A history buff is using stones from a demolished Route 66 motel in Kingman, Arizona, to re-create a mining monument that stood more than 100 years ago in the city. C. Russell collected stones from the recently razed Bells Motel, aka Desert Lodge Apartments and Bel Air Motel, to help build a Miners Mineral Monument near … Continue reading Bones of Route 66 motel being used for mining monument in Kingman
Category: Railroad
La Posada acquires vintage domed rail car
La Posada in Winslow, Arizona, recently acquired a historic Santa Fe Pleasure Dome rail car that will be refurbished to house history exhibits and a guest room. The rail car will be a part of the next phase of La Posada complex's Route 66 Art Museum project that begins next month. La Posada co-owner Allan Affeldt said in … Continue reading La Posada acquires vintage domed rail car
“Ship It on the Frisco”
A song off The Bottle Rockets' new album, "Ship It on the Frisco," sent me down a rabbit hole researching a certain Route 66 overpass and the railroad that once traveled on it. The song (download MP3 here) is found on The Bottle Rockets' excellent album, "South Broadway Athletic Club" (the album's title comes from a historic place on South Broadway in … Continue reading “Ship It on the Frisco”
Use of shipping containers causes controversy in Kingman
One man's use of a shipping container as a colorful billboard to welcome tourists into Kingman, Arizona, before the 2014 International Route 66 Festival has blown up into a fight with city hall amid accusations of hypocrisy and selective enforcement. Pat McBrayer, a former city councilor, painted a Route 66-themed mural on a yellow container (pictured above) and … Continue reading Use of shipping containers causes controversy in Kingman
A Route 66 railroad crossing in 360 degrees
Zac Crosby posted a 20-second clip of something I never before had seen on YouTube -- video in which you can swivel the view 360 degrees as it is running. https://youtu.be/Wwe7gAx9YO0 Cameras such as this have existed for almost 60 years, but the equipment obviously has gotten considerably less bulky and complicated over time, thanks to digitization. Such … Continue reading A Route 66 railroad crossing in 360 degrees
See Illinois Route 66 from a vintage domed railroad car
A rail cruise company is organizing a two-day excursion next month from Chicago to St. Louis that will shadow much of Route 66 in Illinois and give participants a chance to see the countryside from a 1950s domed dining car. The cruise by Zephyr Route will be April 23-24. The train will make stops in Summit, Joliet, Dwight, … Continue reading See Illinois Route 66 from a vintage domed railroad car
$500,000 grant accepted for Arizona State Railroad Museum
The city of Williams, Arizona, accepted a $500,000 state grant to help acquire artifacts for the Arizona State Railroad Museum, reported the Williams News. The grant, which will be available by fiscal year 2018, came with help from the Northern Arizona Council of Governments. It requires a $5,000 administrative fee and a 5.7 percent match of any money … Continue reading $500,000 grant accepted for Arizona State Railroad Museum
Route 66 Village train will be lighted Friday for Christmas
If you're in the Tulsa area Friday, you may want to make your way to the Route 66 Village on the southwest part of town and check out the Christmas lighting of its big steam locomotive at 6 p.m. City councilor Jeannie Cue also said Santa Claus will be at the Route 66 Village from 5:30 … Continue reading Route 66 Village train will be lighted Friday for Christmas
All aboard the Lincoln County Express
Occasionally, you'll find out about something you unwittingly passed dozens of time but never saw. One of those things is the so-called Lincoln County Express, a child-sized locomotive and other metal sculptures that apparently have sat off Route 66 east of Stroud, Oklahoma, for decades. Tulsa photographer Rhys Martin discovered it in June 2014; apparently vegetation conceals it from … Continue reading All aboard the Lincoln County Express
Trains return to Erick for the first time in years
Residents of Erick, Oklahoma, saw a passenger train come through their town for the first time in nearly 50 years Friday as Farmrail commemorated the opening of rail service between there and the fellow Route 66 town of Sayre, Oklahoma, for a fracking-sand manufacturer, according to The Oklahoman newspaper. The passenger train was just for … Continue reading Trains return to Erick for the first time in years