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We had another very busy year on the Arizona and Pacific Railroad in 2007. The year seemed to speed by as we worked on a number of large-scale construction projects. We removed 40 feet of retaining walls and added 30 feet in other places; this should be the last time we demo and rebuild any retaining walls – I hope. We constructed our 21 foot long transfer table and it works great. We demolished our old wooden trestle No. 1 which spanned Rock Creek to make room for the engine house. A steel replacement trestle was constructed a very short distance from where the original trestle stood. A new switch will be installed later on this trestle that will provide additional access to the engine house. We lengthened trestle No. 5, completed our walkway over that trestle and built the first 30 feet of the sidewalk/patio that will link that walkway with our engine house and future loading platform.
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We removed our massive Arizona Ash tree in the back yard which provided shade for the railroad operation in the Summer months. It was by far our largest shade tree, but had become increasingly unsafe due to a significant infestation of wood bores. We also re-landscaped a large section of the backyard near the Superintendent's house. That section of grass had never benefitted from the irrigation water serving the balance of the backyard and it's difficult 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 allowed us to take advantage of irrigation water this Fall. Trenches were dug and new underground sprinklers were installed for months when irrigation isn't available. We replaced the lawn with new sod.
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We added another park style lamp post to our largest observation patio and are still looking to add another, if we can find another to match, in the months ahead. The additional lighting will make evening operation next Summer more practical.
By far the most extensive (read most expensive) project on The Arizona and Pacific Railroad during 2007 was the construction of our three stall engine house. Phases one and two were completed and phase three is in progress. The building evolved during construction and in its final form is 950 square feet. We will utilize the building as a combination engine house/car barn for a few years until we get the actual car barn built. By the time this building is completely finished, it will have taken two full years and I would like some time and money to build/rebuild two more engines and several cars before we start on another major structure construction project.
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Our nearly completed engine house has three tracks with 39 feet of usable space each. It also has 64 feet of double bulb, high intensity florescent lights which make it bright enough to work out there in the evening. The large windows on the lower level and the clerestory windows provide great natural light in the daytime. Thirty receptacles are spread throughout the building and the 100 amp service affords us the flexibility to add machinery in the future. We added two large and two small variations of gooseneck light fixtures on the exterior seeking a vintage look. The next three projects related to the engine house are getting the doors and door frames painted so that we can install the door hardware, getting an epoxy protective coating on the floor and caulking and insulating the interior of the clerestory area. Many small finishing items remain in the interior after that, but it will be usable at last. We will also add the ledge rock to the exterior.
Much of the progress we made this year on the engine house and transfer table was documented on our Arizona & Pacific RR current projects page.
In addition to the construction projects on our layout, we had the opportunity to share our passion for grand scale trains with many people inside and outside the hobby. We attended, along with 350 other park train enthusiasts, the Miniature Railroad Convention in Steeleville, Missouri in September. We met many wonderful people there and renewed old friendships, shared ideas, “baby photos,” thoughts and laughter. We all enjoyed experiencing the incredible Arborway, TT and Northwestern Railroad and the wonderful hospitality of John and Judy Woods. What they are building there is already amazing and unprecedented for a privately owned miniature railroad; John tells us this is only phase one…
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We also made it out to Sean and Melissa Bautista’s Hillcrest and Wahtoke Railroad in Reedley, CA for their “Pumpkin Festival” in October. Their beautifully detailed railroad is ever expanding and Sean has several exciting major projects in the works.
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Among the other out-of-state railroads we visited this year were the Wabash, Frisco and Pacific Railroad in Glencoe, MO, the beautiful RS & T Railroad of Rodd and Fran Peters in Stockton, CA and the Griffith Park & Southern and the L.A. Live Steamers layouts in Los Angeles. We attended "Depot Days" at the Travel Town Railroad at Griffith Park this year. We also visited the Panella Pacific Railroad in Lodi, CA and had the opportunity to visit with Bob Panella and Bob “Smitty” Smith. We once again had the great pleasure to view their incomparable collection of Miniature Train Company equipment.
Brief descriptions and photos of many of our 2007 railroad visits can be found here:
We visited many of the grand scale railroads in AZ on a semi-regular basis – The Flagstaff and Middle Verde Railroad, McCormick Park, Desert Breeze, Adobe Mountain, Encanto Park and Freestone Park being those visited most frequently. Those railroads are described in our Arizona Miniature Railroad Guide
We had several run days during the year on the Arizona and Pacific Railroad and guests from many different states visited. Our passenger who traveled the greatest distance this year to ride our trains makes her home in Buffalo, New York.
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We have another ambitious year planned in 2008, but like other years, we may not get to everything. Among the planned projects are:
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