Journey to Jerome

It's only taken me 27 years to get to Jerome, Arizona; but I finally made it! If you're not familiar with Jerome, it was for a short while, one of Arizona's largest mining towns. Copper was its main resource, producing three million pounds per month from around 1876 untill the mid 1950's. After that it quickly became one of the West's numerous ghost towns. Now it's a huge draw for tourists, who can wander the towns storefronts in search of souvenirs and local art. If you're a model railroader, you'd know it from John Olson's layout series in Model Railroader in 1982; Building a Railroad with Personality, The Jerome & South Western.

The layout was a standard 4'x8' but John created the illusion of a much larger layout, well detailed and rich in character which he imparted from his own talents as an imagineer at Disney as well as thorough research. I'd read those issues when I was 12 years old, but they left quite an impression. Aside from the fact that the layout appealed to me; realistic rock work and weathering, detailed structures - I was fascinated by this place called Jerome. At the time, growing up in New York City, Jerome Arizona might as well been on the far side of the moon.

Ultimately, John's article series made its way into book form which I immediately purchased back then. I still have the same book, yellowed edges; spine retaped - and I still go back to it, as the techniques are still among the best. Through the book I could visit Jerome, if only through John's photos. I'd put it on my list of places to see; some day.

Well today was the day! As we're travelling around Arizona, in particular Sedona, Jerome was a mere 40 minute drive away. How could I not go? One picture in the book that always stood out was John collecting a container of dirt to be used on his layout. Well today I collected a couple of pounds of Mingus Mountain dirt myself...

It was better than I imagined. From what I'd read, many of the towns buildings were built on the edge of Cleopatra Hill...more like clinging for their structural lives; amazing! It looked like a swift kick with your foot would send a building tumbling down. In fact after countless dynamite explosions in the mines, a good portion, like two blocks and two dozen buildings slid down the hill.

But so much is still intact. As you pass through the town, you come upon an incredible site - after some disastrous underground accidents, they turned to above ground strip mining - a large portion of the hill is just missing, gone, carved out by a giant. Actually it was a Marion steam shovel that could scoop out eight cubic yards in one gulp. It turns out it was a steam shovel that previously had helped dig out the Panama Canal. The actual shell of the unit is still on site.

Beyond the large hole in the side of the mountain is the Jerome ghost town. It's a bit propped for tourism, but it's a massive collection of old mining equipment - including dozens of automobiles and trucks, faded but very intact, from the '30's to the '50's. There's a working saw mill and a dozen old structures. If you're into detailed modeling, narrow gauge railroading and model railroading in general; your brain will pretty much fall right out of your head next to a rusting 1940's Dodge.

Needles to say I took numerous photos and all I could think about was tearing up my layout and building my own Jerome and South Western...

If you ever have travel plans that take you to Arizona, don't miss Jerome. Just have a good hold on your brain, it might make it's way down Cleopatra Hill.

Riding the Rails Again

Here we are again,on an Amtrak train headed out West; the California Zephyr. As I write, we’re nearing Omaha, Nebraska. If you’d read about or last trip in May ’08, your probably asking why would you take the train again? Despite the delays and headaches and exploding catenary, it’s still, to me anyway, the best way to travel. It truly is the only way to see this continent in a relaxing epic kind of way – you can really appreciate its immensity and its diverse geography once you’ve covered this kind of distance , close to the ground. Since, leaving Connecticut, I haven’t looked away from the window.

I’ve brought all manner of distraction with me, for the so called “long ride”. I’ve got a few books, my laptop, DVD’s to watch, a few new train magazines, my sketch book, my ipod…but I’ve been utterly captivated by the ever changing landscaping flying by.

In the last 36 hours I’ve seen the coves and inlets of the Long Island Sound, the massive Hell Gate Bridge in NY and the view it affords of my old neighborhoods in Queens; we even managed a 15 minute visit with a good friend who was able to get down to the track at Penn Station to say hello and goodbye. New Jersey and Delaware went by in an instant; a blur of refineries and turnpike traffic. A stop-over in D.C. offered a nice break. While I’d been to the platforms of Union Station several times, I’d never had the time to visit this well preserved, grand station.

After D.C., we plied through Harper’s Ferry, an amazing mountainside town, I’d never been to. Through the outskirts of Pittsburgh, dormant steel mills littered the land like the set of an apocalyptic film. We awoke in Chicago, with a five hour wait between trains and perfect weather. In that time I was able to see Millennium Park and Frank Gehry’s Pritzker building, as well as several new skyscrapers that had been built since our last visit. After a stroll along the Chicago River, we headed back to the station and boarded the Zephyr.

And the window has its grip on me – how couldn’t it? A BNSF freight zips by almost every 15 minutes. We pass through countless yards and witness switching of all manner of freight car. It’s a great opportunity to see all kinds of weathering and trackside details, invaluable research for my modern day layout, which my last train trip inspired. Grain elevators, dozens of them, zip by – and none of them look alike. All the while, I’ve been snapping pics and sketching details I can use on my layout or in some future kit. The landscape changes often, also inviting new ways to model scenery on my layout.

Did I mention the locomotives? Growling, roaring, belching smoke; they’re just awesome to watch – whether they’re crawling through a yard or racing by with a hundred cars trailing behind, they are no doubt impressive, massive and unstoppable. Even Amtrak’s P42 pulling this consist of Superliners. It’s near seamless shell is simple, almost boring – yet the fact that once its wheels start turning and horn starts screaming, it comes to life; it deserves recognition. On top of that all three of our trains have been on time. An Amtrak first for me!

Anyway, you get the idea. If you like trains, to any degree – as a casual hobby, or a true fanatic, consider your next trip by train. You won’t forget it.

I see some blaring headlights ahead on the track next to us…back to the window.

(the above pic: backing into Chicago's Union Station)