Exploring an Abandoned Railroad and the Johnson Canyon Tunnel
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ย. 2024
- The abandoned railroad line through Johnson Canyon and the Johnson Canyon Tunnel are largely forgotten today, but were very important in the history of the settlement of the American West.
In 1881, the cash strapped Atlantic and Pacific Railroad had a choice to make. They reached central Arizona and the western escarpment of the Colorado Plateau. With steep inclines and rugged canyons, they could either find a way through one of the canyons, or make a costly loop to the south. They chose to go through Johnson Canyon, but things didn't work out as they planned.
Having to build a tunnel, the only one on the entire line west of Albuquerque, the builders hit basalt, bringing construction to a crawl. It took nearly a year to build the Johnson Canyon Tunnel. In the mean time, a camp sprung up above the tunnel that had everything but a church or a jail. Several shootouts took place during the railroad's construction.
Shootouts weren't the only problems here. Falling rocks, fire, explosions, and train derailments plagued the line. Opened in 1882, it quickly became known as one of the most dangerous railroad's in the United States.
In this video we visit an abandoned section of Route 66, the Johnson Crater, the remains of Welch Station, follow the abandoned route of the AT&SF line, and explore the Johnson Canyon Tunnel where we find the remains of the WW2 guard shack.
Since it get's commonly asked, I drove a Subaru Crosstrek to get to this location. I would not attempt it in a sedan, some clearance is probably necessary.
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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 up
last !
Yes it's very well built.
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
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
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 !!!!!!
... Another glorious Wednesday with Steve, thanks for taking us along with you...
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!
How in the hell do you find all these miniscule details of these abandoned places? Hats off to you for your research, etc.
I love looking at old infrastructure. It speaks to the past.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thanks again, Steve, I love your videos !!!
Awesome steve Another great video
You kick ass ssss! Thank you. Love your channel. Im glad its growing. Sub for years
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Thank you Steve!
Some Jeeps have a train horn installed. I didn't know that and once while camping up in the mountains a Jeep guy started blowing his horn. It woke me up totally confused as to where I was.
dat ain't true brudda
I tried to get the drone up to see the train, but I wasn't fast enough unfortunately.
THANKS STEVE BE SAFE 😊
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.
Easily the prettiest train tunnel I've ever seen!
Good morning Steve! Enjoying my morning coffee while watching this video! Thank you!
My pleasure!
Once again another fantastic video. Greetings from Mount Gilead, OH.
First Class....cheers.
Your on the right track. It's on the side.
I go to the destinations you feature, thank you for videos, G
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.
Another great video. Thank you.
love your informative videos, especially when in my neck of the woods.....western and nothern az 👍
I tell you again you do a great job making great videos . Also a very brave man.
Great tour
Very interesting. Keep up the good work.
Ty Steve
Best video YET!
Thank you, I really appreciate it.
That piece of rail looks like a fishplate, these were used to join the rails together, the holes were for the bolts.
Ok Steve, I know that you know that there is a rare steel dam nearby. I’m hoping that’s next weeks video.
Yes, but I didn't go to it on this trip. I will be back in the area pretty soon and plan on checking it out. There should be a dam in next week's video though.
That was a great video.
Please peaple, when you visit places like this one tread litely, take only pictures and leave only foot prints.
Cheers
Great video
How'd they fill in the gap where the bridge used to be‽ 1930's, remote and it didn't appear they carved out of the mountainside(the post card background looked the same). Very impressive.
I always share your videod
That would be nice. 👍
i am amazed, the tunnel looks like it´s in relatively good condition consider the age.
The unknown metal “Joint bar” or “fish plate” is bolted together at the web of the rail.
Don't know what is called, Steve, but it's used to connect the ends 2 rails together.
Interesting video.
😍😍😍😍
In those days there was no garbage service, so you did the next thing ,you just throw it out
Maybe an E-Bike would help you in cases where you can't pass with a car to avoid walking.
He has a ebike
The trouble is just transporting those things around. My bike rack isn't really rated to carry them let alone more than one, especially the bigger ones. The one I used before was around 70 pounds.
Steve, the item at time stamp 13:40 is part of a rail connection.
Utterly fascinating! Thank you!
🫵😮 whoa look at that
From what I understand, rails WERE much smaller back in the day.
Not unless it was specifically a narrow gauge railway. The standard gauge has always been around.
Another great piece of American history. Do you ever think of getting yourself an E-bike?
The problem is just transporting them. I did a video with one and it weighed so much my rack couldn't hold it, so I had to borrow my dad's truck just to get it to where I was going. Plus I'd need to to bring at least two.
The Williams, Arizona steam driven railroad is not far from where you are located. You may want to take a ride up to the Grand Canyon and report on the experience.
We actually did that a couple of winters ago. It was great. First time I'd ever seen snow at the Grand Canyon as every other time I'd gone in summer.
Get a e-bike for roads that won't take a car.
I would like a video on route 66 In that area because I can't find nothing about it in ez66 gide And with the anniversary coming up in 2 years. I'm trying to find sections that may not be in the book to get prepared. I know, it may seem silly getting ready 2 years in advance. But I rather be prepared than not. Edit what I'm thinking is taking the Welch road exit and I think that will get me on the old 66
Yeah, take the Welch Road exit. Route 66 is actually fenced off further west, so you can't drive it all the way to Ash Fork anymore. The paved section west of where I was filming gets pretty rough as it goes downhill (at least for me who wasn't paying enough attention to the potholes).
Are they planning to turn that rail line into a recreation path?
Guessing UP or BNSF for that active transcon?
Hi ☀Steve
Hello.
Wow another great one, thanks Steve !! Makes you wonder if the new railroad line is safer why they didn’t go that route to begin with ?
Do you think the road shift may be due to an earthquake?
uuupppsssss i guess we didn,t
Thats a track connector
Thanks. Amazing that's been out there all these years.
Do you narrate as you walk or voice over? Sounds like you voice over most of the time.
I do some of both. To try and eliminate wind noise etc, I use the voice isolation setting on Final Cut.
It was probably a Jaguar. LOL. Only lions and tigers are bigger. And a handful are back in Arizona.
I don't think the jaguars have made it that far north yet, but hopefully if I ever run into one I actually have the camera on lol.
@@SidetrackAdventures probably down near Caballo Loco Ranch would be closer.
first
Congrats!
Always enjoy your jaunts through the Southwest! Thanks, Steve!
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.
Great video. Thanks for taking me along!
@gregmannos is correct. 'Rail Joiners' are still used today. Love what you do Steve!
Thank you… great editing
What appears to be fire damage to the bricks, could be the results of the smoke stacks on the trains...
As usual, another great show! Thanks Steve!
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!!
Great content!! Thank you!!
Nice! I know guy that did a video of the tunnel getting there from the east. He had much more difficult trek outpaced the easier route. Nice job! My family is from Keams Canyon N E of there. My uncle is buried there in a cemetery covered completely by a giant boulder.
That's a piece of 90 lb rail at the joint. Bolts would go through the holes to bolt the plates to the ends of the rail.
Gah`morning S.T.A.
.
There’s a railroad bridge in that area with some cool graffiti .
Looks like a dinosaur creature. You can see it going westbound on I-40.
In my trucking travels, what I call the volcanic line. Runs from Antonio Colorado to just east of Barstow. Right thru that area.
The segment that had what you thought was part of the rail? What you saw was what is called a "Joint Bar " that holds two rails together. So, you saw a "Joint Bar" that is put to join two sections of rail together. I am a railfan and I recognized it immediately. :)
Great videos. Been watching you for a long time. Live in Arizona all my life and one of my best friends is the State official historian. No offense to him but I learn a lot from you 👍👍👍
what a coincidence that i started and ended our vacation spending about na week total just north of there on cr124, we made it down to rt 66 road, but i did not know about the old train route and tunnel, ill check that for next summer, thanks again for your efforts steve!
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!
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 ...
Love your videos!!!
Keep it up!
Thank You!
I found it in Google Maps. Thanks Steve!
Great job Steve. you always deliver great history lessons.
Another excellent adventure! Thank you Steve!
Another great production. What video equipment are you using?
There’s a Johnson. Cabin , Nothing . Arizona , has prickly pear. Chicken. Pens. Squareish , over view on stilts for. Water, in a dam. Baby box canyon,
One of my favorite hikes that I try to do each year. Nice Work! That piece of metal you found looks like an insulated joint, used to fasten two pieces of rail together. Nice find!
As a long time Yankees fan...How bout that Padres triple play to end the win vs the LAD last night!!!
Thanks for the video, very informative
Great video as always! Thanks!
So interesting. It’s just amazing the engineering that went into that railroad bed. An mostly completed in the late 1800.
Thanks to you for what you do Steve.
Nice work, as usual, Steve.
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.
That was another excellent video Steve!
Thanks' Steve another great vid.