Wartime on the Santa Fe

In March 1943, the photographer Jack Delano made a remarkable journey across northern Arizona on the main line of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. He was working for the federal Office of War Information, documenting the massive work railroads were doing bringing troops and war materiel to both the European and Pacific theaters. In the process, he gave us images of small-town Arizona stretched along the railroad and U.S. Route 66. For example, above is downtown Flagstaff seen from the old depot looking across "the Mother Road." Flag's population was about 5,000.

Between 1941 and 1944, American railroads carried 83% of the increase in all traffic, along with 91% of all military freight and 98% of military personnel. Pullman put its thousands of sleepers into the effort and built thousands more troop sleepers and kitchen cars. The Santa Fe through northern Arizona, a critical route to the West Coast, saw a 175% spike in freight traffic. More than 1,000 cars a day went through the Albuquerque division headquarters of Winslow, with its 33-track yard and massive roundhouse and shops, along with passenger and troop trains.

The Southern Pacific through southern Arizona, including wartime Phoenix, saw similar challenges. But it didn't have a Jack Delano to document it.

This gallery comes from the Library of Congress. Click on a photo to see a larger image.

Passing a freight train carrying M-3 Lee tanks from the Arsenal of Democracy.

A moment of trackside peace allows cars (gasoline and tires were rationed) to cross by the depot in Holbrook.

An engineman climbs into a new General Motors FT diesel locomotive at Winslow. Most freight trains changed from steam to diesel here. Because of the arid locale, Santa Fe dieselized much of its northern Arizona main line. The federal government allowed GM Electro-Motive  to fill these orders, when most locomotive production was stopped, because of their importance on this line. Before diesels, Santa Fe had to bring 1.25 million gallons of water a day for locomotives and people on the division. Afterward, it dropped to 200,000 gallons.

Santa Fe FT diesels, the groundbreaking locomotives produced by GM's Electro-Motive Division, lead a freight train out of the Winslow yard.

The busy roundhouse and shops at Winslow, where locomotives were serviced and made ready for their next run.

Delano is in the cab of this diesel as the train enters Flagstaff.

A break allowed Delano to capture another Flagstaff street scene.

Navajos were the backbone of Santa Fe track gangs and maintenance-of-way (MOW) crews during the war, keeping tracks and roadbeds in top shape despite the wear of heavy traffic.

A four-unit set of FTs powers this freight through Ash Fork. Both it and Williams were on the ATSF main line until a realignment in the early 1960s left both towns on the "Peavine" to Phoenix.

Ash Fork Yard in 1943.

At Williams, a fireman looks over his train from the lead locomotive.

Trackside, Williams promotes itself to Santa Fe passengers.

Women entered the workforce as men went to war. Here is a telegraph operator in the station at Seligman, about halfway between Flagstaff and Kingman. Seligman was headquarters of the Arizona Division, which ran to Barstow, Calif.  It had a Harvey House for passengers.

Santa Fe engine and caboose crews at Seligman, awaiting their next assignments.

This is Seligman before the war, with Route 66 in the center and the Santa Fe at left.

A rare color shot by Delano at Yucca, which was a fuel and water stop.

One of the thousands of troop trains that operated across the nation. This is at Peach Springs.

This double-headed passenger train near Kingman will take two steam locomotives to cross the Arizona Divide to the east.

A scene from the Kingman Santa Fe depot.

Between trains, Delano shot this street scene in Kingman.

Not everything could be dieselized in 1943. Here's two steam locomotives heading up a passenger train at Kingman. The engineer gives the 4-6-2 a careful check before highball.

We're crossing the Colorado River at Topock, Ariz. In the background are cranes building a new span, built from 1942 to 1944, to replace this 1890 railroad bridge.

Before Glen Canyon Dam, drought, and climate change, Delano captured an abundant Colorado River from the railroad bridge.

RELATED: Phoenix Union Station.

Railroads to Phoenix.

Ghost railroads of Arizona.

More Arizona railroad images.

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My book, A Brief History of Phoenix, is available to buy or order at your local independent bookstore, or from Amazon.

Read more Phoenix history in Rogue's Phoenix 101 archive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Comments

[DoggieCombover]

The final photo speaks volumes.

[Cal Lash]

Glen Canyon Dam,
Man's obscene and futile attempt at domesticating mother nature.
The sand goes where the wind blows
and the rising silt at Glen Dam
will destroy what "manunkind"
has built.
Cal at 80 channeling ED Abbey.

[IA_Ed]

Re Cal's post: Amen.

[Cal Lash]

IA_ED
AMEN
Glen Canyon
God could use some help.
Earth First and the Monkey Wrench gang?
and do we really think that
the Cartels aren't going to saw and blow holes in Trumps "beautiful" environmentally destructive wall?

Wall of the wild: animals on the US-Mexico border – in pictures

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2020/oct/26/wall-of-the-wild-animals-on-the-us-mexico-border-in-pictures-aoe

[DoggieCombover]

Seems a tad ironic to me that a rattlesnake or a bobcat can be detected and photographed but somehow a wall is the only answer for humans? Just another stain on our nation...

[Cal Lash]

Dog
More than a Tad Sad?
Read "The Dreamt Land" by Mark Arax

[Joe Schallan]

My contribution to this discussion is a snapshot I took of the Santa Fe Super Chief passenger train as it paused at the Flagstaff Depot in the summer of 1973. All I had was a cheap Kodak Instamatic. Although Amtrak had taken over most of the US's passenger rail operations on May 1, 1971, it was still operating the Super Chief with its original Santa Fe equipment and staff when I took the photo. As the transition to Amtrak proceeded, the Santa Fe Railway perceived a decline in service standards on what had been its premier train and forced Amtrak to discontinue the use of the Super Chief name.

[Cal Lash]

very nice Joe

[Rich Weinroth]

Incredible photos. I was born in 1958. I certainly have no desire to have lived in the past, but I miss what must have been a time of national unity as opposed to what we have today.

[Cal Lash]

Rich, you missed the best years.
Those before 1450.

[Ruben]

This isn’t war-railroad related, but it is railroad-conflict related. A grandfather, on my mother’s side, who I was never allowed to meet, worked for the railroad between Albuquerque and Los Angeles including the time period mentioned here. There is a good likelihood he met the Delano guy. Anyway, the railroad job allowed my grandfather to maintain a family in Albuquerque and Los Angeles at the same time. A practice which is frowned upon in most states except Utah and part of Arizona. He is where my 1/4 Portuguese blood comes from, along with my love of trains.

[IA_Ed]

Another anecdote related to Amtrak's southwest service.

I lived in Albuquerque in the early 80's and recall reading in the paper that Amtrak was discontinuing freshly prepared meals in the dining car. In particular, fresh trout was highlighted in the article as a meal that would no longer be cooked and served.

[Chuck Albertson]

Joe, I took the Super Chief from Flag to Chicago in 1968, returning on the El Capitan (sitting car only). Amtrak now runs it as the Southwest Chief; earlier this month it reduced service from daily to 3x weekly due to a pandemic-induced drop in passengers.

[ChrisInDenver]

"Not everything could be dieselized in 1943. Here's two steam locomotives heading up a passenger train at Kingman."

Why was this the case? Did steam-powered locomotives have more pulling power than diesel? On a side note, when the BNSF trains head south out of Denver, it's not uncommon to see three engines up front and one in the middle, as they'll need all that extra power to pull the long trains up and over Monument Hill (7,700 feet) just north of Colorado Springs.

[Rogue Columnist]

Chris,

The FT diesels were brand new and not enough had been built when war came. After that, the government didn't allow many to be produced (the diesel engines, for example, were needed for some Navy ships).

The Santa Fe, like every railroad of the era, had plenty of steam. It tried to use it mostly on passenger trains and troop trails ("Mains").

What you see on the Joint Line is called distributed power.

[ChrisinDenver]

Thanks for the explanation, Jon. I really appreciate it!