "Bull"...a railroad security man. He worked this line as well as the railyards at the California end.
When he was a brakeman on a freight train he was in a run-away accident, probably in Johnson Canyon. His back was broken and he spent several months in a full body cast but no paralysis.
His route was from Gallup, NM to Los Angeles and Gallup east to somewhere.
During WWII, after his accident he was the conductor on many troop trains moving American troops as well as German POWs.
He loved the railman's life...hard and dangerous but always moving.
Sure got lucky with that broken back!! Wow!!! Both my parents were Santa Fe employees and my grandfather started working for the railroad when he was 13 selling donuts on the trains!!!
I don't remember how long he work for them but I think that it was a record and he got a awesome gold toy train and a beautiful watch for his retirement!!!
In Winslow the railroad was everything and now the station is a really beautiful hotel!!!
@@williamstamper442 You are correct. He used to tell us as a conductor during WWII that it was so sad to see the troops, all scared and sometimes acting with bravado, going off to the Pacific theater. In the war, German POWS were moved all around the country to disorient them so escape would be almot impossible. My dad commented that you could not tell the difference in the German POWs from American soldiers, same expression of fear and some bravado if you didn't hear them speak. Made him even more angry at Hitler and the Nazism.
Being a brakeman on those freight trains meant that the brakeman walked the top of the box cars, setting manual brakes. On passenger trains the brakes were set in the walkthru between cars.
Thank technology today for electrically controlled brakes and added safety.
@@annetterobinson2853Thank George Westinghouse for inventing cab controlled brakes. Fascinating story about his life are available on UA-cam.
Steve, I’ve been a UA-cam junkie for 10+ years. Your videos are second to none. Your research, story telling, and editing make your videos enjoyable to watch.
Thank you, I appreciate it!
he still makes voice over word-os lol
Definitely. Glad this popped up in my feed. A pleasure to listen to him. His cadence, storytelling and camera work make it a great relaxing watch.
I've driven past the sign for Ashfork on the I-40 many times not knowing anything about the old railroad bed. I really appreciate your commentary, sort of bringing history to life in a new and interesting way.
Parts of the abandoned railway can be seen while driving on I -40
I used to see part of the old roadbed and abutments (trestles removed) west of Ash Fork on Interstate 40 in the late 70s. Part of 66 was still in service at that time, and there was a grade crossing on Route 66 where the main line for Phoenix would cross. In 1979, it was protected by wig wag signals.
It's worth a quick detour to stop by the Route 66 museum at Ash Fork if you have a little extra time. It's not big but it has some pretty cool stuff from the area.
Thank you, again, Steve. Your content is so well written, recorded and produced. I can no longer travel as I used to, and vicariously traveling with you (all) is fantastic! (I imagine by WW2 the guard post would have had a radio and even daily replacements, until snow or other troubles blocked the tracks.)
Thank you, I truly appreciate it. I wish I could have found more info on the guard post. I wondered how many people were there. It's so remote there, the train coming by was probably the only excitement for the day.
@@SidetrackAdventures There were nights on Perimeter Guard Duty in Vietnam when the highpoint was a Jeep with coffee and sandwiches. And then there were the moonless nights with the unknown sounds ...
@@donalddodson7365 and you knew the Gooks had eyeballs on you...
@@donalddodson7365 Cant even fathom what you all went through over there! Saw a documentary on Tunnel Rats that blew my mind.
To hear todays online brats claim they got ptsd ot trauma from their daddy yelling to get a job is an insult to brave men like yourself.
Thanks
I love watching this guy! He's so chill, and has a great voice, and does his homework! On all the areas that he explores! Thankyou!
And witty too lol
This is an exceptionally good video! I've been interested in abandoned structures my whole life, but lack the patience to get to them. Thanks, Steve!
Been there many times, You were also very close to one of only 3 steel dams in the US and there is an old cemetery up there. Also, the trail used to be washed out about a mile before the tunnel.
I'm going to head back out to the dam soon, there is something else out there I want to check out as well.
@@SidetrackAdventures There is also a "ceramic" dam just upstream from the Steel dam. Ive never found the Cemetary up there for the workers, but I think I know roughly where it is.
@@dravur I've been to the steel dam also, great place to stop and look around. We are train buffs. I'm going back again and next time I want to get to the tunnel.
The cemetary sounds worth the trip!
@@erwingreven627do you drive in like Steve did?
My Grandfather drove trains (steam and diesel) for the AT&SF. He was from Oklahoma and later lived in California. He must have driven this route many times. He always loved being in the great outdoors.
The guard shack would have had a stove inside for heating and cooking. That would have been a dream job for me, I would have just brought enough books to last for my stint. I read so many books while hurrying up and waiting in the Army.
... Another glorious Wednesday with Steve, thanks for taking us along with you...
Not only is the content of your videos historical but, the background music is just so pleasing to the ear. Your very talented in your work.
I appreciate your kind words!
Re: The fill west of Johnson Canyon tunnel. Normally railroads would dump fill over a wooden trestle; especially before trucks and earthmovers were common, it was common to build a wooden trestle, lay a track on it, and then haul fill material onto the bridge with side-dump hopper cars. This is the first I've heard of a steel trestle being buried, but from the photo you showed, it looks spindly enough that the ATSF may have decided to bury it rather than reinforce it when they started bringing in heavy engines like 350 ton 2-10-2's in the 1920s.
We've done that on the Alaska Railroad, too - fill in through some bridges leaving most of the structure in place. You want to remove (or bury) the uppermost couple feet, though, so they don't snag on the track tamper machines.
@@TimCoahran - That's interesting.
Nice opinion, light on facts.
@@honthirty_ - Do you have data to share?
Cool info. Based on that historic picture and said they had to lower the floor in the tunnel by few feet which makes me believe they too had to remove top portion of the bridge after it's been filled in to level with the new tunnel's floor height. Who knows if future generations will dig this up to see the old steel bridge.
Nice, over the years we have hiked in to the tunnel with scouts and spent the night several times (it gets very dusty with a bunch of kids shuffling their feet. I hope that you were able to visit the nearby stone and steel dams that were also built for the railroad, the steel dam is the only one of its kind that is standing in the west and I believe it is made of the same type of boiler plate used in the tunnel. Both are right off the old 66. Lots of history on that train line, as it also ran through Canyon Diablo.
That piece of metal is used to bolt two pieces of track together. Thanks for the video !
Yes, that’s a track fishplate, also called a splice bar.
13:50 Yup, splice!
Also called a joint bar.
Thanks for letting me know. I know its been quite some time, but I'm surprised at how good of a job they did removing the track (of course they may have tossed stuff down in the canyon as far as I know).
That was back in the day before welded track.
I followed along on Google maps because I absolutely love seeing where train tracks used to be or train tracks that aren't used anymore. Cool to see how the new and the old route differ. One of my favorite things ever is seeing evidence of things that are no more on Google maps
Yeah, I agree about what you said about the sound of a train on a defunct railway. I had a Stand by Me reaction when I heard it!
Great adventure, Steve!
in a ghostly sort of way
I have never disliked any of this guy's videos.... literally the best 20 minutes spent of my day.
Thanks!
My grandfather once told me
You learn something new every day !!
So I Thank You for sharing this video . I learn something at 75 years old
That was very interesting to watch. My husband and myself, watching from the UK, find your videos very restful. You have a very chilled out manner and have lots of information to give. The background music just softly playing is not intrusive but also helps to set the mood.
We think that in years to come, people will know we were there because of plastic bottles and other plastic rubbish.
Yes, I also thought that the markings at the beginning of the tunnel referred to the degree of the radius of the curve within the tunnel. You really do great work, please keep it up. Thanks so much!
I walked every step with you, Steve. I could feel the breeze. Because of you I am an armchair explorer! Keep those videos comin'!
The craftsmanship that the overhead ironwork has is unbelievably perfect and mesmerizing. Another great video because I really like the history of old abandoned roads and railroads and your narration of it is just right.
Beautiful, imagine having to drive those rivets in. Those guys were badazzes.
The son of one of the station agents that was up there in the 40s wrote of his experience growing up there. He died several years ago. But his writing was in a railroad magazine not long before he passed. Very interesting stories!
This story was amazing. I love American History. That tunnel looked like it was built really good.
I really enjoy these videos for all the work, research and effort you put into them, but what really makes it gold is the community of commenters that you have gathered, who have even more details/personal stories about the things in the videos! The whole package has made this one of my favorite UA-cam channels out there. Thanks for everything Steve!!
Its not the cans someone will see 100 years post civilization. They will corrode away as we see the ones here are getting thinner. Its the plastic bottles and parts that will last millenia...
Thank you so much for these adventures!
As Australian it's good to see there are normal people in America love looking at history
We're being displaced and replaced at an accelerated rate. Enjoy it for the time being 🥲
Well of course.
True History, Yes instead Of The opposite In Too Many School Books...
There’s a lot of people here in the USA many good, normal and some woke libtards just like the rest of the world.
Lol yeah we got some real kooks in places here in the good olusa
I thoroughly enjoyed this.....I felt like I was right there with you. At 77 years old I still like nothing better than to get out and explore the world, much as I did at 12 years old. I had to laugh at one of your comments....just yesterday, here in Pennsylvania, I was walking an abandoned rail line, lost in fantasy, when a horn from a train on a nearby active track scared the bejabbers out of me for a moment.....
The “new” line to the north was opened in 1960, and was built to high standards with huge fills and broad sweeping curves.
Passengers on Amtrak’s Southwest Chief roar along at 90mph unaware of the once-torturous route a few miles to the south.
@@RailwayProductions yes, there's a video here on UA-cam that covers that. It was Morrison Knudsen/Santa Fe project. It's called "A Better Way for the Santa Fe"
@@michaelmorgan7893yes indeed! I had forgotten about it. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks for exploring this area! I pass Ash fork all the time on route 66 and never knew what was just a few miles north of there!
I love looking at old infrastructure. It speaks to the past.
Im amazed at the amount of effort, pride of workmanship back then.
We dont see that these days...those people were tough!
Hey man, love your shows, I think I should recommend that you get you, and your wifey, and kid an electric bike......you can go up, so quickly, and see all of this, and show them to us so much easier that just walking around....... I know you have a cool drone, that's great too!
Excellent video Steve! It made me imagine the lives of the people who lived in that hard scrabble kamp. "No church, no jail" says a lot. That walk back up the hill must of been a hard pull after working 10~12 hours of heavy manual labor.
Your videos have inspired me to get out and explore more of my home state. Thanks for the inspiration!
I really enjoy your work. My traveling days are over now at almost 71 and improper medication caused small stroke, can’t drive and do have my rural log cabin home in the coastal Redwoods to take care of. Blessed to have been to most every state in the nation and western/ eastern Canada. 🌲⛰👨🌾🇺🇸✝️ Been to Williams, Az!
The quality of craftsmanship for the brick arch at the tunnel entrance among other masonry work and the metal tunnel liner is beyond compare.
It could not be duplicated today.
It probably was the most dangerous around 1890 to 1915, before train air brakes were invented. Great video!
George Westinghouse invented train/railroad airbrakes in 1869-ish...
They were standardized and implemented full-time by 1872-ish.
Federal Regulation and all that rot came a little bit later.....
As an engineer, he saw too many catastrophic trainwrecks and death. He started working on it in the 1850's when railroads were still new-ish. Just an FYI. There's a lot of physics involved with that amount of steel on wheels on an incline with a power pack! 😬🫤🤔
That amount of Grade is not forgiving at all!
That distant shot of the tunnel as you were approaching it around 16:24 was pretty spectacular! The iron ceiling was also pretty awesome to see. Interesting that they had to lower the tunnel floor at one point. Nice video, Steve!
WOW!
It’s really good to see that something so historical is untouched by the ignorant hands of spray painters and vandals
Sadly, it’s getting close. There’s much more rattle-can vandalism than there was the last time I was there years ago. Many of the concrete abutments and older remnants of the tracks and other railroad-related structures further west are slowly succumbing to these lowlifes and their perception of art.
Looked to be plenty of that in the tunnel. Makes me ill.
ZIon area is covered with graffiti all ove those beautiful rock formations.
@@gordocarboI don’t like seeing it anywhere!! To me, it’s just urban blight. But if they would at least have the decency to keep it out and away from open or natural places. But I suppose that’s asking too much.
@@Mark-jl6tl Agree. Here in La, socal it would be racist if laws prosecuted over it anymore which they dont.
Seeing it on historic landmarks makes me ill. Who raises these people!
Not for long
One of the best train videos I've seen in a long time.
You kick ass ssss! Thank you. Love your channel. Im glad its growing. Sub for years
Thank you, I appreciate it.
The block work on the tunnel entrance is a thing of beauty.
That POC is Point of Curve and the degree. I always enjoy your videos, keep up the good work.
That was an interesting presentation of a railroad from days gone by. Me and a couple of buddies used to hike along old railbeds, like the Sacramento Northern route that started in Oakland and ran through the hills, up through Sacramento and up past Chico, with a number of spurs along the way.
We found a lot of old glass insulators along the route on the back side of the Oakland hills.
Up here in the Sierras where I now live, there are hundreds of miles of old rail beds built by logging railroads. There are still a few trestles out in the forest, and many of railroad right of ways were later widened by the US Forest Service and turned into roads after the rails were gone.
Next time I visit my Niece and her family that live in Ash Fork I will have to check that tunnel out, last time I was there I went down into the Grand Canyon at Peach Springs and camped in my 4Runner. It's great to have a side adventure when out and about visiting people, they have 4wheelers as well so we can drive most of the way to the tunnel, the rocks didn't look bad for a high clearance vehicle.
Just south of ashfork their the old section of 89 hwy that' still their pretty interesting we found it by accident when we were four Wheeling their also abandoned railroad tracks..the rail road went through Prescott.
But if you break down out there, will AAA come rescue you?
AAA doesn't cover most unpaved roads,and usually requires their Premier plan for RV's to do that. In places where most roads are gravel or improved dirt they might cover you, I don't know for sure. Standard AAA covers almost nothing, including vehicles with over 1/2 ton carrying capacity. Get the Premier, it's worth it.
Thanks!
Thank you, I really appreciate it.
Thanks again, Steve, I love your videos !!!
The amount of work going into your videos is amazing. All of the research..... The production quality is so excellent. I worked in New Mexico for 3-4 months in the late 70s and this reminds me of my exploratory hikes down some of the canyons and up the ridges. Old roads, rusted out cars, crumbling buildings, and rusty old cans. Lol
That piece of rail looks like a fishplate, these were used to join the rails together, the holes were for the bolts.
I live about 40 miles away, and have been here several times over the years. I’ve discovered many secrets of its past. It’s an amazing place.
Great video. Love the American history always entertaining. From Australia!
Great video. Thank you for sharing this historic piece of Americana.
Awesome steve Another great video
Anyone else start the video going, "I don't have time to watch the whole thing.." and then you watched the whole thing? Nice work! Fascinating video and narration.
Easily the prettiest train tunnel I've ever seen!
Agree that is gorgeous! Done by hand which blows me away.
Depressing seeing young morons defacing the tunnel, they dont know nor give a crap about history.
maybe prettiest for us standards but there are a lot prettier ones in europe
We spent almost 6 years in Az & traveled extensively through it. I loved it & would’ve spent the rest of my life there. We went to Jerome, Tombstone, Bisbee, Apache Junction, Show Low, Payton, Prescott, & many other places, so much history! We lived in Peoria, Sun City & bought a house that was just built in Glendale. So much to do & see! Unfortunately my wife & daughter had medical issues so we moved back to Minnesota. If I had the chance, I would move back to Az in a heartbeat! Great video, so much history!
What kind of medical issues did you have, that required moving back to Minnesota?
I noticed those "old pieces of wood laying around" you filmed were maybe Railroad Ties? Do you know every so often, the RR would hammer in a "date nail"? It would have 2 numbers on it. The 2 numbers would say "80". Which would mean 1880. Or maybe "10". Which would mean 1910. And so on...I would love to have one!
As a 70s kid was fascinated with early trains, structures, how they came up with processing iron gold, engines you name it. They had so much less to work with yet over 100 yrs later still standing and looking good. American pride baby!
Rode that RR trail on quads in 2010 from Ash Fork to Williams.
Yes through the tunnel.
It's closer to Williams except the two trussels that collapsed. You have to cross.
Watching in the UK, I have been saying for ages I just wish someone did old history about America and I've come across your videos absolutely brilliant I'm hooked thanks keep up the great work 👍
Best video YET!
Thank you, I really appreciate it.
Wonderful and well-made video of railroad history. Thank you.
Pretty Cool stuff Mr. Sidetrack. Nice little day trip stop. And some History too. It looked like a plesant day for a Hike. Be Safe.
Congrats sir. You do the past a great and respectful service. Godspeed
Beautiful area and Tunnel
Yeah, and aside from the occasional train and me talking extremely quiet too. We didn't see a single other person after we left Route 66.
Great job Steve. you always deliver great history lessons.
EXCELLENT 👍....YOU GET BETTER & BETTER...😮! ....I LOVE YOUR STORY TELLING 😄....YOU SHOULD WRITE A BOOK,... PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN YOUR STORIES...👍👍😊
It's amazing how close the clearances were calculated for the sides and height of the tunnel.
Thank you Steve, for another informative, well-researched and beautifully recorded/edited/narrated video.
I'm going to share this with someone I know who lives in Northern Arizona.
Cheers!
Once again another fantastic video. Greetings from Mount Gilead, OH.
my ggggrandfather, a veteran of The War of 1812 and some of his family are buried in Shaucks Cemetery
I enjoy walking along with you in the old West. Thank you, Steve, and keep 'em coming!
Utterly fascinating! Thank you!
Awesome tunnel. Be a good rails to trails bike/hike area as long as it doesn’t get trashed. Glad you walked it for us
In Davenport Ca. there's an old trestle bridge that was filled in many years ago leaving the bridge encased inside. I was very surprised when I learned this. I'm assuming it was the most cost effective and I also assume they probably did the same with the trestle bridge near the tunnel in your video.
I knew people that worked at the cement plant,I think they supplied the concrete for the Bay bridge and the Golden Gate bridge
@@dougtodd305 I hope they're staying g healthy. That's been a closed EPA superfund site for decades. Highly toxic environment.
A big "Thank you" for your videos from Germany. Your explanations are great. Keep up the good work!
22:40 - typically, fill was dumped on either side and through the trestle to fill the gully in to make a high fill.
This is timely for me! I was just coming home to SF from seeing in-laws in L.A. a few weeks ago and we of course drove over the Grapevine. Usually we hate that area because of windy steep roads and crazy traffic conditions but this time we did it on a beautiful quiet morning. Lots of fall color in the creeks and canyons and I was super curious to leave the freeway and see what the old Fort looked like…but as usual, just too lazy to go explore. I am not yet able to live the glam adventurous “Steve” lifestyle. Now I know! Cool.
Very impressive tunnel structure and well preserved BECAUSE it would take a lot of effort to get there so not much of that horrific graffiti that most Route 66 buildings have.
After spending the better part of 15 yrs in Dodge City KS (1870's-'80's) my great grandfather moved to Ash Fork where my two great aunts were born in the late 1880's. From there, they ended up in San Diego. He was a blacksmith by trade, and I know they traveled by train (when it was built). Must have come right through there. Cool to think about that. Thanks again! 👍😊
Good submission once again, Steve. With all the trekking you do on foot, you must have a pair of sturdy, reliable shoes/boots! Here's a couple of questions for you. First, the abandoned Route 66 and AT&SF rail line you were on. Are they considered public or private pathways? I was curious too about the 'cross country' walking you had to do on the NE corner video where California, Nevada, and Oregon meet. Was that public or private land? Finally, have you done a piece about Fort Ross? I always thought it was cool that a Russian settlement was attempted as far south as Northern California. Thanks again for posting!
Both Route 66 and the rail bed are public. I believe both are administered by the National Forest Service. in the NE corner that land BLM, so also public. I haven't been to Fort Ross yet.
Steve, you have become my favorite youtuber. I save your videos for quiet time so I can give my complete attention. You are just excellent. A native Californian who has extensively traveled our state and those around, I am always surprised by your stories. 👏👏👏👏
Wow, thanks!
love your informative videos, especially when in my neck of the woods.....western and nothern az 👍
I don't know why other than it's spectacular that this video is your best, IMO! Your incredible knowledge of your surroundings is very entertaining and enlightening! I applaud you for your fine work here and in all of your other videos!! Thank you!!
Good morning Steve! Enjoying my morning coffee while watching this video! Thank you!
My pleasure!
Thank you, Steve.You are a wonderful person. I enjoy your videos so much and i'm so glad you take the time to take us along and teach us your knowledge.
I tell you again you do a great job making great videos . Also a very brave man.
That was a very pretty tunnel with the brickwork and that riveted iron ceiling is just amazing!
i am amazed, the tunnel looks like it´s in relatively good condition consider the age.
Things back then were built to last by MEN who took pride in their work.
They knew how to build things in those days!
@@dorothylewis1207 Heck yes! The women back then were tougher than todays 25 yr old men...with none of the entitled bs we see today.
Silent generation was the greatest of them all. They have seen everything from covered wagons to cel phones.
Thank you for this fascinating video. I'm in England and we have miles of abandoned railway lines up and down the country that were mostly closed in the early sixties. A few are being reopened but many were built by small companies back in the 1880's to simply keep rival companies out of their territory and were hopelessly uneconomical almost from the start. I would love to visit your country one day and explore places like this. My dream vacation would be to hire a car and drive from east to west through the small towns and miles of open road. I'm not one for big cities and bright lights but I would be in my element with places like this. Really great video!
Thank you Steve!
Really enjoy your travels. Brings back many memories when we were young and traveled. Thanks so much. Enjoy all while you can.