Arizona and Pacific RR Current Projects
Arizona & Pacific RR Current Projects
This page of the website follows projects taking place at the Arizona and Pacific Railroad
and gives visitors a chance to see the progress that has been made...
7/12/08
Two weeks ago, we finished the bending and gauging on the final section of rail in our new spur. The spur is 120 feet long.
The final ballast work remains to be completed, but the rail and tie work is finally done. We also have a couple of minor
adjustments to make on our new switch and that will happen later this month.
Well, the temperature plummeted to 110°F last weekend so Dave and I seized the opportunity to do some track work. We dug out
twenty-five of the ties we originally set in 1995 and replaced them with new ties. The problem here isn’t water causing the ties to
deteriorate, it is the dryness and the heat. The ties check, splinter and crack after several years cooking in the hot gravel ballast.
ROW maintenance taking place (left) and new spur (right)
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I had ten more tons of that hot gravel delivered yesterday to finish the new spur and refresh some other areas where track work has created
a need for additional ballast. To assist in moving the gravel from the front street to the rear yard where it is needed, the smallest of the
Flagstaff and Middle Verde Railroad ballast cars is visiting the A & P this week. Constructed nearly twenty years ago, it last saw service on
the F & MV several years ago. She will see 10 tons of activity down here this weekend.
10 tons of ballast
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F&MV RR small ballast car visiting the A&P RR
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We are still plugging along and trying to get the miserable jobs completed this summer so that we can play the rest of the year. Labor Day to
Memorial Day is the best weather and most fun time of year here, pretty much the opposite of most of the rest of the country. We already have
June behind us – just half of July and August to go!
Last year, we contracted with Sean and Melissa Batista of Hillcrest Shops in Reedley, CA to build us two gondolas to pull behind our S-16 engines.
Their craftsmanship is always in great demand and thus they have a waiting list for their cars, but their work is always well worth the wait.
Melissa recently sent me some progress photos which show the cars under construction in their shop. Only the sides, seats and lettering remain to
be completed. We will utilize our own trucks. We plan to have the gons in use on the Arizona and Pacific this Fall.
Hillcrest gondola construction photo
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Rebuild and reassembly on our G-16 power trucks will have to wait a month or two as I don’t want to waste the opportunity to complete our track work in this cool weather – smile!
Here is a photo of the track gang. Dave is on the left and I am on the right. That “but it’s a dry heat” thing isn’t what it is cracked up to be…
Photogenic track crew
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6/22/08
Well, summer has definitely arrived on the Arizona and Pacific. Saturday the 21st was the first full day of summer and
the thermometer in the shade on the back patio read 118°F at 4:30 and climbed to 119°F before heading back down. This is the
desert and it is supposed to be hot this time of year, but anything over 110°F and it is tough to stay motivated to get
much accomplished out there. The heat pulls the water and energy right out of you.
First day of Summer
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Despite my whining, we have made some progress on our new switch since the last update. It still needs some adjustments,
but the switch stand has been installed and the switch is functional. We continue bending rail on the siding we are constructing
and a few feet of additional rail has been tied down. The ties have been spaced and some ballasting has been completed.
Switch on trestle #1
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We hosted some railroad friends from Flagstaff, Arizona early last weekend and everyone had a good time. The pump car, speeder and No. 1
all performed well. By the time we started to get No. 2 out of the engine house, it was just too hot to be much fun and we decided to leave
her in there. That will be the last of the “tours” until the end of September when the weather becomes a bit more accommodating.
The frames of our G-16 power trucks returned from the bead blaster last week. Rebuild and reassembly will begin next month.
6/7/08
Fitting and mounting the various brass components to engine No. 2 continues. We made three custom brass bands for the boiler
and are still adjusting our custom made stanchions and handrails. We have quite a way to go, but are continuing to make
progress.
We completed the last of the wood planking on our pedestrian walkway which allows guests to walk comfortably and safely across
the three sets of tracks on their way to reaching our primary loading area. The 16 foot long by 33 inch wide loading platform
was finished and discussed in a previous update.
Pedestrian walkway to the loading platform
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We have resumed work on an additional siding which will allow us to enter and exit the engine house without using the turntable.
This siding involves rebuilding the trestle over Rock Creek once again; this will be the fourth incarnation of our trestle at this
location in 12 years. We are widening it to facilitate a switch to the new siding. We are also building the new switch that will sit
on the expanded trestle. We have patterned it after our existing MTC/Allan Herschel switches. The switch stand will be located just
south of the trestle and the points and frog are on the trestle itself.
Building a switch on trestle #1
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We did quite a bit of digging to level the ties of the partially completed siding with the mainline and added several additional ties.
A great deal of work remains on the siding especially with rail bending, but we hope to have the switch portion completed and operational
this month.
Digging down to level the new siding
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The rail bending is a slow, tedious and physical process for us. Friends of ours in California initially rolled eight pieces of rail that got
us started with our curves years ago. They had a beautiful homemade bender that utilized a Wisconsin engine, hydraulic pump and rollers that
matched the profile of the 12 pound rail exactly. They set the adjustment on the bender and the powered rollers pulled the rail back and forth
curving it to the desired radius.
Our regular process is a bit different. We use an old fashioned “Armstrong” bender. We set the bender in place, crank the shaft three 90 degree turns,
loosen it and move the bender six inches. We repeat this process until we reach the end of the rail and then reverse direction and work our way back to
the other end of the rail. It may take several passes until we get the smooth radius curve that we desire. We actually have a hydraulic version of our
manual bender and it is a great deal less work, but we just don’t get the same “baby-bottom smooth” curves with it and thus it rarely gets used. Our
“old school process” may be one reason we cringe when a NEWBY asks “where did you buy those curved track panels that you bolted together for your curves?”
"Armstrong" rail bender
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We also started on a longer range project and disassembled the power trucks of our G16 last week. The worm gears look great and I was very pleased with
that turn of events. We will replace the bearings and seals and add brand new wheels. The axles are fine. The vacuum cylinders will be rebuilt and new
brake shoes will be added as part of the process. The copper vacuum manifolds are a mess and we will build two more as replacements. The truck frames
will go the bead blaster this week. Our G16 won’t be placed back in service until next year, but having another project that I can work with inside when
it is 116 degrees outside is always nice. Happy Father’s Day!
5/24/08
We're making progress at the Arizona and Pacific Railroad despite the crazy weather. Last Sunday it
was 109°F while we were working on the walkway to the loading platform. Dave's job had him in Dallas
on Thursday and when he returned it was 55°F and there was an inch of rain at his house (~15% of our annual rainfall).
Weather permitting we'll have an update soon.
I didn't get any photos at the A & P RR last weekend but I did visit the Forest Park Miniature Railroad
in Fort Worth while I was in Texas this week.
You can read the spotlight article of my trip here: Forest Park Miniature Railroad
Engine #105 at the Forest Park Miniature Railroad
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5/10/08
We shot some video of the Arizona and Pacific that you can see by clicking here:
Arizona and Pacific Video Page
Engine #1 Phoenix poses on Trestle #5
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5/05/08
We have been working on several projects in the four weeks since the last update. We finally got the telephone,
clock and thermometer mounted in the engine house. The stereo and TV shelf is mounted in the corner so I can work
on trains and have something to listen to in the back ground. We also got the A & P RR train schedule board up on
the wall. We bought a new craftsman toolbox and moved many of the tools used exclusively on the trains from the
garage into the new box in the engine house. We also mounted our grand scales railroad builders plate display in
the new engine house. We have several original and a couple reproduction builders plates from past and present
manufacturers of 15 – 24 inch gauge park locomotives on display. Among our favorites are an original Sandley and
Cagney and a reproduction Chance plate. We have plenty of room for more and are always looking to add to the collection…
We've Begun to Utilize the Inside of the Engine House
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Display Showing Our Collection of Builder's Plates
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We have started fitting and mounting the various brass components to engine No. 2. We still have quite a way to go,
but have made noticeable progress. We are continuing to fine tune her operation with brake adjustments, wiring dash gauges
etc. Nos. 1 and 2 both make their home in the new engine house now.
Engines Number One and Two Inside The Engine House
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We extended our pedestrian walkway and constructed a 16 foot long by 33 inch wide loading platform which makes it easier to
get in and out of our cars. We still have a bit of unfinished work to complete to finish the wood planking where the pedestrian
walkway crosses the first set of tracks. A covered (read shaded) waiting area will be to the east of the pedestrian crossing.
We haven’t quite finished our two maintenance of way flatbed cars, but one was thrust into service with a make shift piece of
plywood as decking on our loading platform project. We have resumed work on an additional siding which will allow us to enter
and exit the engine house without using the turntable.
The Loading Platform is Nearing Completion
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Maintenance of Way Car Pressed Into Early Service
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We also had an open house and had railroad guests on two other weekends during the month and during the “off Saturday” the
Arizona and Pacific Railroad and its structures served as the backdrop for wedding photos (no not Dave or I); who says people
don’t dress to ride the railroad anymore… Coming soon, Dave is working on a video of A & P No. 1 in action. Happy Mother’s Day!
4/05/08
We made some progress on the engine house in the last week. The logo signs on the building have been
completed and installed. The pedestal for our harp switch stand has been completed and the switchstand is
in place – forgot how heavy that thing is. The four interior fire extinquishers have been mounted. Although
a great deal of door hardware awaits mounting, the dead bolts are finally in place and the doors can be locked.
The main logo sign has been completed and mounted in its frame; we still need to paint and mount the lower sway
bracket. Now the engine house focus can shift to the interior and we will get started on the balance of the
finish work.
Harp switchstand on completed pedestal & painted logo sign installed
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Now we can focus on the interior of the engine house
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A&P main logo sign painted and mounted in it's frame
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Laser cut letters & rings are welded to both sides of this A&P logo sign
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3/29/08
There are still lots of things to do on the interior of the engine house from finish carpentry to mounting
fire extinguishers, but we finally put the finishing touches on the stone work this week. Did I mention how
excited I am that we are done cutting and fitting stone? We also finished the final coat of paint on the doors,
door jambs, arch panels and the hand railing. The doors are back up and we have a good start on getting the balance
of the hardware installed. We have already run the wiring to tie the security system in the engine house into the
one already in place in the superintendent’s house. After the door hardware is all in place in the next week or
so, we can get the sensors hooked up and won’t be too far from moving our equipment into its new home.
We still have a bit of finish work on the exterior to complete with the two logo signs that have to come down and
have some finish grinding and the rings and letters welded in place. Plenty of seam sealer, a few good coats of
paint and a nice layer of clear coat later and they will be ready to reinstall. We also have a stone pedestal which
needs finished to display our harp switch stand.
Enginehouse with painted doors and completed stone work
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As our engine house project is beginning to wind down, we have started on another significant project in the
reassembly and conversion to battery power of our second S-16. Our first S-16 (No. 1) runs great with its Wisconsin
engine and has plenty of power for all our needs, but even with its muffled exhaust it is a bit loud for our “urban railroad”.
We have neighbors on each side who are somewhat less enthusiastic about railroads and railroading than we are – I know hard to believe!
We rebuilt the original power trucks and drive lines of our No. 2 with all the standard parts. The engine, transmission
and fluid clutch were replaced with a 48 volt electric motor and drive assembly designed by Brian Stepaniak of Scaled Plus in Ontario Canada.
The battery tray and all components were designed to fit into the original brackets and mountings holes on the S-16.
It is a very clean and professional conversion. We have her assembled and have made several break-in runs with her. We still
have a couple of minor bugs to work out with a faulty DC converter and a problem draw bar, but we have more power and top end than with
our Wisconsin, no leaks, no exhaust and no noise. We also have a parking brake in addition to the factory original vacuum brakes – all things
other G-16 and S-16 owners can appreciate. We haven’t run enough yet to have a good feel on the actual run time versus calculated run time,
but the calculations indicate 8-10 hours of run time with three fully loaded cars per charge.
Brian Stepaniak takes The Sandusky for one of her intitial runs
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It appears to be a great solution to many of the challenges faced by G-16 and S-16 owners as their unit’s age and engine, transmission and
clutch parts become more scarce and expensive. It also helps private owners and park railroads effectively deal with neighbors concerned
about noise and pollution. The only problem so far – it may be too quiet…
Anyone interested in contacting Brian can access his website at
www.scaledplus.com or call him at 705-663-1546. Tell him you heard about him here.
2/15/08
Last week, I stated I would try to get a few photos of our progress on the rock work posted. Well,
as promised, here are a few photos of the rock work on the west and the south sides of the enginehouse.
The columns, arches above the doors and the trim around our logo took seemingly forever, but add some
detail and character to the west face. The two large gooseneck light fixtures also contribute to the
look and put out a great deal of light. The soldier course window sills, the window trim and the length
of the building were the main challenges on the south side. We have the two toughest sides done and have
started on both the east and north sides of the building. We are probably about sixty percent finished
with the rock work overall. We wanted a really distinctive rock look for the enginehouse and we definitely
have achieved that, but to quote a line out of one of the old Rocky movies, “Ain’t gonna be no rematch”
- read no more stone buildings for me after this one is finished.
Rock Work on the West and South Sides of the Engine House
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2/09/08
Significant progress was made on our enginehouse project in January. Our second electrical inspection planned
for the last week of December was delayed by the holidays. That inspection as well as our “Service Section”
inspection and “Final” took place the first two weeks of January and went very smoothly. The electrical is
complete and it sure is nice having service out there without dragging 200 feet of extension cords!
The next project we tackled was an epoxy floor finish for the enginehouse. As most train owners will tell you,
each engine has her own personality, idiosyncracies and leaks. There is a practical limit to eliminating every
leak so I wanted to coat the floor such that cleaning up afterward is as easy as possible. We met with several
vendors and made our material, color and contractor selection. We were initially told it would take four days to
complete the floor. Well a cold front hit us the same day they started on the floor. This is the desert and can
get much colder than many people realize. We had night time temperatures in the low and mid twenties several days
in a row with highs in the low fifties. This meant instead of applying a coat of material first thing in the morning
and another late in the day after the earlier coat had cured, only one coat per day could be applied. It took eight
days to complete the floor, but was worth the wait. It looks good, has texture to keep it from getting slippery and
best of all oil, hydraulic fluid etc. wipes right off.
Epoxy Finish on the Engine House Floor
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A&P Engine House Floor
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Our current focus is applying one inch stone veneer to the outside of the enginehouse. We wanted a look reminiscent of
some of the old stone railroad buildings in Colorado and throughout the West. The product we selected is a real stone
product quarried north of Prescott, Arizona and distributed by 3North Stone. We started on the most labor intensive side,
the west face, first. The columns, arches, corners and border around the round logo required hundreds and hundreds of
cuts and made for very slow going. Trust me, you don’t want to know how many hours we put into that first wall. We are
currently working on the south wall and the pace has picked up due to less cutting and our familiarity with the product
and process, but you still don’t want to know… We hope to have all the rock work finished this month – February.
I’ll try to get some photos of the rock work taken and added soon.
After we finish the rock work, we will paint the doors and door frames, install the door hardware, sweeps, stops etc.
and get the security system installed.
12/25/07
My computer contracted a virus shortly after our last update. After nearly a month in and out of the shop without
much meaningful repair success, she was retired and replaced. Our updates should be back on track soon and the
annual report should be available the first week of January as usual. Thank you for your interest and patience!
We had a great deal more success in the last month with the engine house project than the PC… The exterior painting
is complete except for the doors and door frames. The door hardware is all on site and will be reinstalled after
the doors are painted. The exhaust fans and ductwork have been installed and only await the electrical. We went with
two 429 CFM fans and eight inch ductwork. We have the four sets of double doors, the single door, 80 feet of vents
in the soffits and the two large round vents upstairs. The mechanical people who calculate these things tell me that
the two fans will be plenty; we’ll see and can install two additional exhaust fans if necessary.
Clerestory and Trim Paint Completed
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The steps and handrail to the main door are in place. The handrail still needs painted and the sidewalk is under construction.
The pad and sidewalk on the north side of the building have been completed.
The front steps are complete and the sidewalk is in progress
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The north sidewalk and pad have been completed
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Phase one of the building and its permit are complete and we passed our final inspection on that permit on December 11.
Our permit for Phase 2 was pulled on December 13. This phase is the electrical. It includes the installation of a
100 amp subpanel, interior and exterior lights, numerous receptacles and the exhaust fans. It also requires upgrading
and replacing the main panel on my house and 225 feet of trenching 20 inches below the grade to connect the two panels.
Three inspections will be required. We have passed the first inspection, the second is scheduled for December 28 and
the final will be sometime after the first of the year.
100 Amp electrical subpanel to service the engine house
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Phase three of the engine house construction project is primarily aesthetic and includes rock on much of the exterior,
door veneers, insulation and some T111 paneling in the clerestory area and some interior painting , installation of the
alarm system and some finish work. It will be late Spring before all these items are finished, but we will keep plugging
away at it
The cases of rock facia have arrived on site
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The doors have been hung and painted with primer
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Happy New Year Everybody!
11/19/07
We have a bit more progress to report. The soffits have been enclosed and the soffit vents have been
installed. The round vents at each end of the clerestory roof have been added and the wood siding on
that portion of the building is now complete. The steps and hand rail to the main entry door are nearing
completion. The mockup of the A & P logo has been added to the end of the building. The final version
is very colorful and three dimensional instead of the mockup’s painted letters and ring.
The Wood Siding is Completed
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11/13/07
Progress on the enginehouse continues. The shingles are in place and are a special dimensional shingle
designed to look like wood shake shingles. The effect is much better from some angles than others, but
they look pretty good all in all. The upper and lower windows have been installed and the flashing membrane
has been installed around the upper windows. You will also notice that we have started on the steps up to
the main entry. We are really pushing, as time and money permit, to try and finish the building before the end
of the year, but it is starting to look like January before we can get it finished. We’ll see how far we can get.
The Roof Has Been Shingled
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10/31/07
We have had a busy several days at the A & P working on the engine house. The roof is on and awaiting paper and
shingles, the framing is finished and the locomotive door transoms are complete and numbered. We passed two inspections
in the last week and continue to slowly make progress. Among the next several projects are flashing, shingles,
enclosed soffits with vents, entry steps and a handrail. Windows, doors, siding, trim paint and another entry platform
will follow those projects.
The Roof is Nearly Complete
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View of All 3 Stalls
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The building is tall enough now that it is visible from the street out front and from a couple of lots away. Neighbors
are stopping by to see what it looks like up close after enduring all my construction noise for the past year. They
seem to think it looks pretty cool and will be a great place to hang out when the wives are looking for them…
Front View of the Engine House Under Construction
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View From Across the Transfer Table
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10/21/07
Since our last update we attended the Grand Scales convention in Missouri, visited the Wabash, Frisco and Pacific Railroad,
engineered at the Flagstaff & Middle Verde's fall meet and visited several California railroads. The California trip included
the RS&T Railroad, the Hillcrest and Wahtoke Railroad and Griffith Park railroads past and present. The Griffith Park odyssey
included the Panella Pacific Railroad which has the original Griffith Park equipment, the Griffith Park and Southern Railroad,
Griffith Park's LA Live Steamers and "Depot Days" at Griffith Park's Travel Town.
We've posted photos and brief descriptions of several of those railroads here: Recent Updates
At the A&P RR progress continues on our engine house project. We've completed all 4 walls to the 8' level, received our green tag for the
Zonolite insulation and grout on the second lift. We completed that, installed the anchor bolts and extended both ends of the building
up an additional 4+ feet for the roof. The trusses and roofing lumber are now on site and the roof construction will begin soon.
8 foot walls and completed ends
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The trusses await installation
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The lumber for the roof has arrived on site
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9/10/07
We had our inspection on our first lift and received our green tag to proceed with grout and Zonolite insulation
on the first four feet of our walls. We completed those tasks and have finished three of the four walls to the eight
foot level. We still have a few hours more work on the front wall around the three train doors to get that wall completed
to the eight foot level. Then we have another pre-grout inspection before we can grout, insulate, place our anchor bolts
and add the final four feet of block to the east and west ends of the building. I am so ready to be done with block and
concrete work for a while and be able to clean everything up…
3 of the 4 walls are now 8 feet high
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We have several railroad signs we will be adding in the months ahead. We recently installed one near the pedestrian walkway
which will access the loading platform.
Stop Look and Listen sign near the pedestrian walkway
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We have had several people ask us why we have gone to so much extra work and expense to raise our roadbed, elevate our turntable
and transfer table and build lengthy trestles when we live in the desert. Well I am lucky enough to live in an area that has
“grandfathered” water rights with irrigation. Every 14 days in the Summer and 28 days the balance of the year, my property is
flooded with 12 inches of water from one of our Arizona reservoirs. The average annual rainfall in the Phoenix area is only 8.4
inches so having 12 inches of water every two weeks in the hot summer is of great benefit to the grass, plants and trees on the
property. It just makes building and operating a railroad a little more work, but well worth the extra effort. Here are a couple
of photos of the water starting to fill the back yard.
Pedestrian bridge and rock creek trestle during irrigation
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Rock Creek trestle and enginehouse viewed from the pedestrian bridge during irrigation
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8/20/07
Our door frames and blocks arrived two weeks ago and we started on our first four foot lift not long after the
materials arrived. We have three of the sides completed to the maximum height prior to our next inspection.
With some luck this week, we will get the front wall finished to the same height working a couple of evenings
after work. We are still hoping to get an inspection this week that will allow us to start on the second lift
(next four feet vertically) the weekend of August 25. It is finally starting to look like a building…
3 of the walls have been constructed 4 foot high
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Northeast corner of the building with rock creek in the foreground
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8/04/07
There's been quite a bit of progress on the A&P RR since our last website update. The summer monsoons are here and the temperature
has dropped to just over 100°F. The humidity has risen from 7% to 60% so it's a bit muggy but it's no longer 140°F in the gravel.
I didn't have a thermometer that went above 120°F until the peak summer heat had already been broken so this is the best picture
I could get... until next summer.
132°F in the gravel. Cooked ham anybody?
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We completed tying and welding rail, rebar, I-beams and angle iron the weekend of the 21st and were ready to have the concrete floor poured the following week.
The rails were welded to I-beams to keep them from moving during the concrete pour
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After a few final adjustments, we poured just over 16 yards of concrete on the 27th. Two cement trucks, a pumper and a few hundred feet of hose were
needed for the pouring of the floor
The first cement truck and pumper arrive on the scene
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Pouring the concrete floor of the engine house
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Concrete floor of the engine house viewed from the transfer table
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Reverse view of the engine house's freshly poured concrete floor
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We are waiting on delivery of our door frames and blocks, but hope to have both wall lifts and those two inspections completed by the end of August.
We also hope to have the roof trusses on site before we head to the Miniature Railroad Convention in Steelville, MO September 14-16.
Prior to pouring the concrete floor for the engine house we installed sod beneath the transfer table. The BOB-sod we planted thrives when the temperatures at night
are in the mid 80's. In just 2 weeks it's difficult to tell the grass hasn't been there all along.
BOB-sod thriving beneath the transfer table
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7/09/07
Despite the intense Arizona summer heat, we're continuing to make progress on the various projects taking place on the Arizona and Pacific Railroad.
116°F in the shade of the patio. The temperature of the gravel we're working in is ~140°F
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Since our last update, gravel and sand has been poured into the floor of the engine house and vibrated multiple times. Three sections of rail have
been roughed into place, set at the correct elevation, gauged and welded. Angle iron has been welded beside the rail to ensure a 1" gap for the wheel flanges
between the rail and the concrete floor of the building. A rebar lattice work is being constructed to ensure the rail can't move during the pouring of the concrete floor.
Track being prepared for the pouring of the concrete floor
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View of all 3 tracks in the engine house floor
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In addition to the work on the floor of the engine house, the sod has been laid and the re-landscaping project behind the superintendent's house is complete.
Freshly installed sod behind the superintendent's house
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6/09/07
As we mentioned last week we've made good progress on the walkway across the two sets of tracks on trestle #5.
The block steps at the southern end are complete, the wooden planks have been installed, the handrail has been welded
in place, it's primed and ready for final painting.
Walkway across trestle #5 at west end of transfer table
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Walkway across both tracks
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In the upper right corner of the picture above you can see in where the re-landscaping project to accomodate irrigation and get dirt is taking place.
Bags of topsoil are stacked to be spread, leveled and rolled prior to the installation of sod. In the picture below the locking mechanism on the west end of the
transfer table has been installed and awaits paint.
Transfer Table Locking Mechanism
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The soldier course of blocks is complete on both sides of rock creek. The steel fabrication for the new trestle
is completed but still needs paint. The holes for bolting the ties to the steel have been drilled and tapped and a few ties
were attached to make sure the trestle was at the correct height when the pilons were sunk in concrete and buried in gravel.
The north end of the creek where the irrigation valve is, has been cemented and river rocks were sunk in the concrete beneath
the trestle.
Rock creek and the start of old wooden trestle #1's steel replacement
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Reverse view of rock creek with a little water at the bottom
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5/28/07
Lots of progress since our last update but unfortunately we won't have new pictures until next weekend. Dave's business trip
had him out of the country the past few weekends and he hasn't had a chance to take photos of the Arizona & Pacific's progress.
The rail has been installed on the transfer table and the first of two locking mechanisms has been fabricated and attached to the
west end of the table. The east mechanism will be installed after the engine house has had it's concrete floor poured and it's rail installed.
The planks have been installed on the walkway that crosses the east end of trestle #5 and the block steps leading up to the walkway have been completed.
Rail has been installed on the transfer table and some of the walkway planks are in place
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Rock creek is nearly complete. The soldier course has been installed on the retaining walls, the river rocks have been placed and the creek bed has been cemented.
Old wooden Trestle #1 which spanned rock creek has been demolished to make room for the engine house. A steel replacement trestle has been constructed and now spans
the creek a very short distance from where the original trestle stood. A new switch will be installed on this trestle that will provide access to the engine house.
This link takes you to a map of the right of way .
The dirt sub-floor for the engine house has been compacted multiple times and is now ready for gravel. We've built up the ground on the north side of the engine house
to span the gap between the engine house and the existing right of way with tons of dirt we got from our newest re-landscaping project.
We've begun to re-landscape the backyard section nearest the back door of the Superintendent's house. That section of grass has never received irrigation water and it's difficult
with just underground sprinklers to keep it as green as you'd like when the summer temperatures regularly hit 115°F. The existing grass was removed and several hundred square
feet of ground was lowered about a foot by shovel and wheelbarrow. This lower elevation will allow the new lawn to take advantage of irrigation water during the hot summer months.
Trenches were dug and underground sprinkers were installed for times when irrigation isn't available. We'll replace the lawn in a few weeks when sod becomes available. This project
also provided much needed dirt for spanning the gap between the north side of the engine house and the existing right of way.
I realize it's not a photo of the A&P RR progress but I did capture this photo of the elevated train last week when I was in Bangkok Thailand. It'll have to do until I can
get over to John's house next weekend...
View of the elevated train in Bangkok Thailand
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4/21/07
With the rain, irrigation and Easter there haven't been many work days since our last update.
We did however mount the ties and the 2x6 planking to the transfer table.
Ties and 2x6 planking have been added to the transfer table
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3/17/07
We removed 40 feet of retaining walls and added 30 feet in different places. This should be the last time
we have to remove and replace major sections of our block retaining walls for track realignment – but we
have said that before… The stem walls for our new building are up and came out nice in split face block;
we wanted to have a solid cut rock look for the foundation. We received our stem wall green tag and were able
to grout the stem and start soil preparation for the slab.
Grouted stem walls and start of soil prep for engine house slab
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We finished the block and metal work on our walkway platform across trestle No. 5. The handrail awaits completion.
We added 6 feet in length to the trestle that is now 81 feet long. We painted our additions to trestle No. 5, the
walkway platform, transfer table, roller tracks for the transfer table and our sign frame. We also cut, drilled,
filed and fitted the balance of the ties for the transfer table.
Work continues on the new retaining walls on both sides of Rock Creek trestle. Next up is final assembly of the walkway
and transfer table, finishing the handrail and continuing the soil preparation for the pouring of the slab.
Retaining walls for rock creek
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2/24/07
We welded our extensions on our transfer table, drilled the balance of the 70 holes, welded the bottoms of all the joints,
tapped all 70 holes and primed all the surfaces. We also tracked down some reasonably straight 4x4s and cut them to length,
filed the corners and drilled the mounting holes for the first 24 of the 35 ties needed for our transfer table.
In our free time, we moved fourteen yards of concrete from two trucks out in the street in front of the house the 250 feet around
to our construction site in the back corner of the rear yard. In all the excitement, I lost track of the number of wheelbarrow loads
we moved, but it was somewhere north of 117… We also poured the footer for retaining walls for our new Rock Creek Trestle and the
foundation for the rest of our platform steps – more on these projects in the weeks to come. We had help, but it was a still a very
long day for everyone involved!
Primed and tapped end of transfer table and engine house footer
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One of more than 117 wheelbarrow loads is poured
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2/10/07
The concrete and block pillars for the transfer table are complete. They support the 4x4 beam and guide rail
that the transfer table's wheels ride on. The 4x4 steel beams of the table have been welded together, the wheels are
installed and the structure rolls nicely on it's base. Last weekend we drilled the first 64 holes for mounting
the ties to the table. The next step is to tap threads into all those holes and get some primer on the steel.
The footer trenches for the 3 stall engine house have been dug and the rebar has been bent and tied up. The first city
inspection took place this week and the project was green tagged. The next step is to pour the concrete footer.
View of the transfer table and the engine house
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Transfer table under construction
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Breaking ground on the engine house's footer trenches
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February 2007
There are always projects taking place on the Arizona and Pacific Railroad.
Two of the current projects are the transfer table and the 3 stall engine house.
A 21 foot long transfer table is being built to connect a 3 stall engine house to a 80 foot long trestle.
The transfer table is designed to appear very much like the A&P RR's trestles with concrete and block pillars
which support 4x4 steel beams with railroad ties and rail bolted to the table.
After numerous delays, much frustration and many revisions, we finally received city approval on our
architect’s drawings for our first three stall engine house and we've broken ground. The building will
be 23 feet 4 inches wide and 40 feet long.
This page of the A&P RR website is dedicated to following the progress on these projects...
Back to The A&P RR Home Page