Get your (modeling) kicks R
od’s Steak House. The Jack Rabbit Trading Post. The Wigwam Motel. All this can be yours ... in scale, of course. You see, while trains may be the star attraction of a layout, there’s more than one way to get your modeling kicks. When railfanning my favorite mainline, Burling-
ton Northern Santa Fe’s “transcon” route through Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico, half the fun comes from traveling across former U.S. Highway 66. For nearly 800 miles, the remain- ing stretches of what John Steinbeck called “The Mother Road” are a constant companion to the former Santa Fe Railway, continuing a relationship that began with the commission of the famed highway in 1926. The two roads–one made of steel, the other asphalt–complement each other in ways that only a modeler can love. They shadow each other through the Los Angeles Basin, cutting through historic Pasadena and San Bernardino before blazing a path up famed Cajon Pass and through the vast Mojave Desert. Once in Arizona, they carve through rugged Kingman and Crozier canyons, and then climb over the forested Arizona Divide to Flagstaff, passing through the “Grand Canyon Gate- way” town of Williams (home of the Grand Canyon Railway). East of Flagstaff, the railway and highway cross desert plains and skirt the southern tip of the
Painted Desert and Petrified Forest, passing through the dusty towns of Winslow and Holbrook be- fore crossing into New Mexico at Lupton, amid a backdrop of striking red rock cliffs. The New Mex- ico town of Gallup–once a home base for Hollywood film crews shooting westerns in the nearby red rocks–is the last sign of civilization before hundreds of miles of plains and unspoiled terrain. In Al- buquerque, Route 66 and BNSF finally part ways... though technically, Interstate 25 parallels a pre-1937 alignment of the Mother Road via Santa Fe. But scenery is only half the story. The real character of Route 66 comes in the funky charm of its remaining motels, restaurants, and roadside attractions, many of which survive today thanks to a modern highway preservation effort. The renaissance is reflected best in the town of Seligman, Ari- zona, once a Santa Fe crew change point and popular travelers’ stop on U.S. 66. Bypassed by Inter- state 40, the town fell into decline before resident Angel Delgadillo sparked a nationwide Route 66 revival in the 1990’s. Today a visit to Seligman is a must for any road traveler, as are visits to An- gel’s barbershop (still serving customers) and the kitsch classic “Snow Cap” restaurant next door, founded by Angel’s brother Juan, and still operated by the family. Thanks to Angel and others, old motor courts still gleam in the desert twilight, welcoming weary travelers with lovingly-detailed neon signs that bear names like Blue Swallow, Hotel El Rancho and the Wigwam Motel (one of the two surviving motels that offers kids the chance to sleep in a “real” teepee). Restaurants like Summit Inn, the Bagdad Cafe, and Rod’s Steak House still offer old-fashioned charm and huge quantities of food, worlds away from the ubiquitous chains of McDonalds and Denny’s.
Quirky roadside attractions keep dusty outpost towns alive, from the scenic Grand Canyon Cav- erns near Peach Springs to the Rock Shop in Holbrook, and the Jack Rabbit Trading Post in nearby Joseph City (complete with oversized fiberglass jackrabbit). Best of all, nearly all of these icons lies within a stone’s throw of the railroad! But even if you don’t live in the Southwest, or model the Santa Fe or BNSF, this tale of the Moth- er Road applies to any modeler who’s ever wanted to add a little fun and color to their pike. Every city has a Main Street from which it grew, and every small town still relies on a central route for its residents and visitors. Whether it’s a city drag or the open road, it’s likely that most old highways once carried thousands of vacationing Americans, and still display their visual legacies from those glory days.
Whatever the highway number, there’s a gold mine of quirky character and charm just waiting for the right creative mind. Where is your Route 66?
ELROND LAWRENCE
photography/ELROND LAWRENCE© 38 NOVEMBER 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100