The Santa Fe in Northwestern Arizona
to
Leeds Historic Depot 8335 Thornton Avenue, Leeds, Alabama 35094
The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe's double-track mainline between Kingman and Williams, Arizona, is widely recognized as one of the most scenic routes in the United States. Such landmarks as Kingman, Crozier, and Pan Canyons; Yampai Summit; and the Crookton Cutoff have attracted railfans for the past century. Mid-South Chapter member Lamont Downs, who lived in southern Nevada for over thirty years, frequently roamed over the former Route 66 which closely parallels this line for much of its length. At the chapter's February 18 annual meeting he will discuss the history of the line, illustrated with videos taken in the early to late nineteen-nineties. Starting when the Santa Fe was still running diesels wearing the striking "warbonnet" scheme, it will also include some of the earliest appearances of diesels painted for the newly-formed Burlington Northern Santa Fe.