One of the signature structures on my layout is the modern Winslow yard tower. I scratchbuilt a model of it back in the 70's based upon a couple rather distant shots I got of it in 1975, in black and white. It appears to show in late 1960's aerial shots of the yard - an elevated, modern, light blue steel structure with a hip roof on it. Roof is white, overall building color is "Colter Blue" - the lighter blue-turquose that seems to show up in various places. It had a distinct open legged appearance not unlike the Barstow, CA tower, but this one has angled legs and that hip roof, open steps going up to it. There was also a similar-vintage steel communications shed right next to it. It's smaller than Barstow, but has angled windows like it and may have been built at the same time by the same company from the looks of it. It appears to have been taken down in the 80's when Winslow was downsized as a class yard and block-swapping started to be moved out to every siding between Winslow and Williams Jct. But I don't know that. There's no trace of it today except there's a relay box on the same spot. It was on the south side of the yard on the east ladder, west of the station. A shot of a train headed eastbound, parked at the depot, SHOULD show it in the background. I'd really like to upgrade my model but before I go through that effort I want to do another attempt to find any more pictures. I've got two distant black and white prints and a Petley postcard (Aerial)....has anybody every seen ANYTHING more than that? Edit: Here's the best shot of it I have - from the side: I can't believe that I've NEVER seen this show up in any historic photos, railfan photos, or anything else. It's a rather cool structure.
I would guess this has not shown nup in railfan photos because many would consider it- oooh, not old-timey enough, not "steam era relic," too (ugh) modern! Just my guess. Thirty-forty years old, I collected pictures of picturesque old buildings and I stopped at the "Design Preservation Minatures" era. Since then, I started paying attention to Art Deco and Streamline Moderne. And your example is NOW a classic. I have a collection of references... everytime I get a magazine or book, I catalog it for interest possible models AND for Santa Fe locations. Out of my references for about 1800 Santa Fe "stations" (ie named location, not necessarily depot structures), here are the ones for Winslow. I don't think this will help you but I throw it out for whatever its worth to you or anyone with a Winslow interest. track plat 1946 rev. to 1958 Running Extra #34 2Q 2006 p.4 yard track diagram & signal details Trains Jan03 p.53 Harvey La Posada,int,ext History of ATSF (Bonanza) p.42,46 Harvey La Posada, All Aboard! the Golden Age of American Rail Travel ed.Yenne 1989 p.45, interior lunch counter p.52 int. Harvey House,1920s, _North American Steam_ (Crescent) p.94 La Posada reopened 1998 (narrative) _Warbonnet_ 4Q 1998 p.5 ice dock, _Reefers,Ice Bunker_ p.104 coal tower & scene, _Santa Fe Modeler_ JulAug79 p.6 trains in open west of W. _Santa Fe 1940-1971 in color_ Vol.4 p.105 scene, _Prototype Modeler_ NovDec83 p.37 switcher, MOW boxcars bg, _Iron Horses of the Santa Fe Trail_ p.362 yard, wreck of Super Chief _Warbonnet_ 1Q98 p.28 turntable w FT _Warbonnet_ 3Q97 p.14 area map, _Trains_ Nov96 p.45 #333L at Winslow AX 1965 "The Chief" _Warbonnet_ 3Q 2000 p.28 Winslow power house 1962 Running Extra #34 2Q 2006 p.5 Winslow open air car shops 1962 Running Extra #34 2Q 2006 p.5 Winslow roundhouse foreman’s office 1962 Running Extra #34 2Q 2006 p.5 Winslow F3 #26 rollover derailment 1948 Warbonnet 2Q-2009 p.14
Yeah, Ken, it's probably a matter of perspective. Last time I was out to Winslow (two years ago) I stopped in the collection of trailers and prefab buildings at the end of the yard that now passes as the BNSF offices now and cleared myself with security before I was spotted with a camera around the yard. Kinda made me wince - no character to any of it, about as railroady as a trailer park, and pretty much of nothing that predated 1965 left except the turntable. So yeah, if you remembered the 'previous era' of Winslow with the roundhouse, steam fueling facilities, the huge icing plant and reefer docks, maybe the depot prior to La Posada..... the 60's with the new steel buildings must have seemed just as awful. Put away the camera. The awful part is that I didn't photograph the trailer collection that's there today. So I'm just as bad in the current day. So now, out of that era, the car shop building survives, the fuel pads have moved to the main line, the steel water tank with the herald is gone, along with the freight house, Babbits Lumber, the yard office, and the steel yard tower here. The radio tower is still there (now hosting raven nests), La Posada/depot, the turntable, repair sheds, etc., and of course, the trains just keep coming. I'm sure glad that La Posada is still there, that was close, and that's the gem, the most unexpected and miraculous salvation of all of it from 1972. My 2007 trip led me down the Arizona & California, and there was more 'original' ATSF stuff remaining down there than the Transcon had. Sigh. By 2009 I couldn't even find so much as a signal bridge in Arizona. That's a great Winslow compilation, I have maybe half that, and now will have to start researching the other half! Where can I locate a copy of the 2Q 2006 Running Extra? Merrick's book on the ATSF across Arizona has a lot in it, the Morning Sun "Santa Fe Facilities" has some, a hit here and there....but that yard tower seemed to miss it all. Oh, and believe it or not, all the valuation maps are now scanned and online. But unlike most railroads, ATSF probably has 2-3 times more track there today than they did in 1917, and the vintage valuation maps have much less on it that what is even there today.
Interesting. I’ve been trying to dig up as much info on the Seligman and I’ve been given some info from BNSF guys. From what I’ve been told, Winslow still serves as a class yard for most of the sub with the Flagstaff local doing a turn to service most of the industries up to Seligman where it exchanges blocks with the Kingman local which services the industries west of Seligman. The Flag local only drops blocks in Flag at the yard next to the Purina plant where a Flag switcher services the industries in Flag and spots cars for Purina. Going off the top of my head, all inbound blocks destined for the western half of the sub are dropped off on the siding in Berry by the airport and all outbound traffic go to Winslow (even if it's westbound). This isn’t 100% but I was told was accurate for the last few years of ATSF (what I’m modeling) and up until 2007 or so for the BNSF where some changes were made (the Flag switcher was dropped). This appears to be broadly confirmed in the train schedules in the parts of the 1994 transportation plan that I have where many of the manifest trains have several hours of yard time (from 2 to as many as 12hrs). If you have any more info on the sub I’d be interested, especially if you have 1990-1995 era CLIC charts!
It reminds me of the main tower at Barstow, Ca. A smaller version. Better then doing away with the towers and pulling it all into one of the trailers.
Rand: I don't think these photos will add too much to your quest. There was a yard tour back in the middle 1980s and the tower was on the tour. The photo of the two Geeps is from the middle deck of the tower. The other photo shows the tower in the background. Ed in Kentucky
Wow, that's interesting! OK, so if you were on a tour....what the heck was in the ground-level building? Restrooms? Lockers? Electrical equipment? The 'high level' tower seems kind of small. Did it feel that way on the tour? From the photos I've seen, all the switches were ground throws, so if they didn't control switches, what did they do up there? Was the CTC desk up there? Operationally, I stopped in July '72. I have the employee timetable that shows all arrivals and departures at Winslow by train, and the working time in the yard. The "787" trains to and from Phoenix were the only symbol freights assembled at Winslow that show on the timetable, so it had to be a true class yard then to be assembling the Phoenix trains there. Just the fact that they ever gave a tour of the yard...wow...post everything... I was VERY fortunate in 1980 to get a 'free run' of Corwith with the full knowledge of the yard staff, a wonderful set of photos that could never be done again today. That tour included the caboose track, the mechanical reefers service tracks, all the stuff that is now equally history.
Rand: The ground level building was not on the tour. And the tower office was so crowded with employees and fans I didn't go in, but looked in from the door. Sorry, but my memory is foggy about what exactly was in there. The middle deck was way less crowded and those Geeps were right there to photograph. . .
Have you seen any pictures of what the Winslow Diesel facility looked like in the 40s-50s? I'm modeling the era and can't seem to find any. Thanks, Ray
