The latest Route 66 Village project February 13, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, History, Preservation, Railroad.1 comment so far
The Route 66 Village in southwest Tulsa contains an old steam locomotive, several rail cars, and a gigantic replica of an oil derrick.
Here’s the latest project that volunteers are working on, via KOTV:
El Garces makes slow progress February 4, 2012
Posted by Ron Warnick in Motels, Preservation, Railroad.add a comment
It’s been slow, but the Needles (Calif.) Desert Star reported this week that the effort to restore and eventually reopen the historic El Garces hotel, restaurant, and railroad depot in Needles is making progress.
The stumbling point has been whether the Federal Transportation Administration will approve a joint operating agreement between El Garces LLC and the city, or some other arrangement.
Alan Affeldt, owner of La Posada in Winslow, Ariz., and lead developer of the El Garces project, sent a recent email that clarified things :
Now FTA has to decide if the City can be a partner with anyone (like me, which is very challenging but possible) or if the city has to do it themselves (which is highly unlikely).
Most importantly, FTA has to decide if the City can transfer (sell) title to the property to a private party (like me) if certain USE conditions/restrictions are met.
Everyone thinks they should allow transfer, without which the rehabilitation cannot be financed, but FTA has statutory obligations to protect the public interest in the project grants.
It is alas not a simple problem, but we seem to be getting closer to an answer which will make the options clear to all the parties.
We should hear something by spring…
It should be noted that Affeldt isn’t an unproven or fly-by-night operator. His revival of La Posada is one of the greatest success stories of the Southwest. His track record should carry a lot of credibility.
El Garces opened as a Harvey House hotel and restaurant in 1908. It closed in 1949. The older alignment of Route 66 goes right by the landmark. Efforts by Affeldt to restore El Garces began in 2007, but were put on hold in 2011.
Grand entertainment December 13, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Railroad.add a comment
According to the poster of this video, this performance of Bobby Troup’s best-known song was on the Grand Canyon Railway, which starts in the Route 66 town of Williams, Ariz.
Kingman rejects railroad quiet zone December 9, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Motels, Railroad.1 comment so far
The City Council of Kingman, Ariz., voted down a proposal that would eventually create a quiet zone to bar trains from sounding their horns in the downtown area, reported the Kingman Daily Miner on Thursday.
The newspaper said:
Council received a study on the proposed quiet zone in October. According to the study, it would cost around $370,000 to install all of the safety measures the railroad is requiring in order to turn the area into a quiet zone for trains.
Council had asked city staff to look into the idea of creating an improvement district to fund the project. An additional $95,000 to $111,000 would be needed to cover the administrative costs for creating an improvement district, according to staff.
City Manager Jack Kramer added that trying to determine who would benefit from the quiet zone and those who would be included in the district would be very difficult. It was also too small a project to make it feasible for the city to go out for bonds.
Kingman started considering the railroad quiet zone about a year ago, especially after an investigation determined a similar zone was hailed as a “smashing” success in Flagstaff. A quiet zone in Tulsa, implemented in 2010, certainly has been appreciated by downtown residents and businesses.
I suspect Kingman officials do want a quiet zone, but think the city cannot afford it. The coffers of many American cities — especially in Arizona — are begging for cash after the real-estate bubble burst and a deep recession ensued in 2008.
But it seems inevitable the city will be forced to revisit this issue. Kingman’s population has more than doubled in the past 20 years, and those new residents likely aren’t used to those ear-splitting horns from the many diesel locomotives that lumber through town.
And Kingman’s motel owners will demand it, too. Here’s one from the archives in February 2010:
According to former (Hotel) Brunswick Owner and Manager Debra Sixta, the trains were one of the main deterrents to tourists spending the night there.
“The people would walk in, hear the trains, and walk back out. That happened a lot,” she said.
The historic Hotel Brunswick now is closed.
Old McLean depot features model train shop November 19, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Preservation, Railroad.add a comment
A few days ago, a listing in the Bloomington Pantagraph announced that the McLean Depot Train Shop had opened at 200 E. Dixie Road (aka Route 66) in the old railroad depot building in McLean, Ill.
If another old railroad depot on Route 66 had been converted to a business of selling model trains, I’m not aware of it.
According to the McLean Depot Train Shop’s website, the business marked its first anniversary on Nov. 15. But apparently the depot has seen a number of improvements since it reopened:
According to the site:
McLean Depot was built in 1853 as the Chicago & Mississippi railroad built north from Springfield to Bloomington. One of the oldest wood depots in Illinois, it has withstood the ravages of time and weather to now house a model trainshop. The former GM&O Alton Route depot overlooks old Route 66 across from the Dixie Truckers Home in McLean, Illinois.
Renovations began in late summer 2010. The main site also is asking for old photos of the depot.
Hours at McLean Depot Train Shop are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. The phone number is 309-244-5900.
A blast of steam from the past at Tucumcari November 6, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Preservation, Railroad.5 comments
The Route 66 town of Tucumcari, N.M., got a rare treat — the Union Pacific Railroad’s “Living Legend” No. 844 steam engine making a stop at during the dedication and reopening of its historic train depot.
Tucumcari was the first stop for the historic steam engine. The ongoing restoration of the depot is Tucumcari MainStreet’s first project in a long-term plan to restore downtown.
Richard Talley, reporting that hundreds attended the event, observed this:
There were fire artists, fire dancers, an old fashioned brass band and more, well into the night over there. A large Route 66 photography exhibit was on display in depot building itself, I believe about 100 large prints from all across Route 66. It was great fun, a once in a lifetime experience with the Centennial Celebration, and people with fond memories of the depot’s heyday, came from all over the state. Not only was the train significant in building Tucumcari from 1901, but the depot you see today, and now once again open for all to enjoy, was built in 1926 when Route 66 was commissioned. [...]
Rumor has it, this will now become an annual event, including having the Union Pacific come through each year!
The steam engine is making its way across New Mexico and Arizona, as both states are celebrating their centennials.
Here’s a great video of the steam engine, barreling toward Tucumcari from Logan, N.M. The 844 doesn’t just lumber along at a moderate speed:
Here’s a look inside the steam engine’s cab:
Here’s the train leaving Tucumcari:
UPDATE 11/9/2011: Here are two more videos that have popped up. Here’s the 844 steaming along Route 66 near Santa Rosa, N.M.:
And here’s the train near Tucumcari:
Both high-definition videos are by Dan Barker and Skip Weythman.
(Photo courtesy of Kevin Mueller)
Tucumcari’s newest repainting effort … and more October 24, 2011
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Events, Gas stations, Motels, Preservation, Railroad, Signs.add a comment
This past weekend, volunteers in Tucumcari, N.M., started their latest repainting effort on an abandoned gas station in town.
The station, shown above, will be the seventh gas station in Tucumcari that’s been repainted in a nostalgic color scheme on the Route 66 corridor. This station will be repainted to resemble a Magnolia station; area artist Doug Quarles will finish the trim and mural work on the station this week.
Richard Talley at the Motel Safari in Tucumcari also passed along these news items from Tucumcari:
— Timeless Treasures Antiques is being renamed Tucumcari Trading Post on Route 66. Owner Gary Cardwell is giving the former motel more of a Route 66 theme. He’s also going to renovate the old Coronado Court sign, including the neon tubing.
— This is a refurbished “Welcome to Tucumcari” metal sign was discovered recently behind some brush. It eventually will be landscaped and lighted at night. It is on New Mexico Highway 104 on the north side of town.
— The main neon sign at the Blue Swallow Motel is being repainted by new owners Kevin and Nancy Mueller back to its original color scheme of dark and light blue. A photo of the ongoing project can be seen here (Facebook link).
— The Tucumcari Train Depot will play host to the Union Pacific No. 844 steam engine when it rolls into town on Nov. 4. “We will have a New Mexico Centennial event on the 4th there, and you can purchase train ride tickets coming in from Dalhart, Texas, on the 4th and going to Santa Rosa, New Mexico, on the 5th!” Talley said.
(Photos courtesy of Richard Talley)