#sunsetroute

Light Engine

We are off East Marsh Station Road in Davidson Canyon, near Vail, Arizona—southeast of Tucson by thirty miles. A lone locomotive, running eastward, is on the former Southern Pacific line where the former El Paso and Southwestern Railroad flies overhead.

As stated in the previous post (with Sunset Limited), the EP&SW came through here in 1911 or so while the SP was built in 1880. The younger road would be purchased by the Southern Pacific in 1924 and fully absorbed into its system in 1955.

[Note: my two posts at this location are out of order: this light engine actually surprised me and rolled by just prior to that of the Sunset Limited.]

Also mentioned in the previous post: in addition to the two railroads here, an historical marker states that the adjacent Cienega Bridge (not pictured), built in 1921, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Land acknowledgement: O’odham Jewed, Sobaipuri, Tohono O’odham, Hohokam.

Sunset on the Sunset Route A westbound train on the former Southern Pacific between Owl and Colfred, Arizona. It was built in 1880. Prior to that, this land was inhabited by the Yavapai Apache, O'odham Jewed, Maricopa, Cocopah, and Hia-Ced O'odham peoples. The mountains one sees in the background here are located within the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range, established in 1941.

Eastbound Stack Train

This is an eastbound stack train on the Sunset Route. While now being just a portion of the Union Pacific, this line was originally the Southern Pacific (built in 1880). The SP, along with the ATSF, formed the second transcontinental railroad in the United States.

[In actuality, the SP helped form the second, third, and fourth transcontinental lines in this country. It should be noted as well: Southern Pacific's precursor company, the Central Pacific, formed half the the first transcontinental—along with the UP.]

In the first image, we see the train after having come down from Dragoon Pass; it is rolling by the town of Cochise, Arizona. In the second and third images, the train is heading out across the Willcox Playa; the Dos Cabezas Mountains are out of frame toward the right. Willcox is visible in the distance in those shots.

The current state of railroading, a sidebar This is how the current five or seven major railroads would have it these days: fewer trains (to lower costs for the number of employees necessary), but miles long each. This one is being powered by six high horsepower locomotives—four in front with two positioned somewhere in the middle of the train. Look at all the goods that two crew members are delivering to the east—and the railroad companies would like to slash 50% of those jobs so that a single person would be responsible for the operation of a train like you see here before you, but also ones that carry hazardous materials. This practice is for the benefit of the shareholders at the expense of the workers and all the towns the trains run through. For context, one might look up the derailment that occurred in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3rd 2023.

Three images by Richard Koenig; taken May 4th 2024.

Sunset Limited We are off East Marsh Station Road in Davidson Canyon, near Vail, Arizona—southeast of Tucson by thirty miles. Amtrak’s Sunset Limited is on the former El Paso and Southwestern Railroad flying over the much older Southern Pacific. The EP&SW came through here in 1911 or so while the SP was built in 1880. The younger road would be purchased by the Southern Pacific in 1924 and fully absorbed into its system in 1955. In addition to the two railroads, an historical marker states that the adjacent Cienega Bridge (not pictured), built in 1921, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Land acknowledgement: O’odham Jewed, Sobaipuri, Tohono O’odham, Hohokam.

Along I-8 First image here: looking south from I-8, milepost 54: between myself and the ridge in the distance lies Southern Pacific baking, baking in the midday sun. The mountains one sees in the background here are located within the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range, established in 1941.

The second image was taken a bit later as I drove east. I saw a westbound train coming, pulled over and squeezed off this grab-shot. The same mountain range can be seen in the background. Land acknowledgement: Yavapai Apache, O'odham Jewed, Maricopa, Cocopah, and Hia-Ced O'odham peoples.

The Worst Kind of Light A westbound train on the former Southern Pacific between Owl and Colfred, Arizona. The line was built through here in 1880. Prior to that, this land was inhabited by the Yavapai Apache, O'odham Jewed, Maricopa, Cocopah, and Hia-Ced O'odham peoples. The mountains one sees in the background here are located within the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range, established in 1941.

(Original) Sunset Route, Part One

I believe this location, off East Marsh Station Road in Davidson Canyon, southeast of Tucson, is where a newer alignment of the Sunset Route flies over that of the original.

In addition, an historical marker states that the adjacent Cienega Bridge, built in 1921, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Benson, Arizona

The Southern Pacific’s Sunset Route goes through Benson, but it’s also interesting in that the ATSF originally built south from the SP toward Mexico at this point. The first image was taken on the wye track where the ATSF connected with the Southern Pacific.

The ATSF had trackage rights over the Southern Pacific from Deming westward to Benson with the intention of becoming a transcontinental through Mexico. That’s Mount Glenn in the background of the second image.