BNSF's Seligman Subdivision
Kingman Segment: Nelson, AZ to Needles, CA
Updated 10/11/2005 Current Picture Count = 48
This segment of the Seligman Sub, nearly the western half of it, lies in a wonderful area. It is through this stretch that the railroad makes its way up or down the Arizona Plateau. Many locations along the route are simply awesome! Whether climbing up or descending the plateau, trains here encounter a wide variety of conditions that they must adjust for. Curves and straight track, wide valleys and deep canyons, sandy washes and rocky passes. This is a transitional zone, if you will, from the desert to the high mountain forests of Flagstaff. Each mile brings new changes and more exploration. The best thing - the photo angles seem limitless. You'll not bore of shooting this part of the Seligman Sub.
This section also has quite possibly the hardest locations to shoot anywhere along the Seligman Sub. From Yucca to Needles the rails are not really anywhere near any major road other than the interstate and they often veer far into the desert away from everything except the dry washes they run across. This portion is characterized by the very dry and sandy soil, the hot dry summer days, and the crisscross of the washes the cut the land as they drain the mountains of western AZ into the Colorado River. The trains here are running fast, and it is HOT HOT HOT in summer. Long vistas are all around and barren land and mesquite brush are the norm. As you can tell from the lack of pictures from Kingman west, I usually head for Flagstaff and those areas of the Seligman Sub. Maybe I'll give this some attention later this year.
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Picture Pages |
Maps and Railfan Info |
Flagstaff (Winslow, AZ to Bellemont, AZ) |
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Crookton Cutoff (Maine, AZ to Yampai, AZ) |
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Kingman (Nelson, AZ to Needles, CA) |
From East to West
Nelson
Peach Springs
Truxton / Cherokee
Crozier Cyn
Valentine
Hackberry
Walapai
Berry
Kingman (City)...
Kingman (Canyon)
McConnico (Main 1)
Harris (Main 2)
Griffith
Athos
Yucca
Franconia
Powell
Topock
Needles