SANTA FE RAILROAD'S ABANDONED JOHNSON CANYON ROUTE AND TUNNEL--Abandoned in 1959!

[@AndrewHavranek-gt4zi]

I did this hike, also rappelled and climbed out of the crater! great adventure

[@W7DSY]

What crater? You mean the canyon?

[@AndrewHavranek-gt4zi]

nope! Johnson Crater!@@W7DSY

[@birdman5223]

Crazy cool stuff sir👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@normsweet1710]

Been up and down I-40 many times, I knew RT 66 was there somewhere. BUT …… the old RR bed & tunnel ? That’s a great side trip and Bonus for this ol sightseer ! Thank You very much 👍❤️

[@W7DSY]

Off the beaten path, but a great find. Thanks for the post.

[@tommiller5231]

Its the best looking abandoned tunnel I have ever saw.

[@janaburritt6939]

Beautiful territory ❤️

[@W7DSY]

Spectacular. If it weren't for the heavy grade, it certainly would have been kept, but it just required too much horsepower to move the trains. Thanks for your comment.

[@michaelmorgan7893]

Travelling through ashfork and seligman in my childhood years, i remember seeing north of the old 66 highway, the roadbed followed the 66 west out of Ashfork, where i would see the concrete bridge abutments, with the bridges removed. Even in 1977 and 78, youd still see old crossties laying along the railroad embankment/ berm and all that old red and black cinder cone ballast.

[@W7DSY]

Thanks for your comments!

[@miketindall8585]

Thanks for sharing some of AZ with us. Is most everything you look for found by coordinates?

[@W7DSY]

I'm not sure what you mean. Coordinates are the most accurate means of finding a on a google map what I am referring to. How else would I let you know where I am? I already told you that I started on Welch Rd. off of I-40 west of Flagstaff AZ.

[@miketindall8585]

Thanks that actually answered my question

[@davidgrenis638]

THANK YOU THAT'S THE MOST BEAUTIFULLY DONE ❤️❤️❤️ I HAVE EVER SEEN THANKS TO YOU

[@W7DSY]

Thanks for the compliment!

[@trains365]

What a great video, thanks for posting!! My grandfather was a locomotive engineer in helper service stationed in Ash Fork. Unfortunately he passed before I was born, however my uncle was born and raised there. The Johnson Canyon line had been initially established by the Atlantic & Pacific. Some time in the 20's I believe the second line - what is in use today - was also established to try and reduce the grade. Primarily after that the Johnson Canyon portion was more for west bound trains and the newer line was for the east bound trains. I have a couple of nice pictures of trains descending that line.

[@W7DSY]

Thanks for your comments. Too bad your grandfather was gone before you came along. , but glad you have some remembrances from him (I assume the photos). I hope you are local enough to be able to visit Johnson Canyon. The scenery is spectacular.

[@TimothyGoodwin-b4v]

There are the remains of a WW2 guard shack on the hill almost directly above the tunnel, up on top of the middle and to the right. When I was there, around the year 2005, it was on the verge of falling apart.

[@W7DSY]

The remains were still there at the time of my visit! Well worth the hike around the tunnel to see it.

[@AbandonedMines11]

It was hard to tell whether or not that rock pile blocking the road was deliberate or natural. Look like quite a hike in from that point onward. How many miles was that until you reached the portal of the tunnel? You mentioned four or five miles. Was that one way or round-trip? And that tunnel was amazing! Love seeing stuff like that! The boiler plates that you pointed out were also very unusual. But I can see the reason for them if they had a fire in there. Looks like some rugged, remote country out there. Nice find on those dates from the 1800s.

[@W7DSY]

Frank, I think that pile was purposeful, as it was laid across quite evenly. How far to the portal? I thought it longer, but I plotted it on google earth and it worked out to about 2 miles one way. Couple of other things: That sandstone on the portals was laid up by stonemasons imported from Italy, and their work is evidenced all around that area, often off in the woods, unused for many years, account route relocations, etc. And the remains of a guard shack on the cliff side of that tunnel is still there from WW2. They posted a sentinel out there to guard against sabotage.

[@bryce2680]

I always enjoy your videos, but I'm really enjoying the Railroad-themed ones lately. Fantastic.

[@W7DSY]

Thanks! This one was special to me. This is a great site and a good hike. The tunnel is fascinating.

[@bryce2680]

@@W7DSY I found all of the old right-of-way on Google maps. I'll have to drive that and possibly see the tunnel. Do you know if you can drive in from the other side?

[@W7DSY]

@@bryce2680 I don't think so. I believe there is a bridge out at some point. But it has been years since I walked that end. I wd check it carefully before proceeding. Try Google Earth.

[@bill9729]

Another fascinating piece of ATSF history. Thanks for posting!

[@W7DSY]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@chuckgilly]

Nice video. If you like, there is a video documentary on KZbin of them building the by pass in 1959 "Better Way for the Santa Fe (1959)" . It was a Morrison Knudsen project.

[@johnnycee5179]

All the work involved in creating and maintaining that tunnel and now vacant.

[@W7DSY]

But at least we can hike to it and enjoy what was.

[@johnnycee5179]

@@W7DSY yes, you're right about that.

[@rvvanlife]

What a fascinating vedio, would love to explore that for myself someday, thank you for sharing

[@W7DSY]

Thanks for the compliment. It's a fascinating area, and my video really doesn't do the scenery justice. It's a shame the Santa Fe had to abandon this picturesque route.

[@cowboy87smith3]

Hopefully you are able to get out to more abandon lines in the future this is great thing to see as a railfan. Thank you for taking the time to do this as well as the very informative website.

[@W7DSY]

Thanks. 'Railroad Archaeology' is the most interesting of all. But unlike the midwest and east, we don't have as much to pick from here in the west and southwest.

[@Mrruneight]

Thank You for sharing this video, very well done. Enjoyed it immensely! In David F. Myrick's book "The Santa Fe Route, Railroads of Arizona Vol. 4" Mr. Myrick does his homework as he always does and talks extensively about the building of the Santa Fe through Northern Arizona. This is a very good book as all of Mr. Myrick's books are.

[@W7DSY]

Thanks for the compliment, Mel! Yes, I have a couple of Myrick's books, but DANG, some of them on the used market are incredibly expensive. I do have a friend who has all of them, so I pick his brain from time-to-time, as I did on this video.

[@AsTheWheelsTurn]

very cool! I will have to go check this out, I love old structures and that boiler plate ceiling is so interesting.

[@W7DSY]

Yes, and it was nicely done. Those shop guys knew their trade.

[@paducahandlouisvillerailro3309]

I have 2 of the original Santa Fe Railroad Spikes

[@alcopower5710]

Very interesting video. As a railfan I must thank you for making this as I may never see it in person. That tunnel looks to be in great shape

[@W7DSY]

Thank you for your comments. Yes, we can't all go to all the places we like, and so it is with me. But it is good to see some things few do. The tunnel is in excellent shape, could be put back in service tomorrow. The roadbed lead up wd take a bit longer. I was esp grateful to see the graffiti that some people left behind. If you don't walk it, you'd not see it.

[@paducahandlouisvillerailro3309]

I have a 1950 brass nickel alloy Santa Fe Railroad Spike the last train that used the iron spike the brass spike was molded from was Santa Fe 2912

[@SantaFe-wi1ve]

I just subbed your channel and hope that you do more railroad and railroad history stuff from northern Arizona. I'm in Flagstaff, and do a lot of metal detecting at the old steam station stops all along the line across the transcon. Thanks for sharing your video.

[@W7DSY]

I make it up there occasionally, but I am looking to do more.

[@liquidsnow1]

Interesting and thanx for the trip. Regards from Europe 👍👍

[@W7DSY]

Thanks! I am always gratified to have people from other continents watch my videos.

[@lcrr700]

Very neat! Years ago I had a magazine with an article in it written by someone who used to live at the Welch station where his or her mother worked as a station agent. He or she (the author) would catch a ride early every weekday morning on a local freight train - they would slow down enough that the author could swing aboard the waycar (caboose) - to go to school in Williams. At Williams the crew would leave the waycar in the yard while they went about their business and the author would walk to school. After school, the author would go back to the waycar, do homework, stoke the stove and get hot coffee ready for the crew, who would arrive later with the train, pick up the waycar and head back west. The author said that when they got to the tunnel he or she knew it was time to start cleaning up and packing up the school work to swing off the waycar at Welch. Wish I could find the magazine now!

[@W7DSY]

The era when railroads had heart instead of bean counters running them.

[@Mrruneight]

I had corresponded with the Gentleman you refer to after reading the same article in Trains Magazine. He shared with me a story of he and his Mom who, as you stated was the Station Agent at Welch. He had gone with his Mom to Ashfork to do some shopping and when it came time to get back to Welch so she could start her shift, she received permission to ride the Helper of the Super Chief. On this day, the Helper was a 2-10-2 Steam Engine and, as the story goes, the sound of that steam engine working east out of Ashfork was deafing but an experience he would never forget.

[@JodiFCobb]

I do like your walks and walking stick.

[@W7DSY]

Thanks!

[@johnpinckney4979]

Another good video!

[@michaelmorgan7893]

One rule of thumb to find old Santa Fe Railway alignments, is that they used the old red and black pumice cinder ballast on their lines up until the mid- late 70's. So any track laid before 1970 will have traces of that old cinder cone ballast.

[@pacificostudios]

Re: Telltales. Roofwalks and high-mounted brake wheels were still standard when the Williams-Ash Fork relocation was opened. These features were not banned by the ICC for new cars until 1966, and roofwalks could still be used until 1979, nearly when Congress ended the ICC itself. If that one was wood, it would have fallen down or burned up over the last 60 years. If it was steel, it was probably removed for scrap, or reuse, just like the signals that was attached to the signal base that you spotted.

[@W7DSY]

Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure when the telltales disappeared, or when they stopped setting brakes by hand.

[@pacificostudios]

@@W7DSY - I had to look it up, too. Brakes are, of course, still set by hand, when a car is set out on a spur or siding. However, the brake wheel is reached by climbing a short ladder today, not climbing all the way up to the top of an 11 foot tall freight car. In addition, reefers are no longer filled with blocks of ice, so there's no need to open a roof hatch anymore. Covered hoppers and tank cars are the only cars that must be climbed on today, I think, and tank cars are built with railing around the platform to help keep workers safe. As for covered hoppers, this video shows a worker with a rig on his body that keeps him safe even if he loses his balance while walking on top of a car. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4nTp6ywp5l1atE

[@jcee2259]

Needs my Suzuki DR-650 to roll this bed faster. Just my knobby track is left behind.

[@lesliescoggin2325]

that tunnel doesn't loof anywhere near 600 yds. long

[@W7DSY]

It is 600 feet long.

[@vijayanchomatil8413]

If you had a mountain bike, you would've covered more distance.

[@W7DSY]

And if I had a motorcycle even more.

[@vijayanchomatil8413]

@@W7DSY ebike, yes, but it is much easier to carry a mountain bike in the bed of your truck.

[@mikehenry4743]

Locally this is known as "Chinamans Tunnel" because of the workers. There are a number of locations near there where Chinese graves can still be found along the abandoned line.

[@W7DSY]

INteresting. Have you personally seen any?

[@mikehenry4743]

Yes, I remember two places, just west of Ash Fork where the old grade can still be seen crossing a low hill side from Crookton Rd., and two near Little Hell Canyon. The headstones near LH Canyon, (were nothing more than cobbles carved with Chinese characters), someone took about 10 years ago but the rock piles are still visible.

[@W7DSY]

@@mikehenry4743 Much obliged, Mike. I am considering a trip to that area to document the old line and some of the sandstone masonry that is in the area, and sometimes somewhat hidden.

[@mikehenry4743]

@@W7DSY I will send you a PM with coords of these spots.

[@W7DSY]

@@mikehenry4743 much obliged

[@Hogger280]

Where did that bolder come from; it obviously didn't fall from the ceiling or wall?

[@W7DSY]

Likely was push around in an attempt to keep vehicles from driving past this point. The roadbed is getting quite narrow account some erosion. Thanks for commenting.

[@azdesertdog]

It's too bad about the blockage. I found it when I took a buddy up there in July sometime. We did the dams and the tunnel. I enjoyed the video. 😎👍

[@W7DSY]

Ah well, the blockage keep the riff-raff out! Many thanks for the shout-out.

[@ChicagoMadisonWesternRR]

I’m surprised that this wasn’t turned into a bike trail.

[@W7DSY]

It kind of is. Other vids on youtube, show there are ATV's, motorcycles. etc/ that frequent the roadbed.

[@ChicagoMadisonWesternRR]

@@W7DSY thanks for the reply. I guess I was meaning in a more formal sense to how bike trails in the Midwest and the East Coast are established.

[@rrelectric5159]

Nice video about a piece of railroad history. It looked like those metal retaining walls were made out of old box car doors.

[@W7DSY]

I don't think so, they were purpose-made for retaining. Much larger than box car doors.

[@snydedon9636]

Looked like it said “wagoner” to me.

[@rubbertire6608]

Just there today longer walk than I remember

[@W7DSY]

Yeah, last time I was there you could drive all the way to the tunnel, but that rock fall puts a kink in that. Plus it was a pretty hot day. Thanks for watching.

[@SouthCalifas619]

Wheres the reroute track located?

[@W7DSY]

It's close by. Go to google earth.

[@pacificostudios]

Retaining walls are usually built with holes to let water through. Without those holes, water pressure can cause the wall to collapse. You spotted these drainage holes after walking through the tunnel.

[@deezynar]

Weren't car top brakemen out of work within a decade after George Westinghouse introduced his airbrake system in 1869?

[@W7DSY]

No, manually setting retainers went on for many years afterward.

[@deezynar]

@@W7DSY Wow, that's wild. I assume that some further technical development was required to finally get rid of them?

[@selwyncarter3227]

It was many years before air brake systems were applied to all the rolling stock.

[@stephenheath8465]

Was this the old alignment before the AT&SF built the Crookton Cutoff?

[@W7DSY]

Yes. In 1960 ATSF did this extensive realignment which bypassed Johnson Canyon. An earlier realignment (1913) also bypassed the Gleed Loop. I wanted to document that earlier this year, but there are so many No Trespassing signs (and threats written thereon) I decided to pass. Perhaps another day, as there are a number of things which intrigue me on that area. Thanks for watching!

[@edwardmounsey9208]

The tunnel is in great shape and seems to be tall enough the brakemen could have stood all the way through the tunnel?great video, too bad that the tunnel is not utilized as a roadway ? Thanks for posting.

[@W7DSY]

Maybe, but not as built.

[@railfanlynx]

Relay the rails here!

[@W7DSY]

Be great but it ain't gonna happen.

[@selwyncarter3227]

A great piece of history, and your documentation and video is outstanding ! Thank you hot making the hike in. The tunnel masonry is outstanding, and the cribbing was an attention-getter to a former railroad surveyor and builder!

[@W7DSY]

Thanks for the comments. Yes, it was quite hot, but since I live near Phoenix, it felt better than home. The masonry was completed by Italian immigrants. It's too bad the route was bypassed, as the scenery was far better than a camera could give witness to.

[@rickrodz1536]

Cool video

[@topcat890]

Could they re-opened it one day put in a new set of tracks

[@W7DSY]

It could be re-used, but why? The trains now run on a better-engineered track, and only two passenger trains/day uses them. So what wd be the reasoning?

[@topcat890]

@@W7DSY More like a tourist attraction in addition of the Grand Canyon train a separate tourist attraction from Williams through the canyon and back to Williams

[@badlands555]

You'll have all the doomsday preppers excited by this.

[@W7DSY]

Oh, there's lots better tunnels for preppers than this one. I visited this one when I lived in California. It is WAY out in the woods! kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6jFimOIepeYgbs

[@gregwallace5629]

Too bad the rockfall blocked the road, it was an adventurous drive over some of those eroded fill sections. Hopefully it helps keep more Al Freightos away.

[@W7DSY]

I drove that road to the tunnel maybe 8-10 years ago & it was dicey for width (washouts, collapses, etc.). I do see ATV tracks in there, and also scrape marks on the rocks that block the road. But I'll tell you this: I wouldn't have seen H.E. Berrie's grafitti if I had been in a vehicle, so I won anyway.

[@rickrodz1536]

Hes a moniker freight man look IP monikers on trains goes way back

[@maxvonraben8112]

Hello buddy, you make interesting videos, you drive a Toyota in the USA, but you have to drive a Ford, GMC or Chevy, otherwise you will be called a "traitor to the fatherland"! 😃😃😃😃😎

[@W7DSY]

Good point. I will send you the invoice so you can buy me that new truck.

[@chadhaire1711]

Toyota are made in USA Texas...many other "American" brands made in Mexico

[@topcat890]

If the tracks were still There would modernize train to use it

[@OnefastAZfarmtruck]

I made it over those rocks with my Tacoma. It was sketchy. Wouldn’t recommend

[@W7DSY]

You're braver than I am, Grant.

[@rickrodz1536]

Monikers is also history for the railroad evwn railroad workers left marks

[@randybowman2110]

The video call is Better way for the SANTA FE 1959

[@rickrodz1536]

Al freighto is a. Freight moniker. Aka train hoppers. Look up train monikers all railroad personal back then did them as well.. Hes just leaving his mark indians did it caveman did it

[@W7DSY]

Yeah, tagging is an old sport. As long as it doesn't go to the extremes we see on some railroad cars.

[@maxrshelltrack7443]

@@W7DSY there's some decent looking ones out there a friend of mine got me into photographing the graffiti so everytime a manifest goes by I'm scanning the train for anything good.

[@rickrodz1536]

#Al freighto on ig