Question about Williams (?) -Phoenix route

[Tom Curtin]

Please help enlighten this easterner who will soon be visiting unfamiliar territory in Arizona. There's an ex-ATSF route that runs from the main line somewhere in the Williams, AZ area, southeast to Phoenix, going through the Prescott area.

Is this what Santa Fe called the "Peavine?"

What kind and amount of traffic uses te route today?

[timz]

No idea about what happens today, but...

Yes, it's the Peavine-- or maybe that name dates from before the circa-1960 line change?

Looking at the map you see how if you're westbound on the main line, a few miles east of Williams the main line curves northwestward (missing Williams) while the Phoenix line heads west into Williams and on to Ash Fork. Until 1960 Ash Fork and Williams were both on the main line-- Ash Fork was the junction for the Phoenix line. So Seligman-Crookton-Ash Fork-Williams was all double track, with the two tracks on separate alignments for some miles. Eastward from Ash Fork the eastward track was 1.8% maximum climb and the westward was 3%, so the former westward track is now gone. West of Ash Fork the old main is all gone.

There was a large line change on the Phoenix line at about the same time-- the old line went through Skull Valley.

[Tom Curtin]

Can somebody tell me about the traffic volumes on this route today?

[pdman]

There is a good amount of traffic on this line. About seven trains a day in each direction. They are not too long, because it ranges from 1,100' altitude to over 6,500'. The new part (about 40 miles long which was built in the early 60s cut off Prescott altogether) is beautifully manicured. In fact, the entire line is pristine. All welded rail. Classic ATSF.

[steve levine]

East Williams Jct. is private property.Be carefull tresspassing there! There is a small AMtrak platform that might be legal to shoot from.This is the place where the main & the Phoenix line meet.Railfanning the P-line can be a long wait most days.I have sat for hours near some of the trestles north of Prescott.I do know that a lot of trains run at night on this line.

[Tom Curtin]

As prompted me to start this thread, I was in Prescott last week and discovered no sign of any railroad there. The very recognizable ATSF depot is there, but no sign of any rail line. Then, after returning east I read the post about the line relocation, which explains why I didn't see anything!!! I presume this relocation was to the west of Prescott (since I drove in from the east and there's no sign of any RR there).

The post above speaks of the line doing some serious climbing to 6000+ feet. Where's that - - south of the Prescott area? I didn't go south from Prescott but noticed that Hwy. 89 heads up through a mountain pass going south.

[Johns674]

What was ATSF abandoned Prescott in 1984 and the tracks were pulled up right after that. There were floods during Sept 1983, which caused washouts of what essentially was a 26 mile spur into Prescott from a station area called Drake, which is on the Peavine.

The Peavine basically goes from Williams Jct all the way through Wickenburg to the Phoenix Area. The Peavine ends at approximately 75th Avenue and Olive Avenue in the Peoria Area. From that point, yard limits go approx. 15 miles south to Mobest Yard at 19th Avenue/McDowell Rd in Phoenix.

One other interesting note about the Peavine is just west of Wickenburg, the Arizona California Railroad connects with the Peavine and has trackage rights on the BNSF to Phoenix. Usually cars are swapped at a long siding in the Morristown/ Castle Hot Springs area. I have seen the the trains in that area really early in the morning (usually 3-4 AM)

I originally am from NY and came to AZ about 20 years ago. I am very interested in the railroad action out here. There is an excellent book called "Santa Fe to Phoenix" (Railroads of Arizona-Volume 5) by David Myrick. That book, which I have, gives the entire history of the Peavine and its predecessor railroads.